Be a Change Agent for Santa Clara University!
The Innovation Fellows program helps students develop expertise and familiarity in the design thinking process - developing empathy, ideating new possibilities, prototyping solutions, and testing in real-world contexts.
Over three quarters, Fellows work in interdisciplinary teams with SCU and community stakeholders to address a pressing challenge. The first quarter introduces the elements of the design thinking process, with a heavy emphasis on empathy. In the second and third quarters, students design and test prototypes of their solutions. The ultimate goal is to identify creative solutions that endure well beyond their time at SCU.
Below are examples of challenges addressed by the past four cohorts:
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Admissions: Improving the Admissions Onboarding Process
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Education: Improving Academic Support Services
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Health: Supporting Mental Health for Male Students
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Community: Fostering Belonging at SCU
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Sustainability: Improving Waste Management
Why be an Innovation Fellow?
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Hands-On Experience: Collaborate with a diverse group of students and work on projects that address real-world challenges, from sustainability to social impact
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Leadership Development: Sharpen your leadership, problem-solving, and teamwork skills while contributing to a culture of innovation at SCU
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Networking Opportunities: Connect with industry leaders, mentors, and like-minded peers who share your passion for making a difference
Apply!
Applications for the 2026-2027 cohort are closed.
FAQs
- Who can apply for this program?
SCU students who are rising Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors (current First Year, Sophomores, and Juniors) are eligible to apply.
- What is the time commitment?
Students commit to a 3 unit course, offered 1 unit each quarter. There is a time commitment associated with and equivalent to a 1 unit course each quarter for a full academic year (Fall, Winter, and Spring).
- Can students participate in both Innovation Fellows and SCU Study Abroad?
Students will not be able to participate in Innovation Fellows if they are committed to SCU Study Abroad in the Fall Quarter of the same year as the Innovation Fellows application cycle.
- What topic will be the focus?
This program will be driven by the students and the stakeholders engaged. The theme is Santa Clara University and the local community.
- Has this course happened before?
As Design Thinking experts, the program continues to be improved upon.
A two year version of this program and a one year version of this program has been offered to previous cohorts of undergraduate students. Additionally, a version of this program has been offered to graduate students in the ECP at SCU. An elective (non-credit) version has been offered for 4 years prior for undergraduates, the program has been well received by participants and students have asked for the creation of a larger for-credit version.
- What majors is this program open to?
This program is open to all majors and will be interdisciplinary.
- Can students be a LEAD Peer Mentor and be an Innovation Fellow?
We love and welcome LEAD scholars to apply, however, students cannot be LEAD Peer Mentors for LEAD Week and be in Innovation Fellows.
Teaching Team
Prof. Kathy Sun
Co-Instructor
Keith Yocam
Co-Instructor
Marcella Sorrentino
Assistant Program Director
Cristina Florea
Co-Instructor
Colin Justin
Co-Instructor
2026-2027 Cohort
Aaron Chia, '29
Business Undeclared
Aarushi Sule, '28
Neuroscience
Aidan Miranda, '29
Computer Science and Engineering
Akshar Patel, '29
Finance
Alex Tran, '29
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Alicia Santiago, '28
Business Undeclared
Alyson Chew, '29
Public Health Science
Amjad Rehawi, '27
Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering
Ananya Lal, '29
Management Information Systems
Ananya Mukherjee, '29
Management Information Systems
Anisa Taymuree, '29
Business Undeclared
Anthony Yu, '29
Mechanical Engineering
Arshia Lakra, '28
Economics
Benicio Aranda, '29
Business Undeclared
Benjamin Archuleta, '29
Environmental Studies
Boran Huang, '29
Public Health Science
Candace Li, '29
Business Undeclared
Catalina Enriquez, '29
Political Science
Catherine Elizabeth Pfeiffer, '29
Arts and Sciences Undeclared
Christina Lee, '29
Finance
Daniela Gonzalez Fuentes, '29
Accounting, Management Information Systems
Eiliyah Ali, '28
Business Undeclared
Ella Kwon, '29
Communications
Erica Tjandrasuwita, '29
Business Undeclared
Ethan Park, '29
Business Undeclared
Evan Chin, '28
Computer Science
Faith Ogunfunmi, '29
Computer Science and Engineering
Gavin Glenn Guyette, '29
Business Management
Haakon Gaaserud, '29
Finance
Hannah Tang, '29
Accounting
Hannah Yonkers-Talz, '27
Environmental Studies
Heidi Chen, '29
Bioengineering
Holly Nutting, '29
Marketing
Ila Perinkulam, '28
Philosophy
Janella Herrera, '28
Civil, Environmental, and Sustainable Engineering
Jason Portales, '29
Electrical Engineering
Jesse Tang, '28
Management Information Systems
Josh Gabriel Buno, '29
Mathematics
Jovanni Olivarez, '29
Biology
Kai Belandres, '29
Economics
Katie Nguyen, '29
Biology, Neuroscience
Krishikka Sawla, '28
Marketing
Lara Harb, '29
Finance
Linda Lin, '28
English
Malia Aquino, '29
Business Undeclared
Michael Phan, '29
Mechanical Engineering
Michelle Arellano Reyes, '27
Neuroscience
Mythreyi Venkateswaran, '29
Sociology, English
Olivia Wang, '28
Business Undeclared
Parker Smith, '28
Accounting
Paul Montville, '28
Neuroscience, Philosophy
Reese Alvernaz, '29
Civil Engineering
Rini Saha, '29
Mechanical Engineering
Safiya Tran, '29
Economics
Sera Baang, '29
Finance
Shikhar Sisodia, '29
Computer Science, Mathematics
Skylar Rach, '29
Business Undeclared
Sunjana Banwait, '29
Computer Science and Engineering
Tariq Al Awfi, '27
Finance
Teresa Lara, '29
Mechanical Engineering
Vanshi Luhar, '28
Business Management
Zoe Alpert, '29
Communications
2025-2026 Cohort
Aaryana Poudel, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Aidan Kwapisz, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Amaya Lin, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Andreas Flierl, '27
Mechanical Engineering Major
Mechanical Engineering Major
Ava Stoddard, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Carolyn Nguyen, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Charles Lyons, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Clair Kim, '28
Political Science Major
Political Science Major
Diana Garcia-Becerra, '26
Mechanical Engineering Major
Mechanical Engineering Major
Ellie Hong, '27
Web Design and Engineering Major
Web Design and Engineering Major
Erik Latchford, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Grant Du, '28
Finance Major
Finance Major
Gulraj Dhaliwal, '28
Finance Major
Finance Major
Isabelle Douchane, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Ishika Gupta, '27
Computer Science and Engineering Major
Computer Science and Engineering Major
Izabella Diaz, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Jensen Welton, '28
Bioengineering Major
Bioengineering Major
John Brooks, '27
Biology Major
Biology Major
Kaiya Lu, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Keerthi Gopinath, '27
Management Information Systems Major
Management Information Systems Major
Kylie Chang, '28
Finance Major
Finance Major
Lana Villegas, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Malia Hoey, '26
Neuroscience Major
Neuroscience Major
Mateo Coulson, '28
Political Science Major
Political Science Major
Matthew Law-Smith, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Meg Jones, '26
Sociology Major
Sociology Major
Nicole Azar, '28
Political Science Major
Political Science Major
Olivia Desire, '27
Computer Science and Engineering Major
Computer Science and Engineering Major
Patrick O'Connor, '28
Studio Art Major
Studio Art Major
Peter Miao, '28
Biochemistry Major
Biochemistry Major
Quinn Moses, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Raahil Khan, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Ruth Janfa, '26
Psychology Major
Psychology Major
Ryan Foster, '28
Economics (BS) Major
Economics (BS) Major
Sabrina Amaro, '28
Accounting and Information Systems Major
Accounting and Information Systems Major
Sean Tsang, '27
Finance Major
Finance Major
Shayla Bansal, '27
Economics (BS) Major
Economics (BS) Major
Shreya Dusankar, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Sophia Ramos, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Stephanie Vu, '28
Mechanical Engineering Major
Mechanical Engineering Major
Swathi Giri, '27
Accounting Major
Accounting Major
Teresa Bui, '28
Management Information Systems Major
Management Information Systems Major
William Baldwin, '28
Communications Major
Communications Major
Yuvraaj Bhatter, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
Zara Raza, '28
Business Undeclared
Business Undeclared
2024-2025 Cohort
Abby Wilwerding, '26
Communications Major, Retail Studies and Real Estate Minors
Communications Major, Retail Studies and Real Estate Minors
Alisa Cheng, '27
Accounting and Information Systems Major, Music Minor
Accounting and Information Systems Major, Music Minor
Andrew Joseph, '26
Neuroscience and Mechanical Engineering Majors
Neuroscience and Mechanical Engineering Majors
Anna Aldrin, '26
Computer Science and Engineering Majors
Computer Science and Engineering Majors
Asha LaManque, '27
Computer Science Major
Computer Science Major
Calissa Leong, '26
Bioengineering Major
Bioengineering Major
Charles Legge, '26
Accounting and Information Systems Major
Accounting and Information Systems Major
Connor Fox, '26
Finance Major, Real Estate Minor
Finance Major, Real Estate Minor
Cooper McCarthy, '26
Mechanical Engineering Major, Aerospace Engineering Minor
Mechanical Engineering Major, Aerospace Engineering Minor
Emily Han, '27
Business Marketing Major
Business Marketing Major
Emily Kang, '26
Accounting Major, Asian-American Studies Minor
Accounting Major, Asian-American Studies Minor
Ethan Yeh, '26
Finance Major, Asian American Studies Minor
Finance Major, Asian American Studies Minor
Evan Hackstadt, '27
Computer Science Major
Computer Science Major
Flavio Olivieri Villalvazo, '27
Mechanical Engineering Major
Mechanical Engineering Major
Francisca Gelman, '26
Communications and Spanish Double Major
Communications and Spanish Double Major
Gabrielle Ponciano, '27
Management Information Systems Major
Management Information Systems Major
Gavin O'Connor, '26
Finance and Computer Science
Finance and Computer Science
Henry Gewecke, '27
Business
Business
Irene Chang, '26
Computer Science and Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Jason Wu, '27
Computer Science and Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Julia Philbrick, '26
Communications Major, Political Science and Entrepreneurship Minors
Communications Major, Political Science and Entrepreneurship Minors
Kiara Pech, '27
Economics Major
Economics Major
Lauren Raney, '25
Political Science Major, Economics Minor
Political Science Major, Economics Minor
Liv de Jounge, '26
Political Science Major, Economics Major, International Business Minor
Political Science Major, Economics Major, International Business Minor
Meg Rawson, '26
Engineering and Web Design
Engineering and Web Design
Mia Flores, '26
Political Science and Sociology
Political Science and Sociology
Michael Cooper, '26
Economics Major, Business Analytics Minor
Economics Major, Business Analytics Minor
Miranda Roche, '27
Business
Business
Pragna Bura, '27
Management Information Systems Major
Management Information Systems Major
Rahul Kaura, '26
Computer Engineering Major
Computer Engineering Major
Sandro Biscocho, '26
Accounting and Information Systems Major
Accounting and Information Systems Major
Sarah Floyd, '27
Finance Major
Finance Major
Sean Wu, '27
Computer Science and Engineering
Computer Science and Engineering
Sunny Tran, '27
Finance Major, Business Analytics Minor
Finance Major, Business Analytics Minor
Taylor Ogata, '27
Business
Business
Winston Qiu, '26
Accounting Major
Accounting Major
Yash Gaur, '27
Business Management Major
Business Management Major
Zach Carlson, '26
Engineering
Engineering
2023-2024 Cohort
Abigail Sauter, '26
Neuroscience Major
Neuroscience Major
Ahnika Mangalick, '26
Computer Science and Mathematics Major
Computer Science and Mathematics Major
Anushree Malhotra, '26
Psychology and Child Studies Double Major, Public Health Minor
Psychology and Child Studies Double Major, Public Health Minor
April Le, '26
Ethnic Studies Major
Ethnic Studies Major
Chelsea Nguyen, '25
Business Management Major Technical Innovation, Design Thinking, and Entrepreneurship Minor
Business Management Major Technical Innovation, Design Thinking, and Entrepreneurship Minor
Daniel Gustin, '25
Major in Economics and Minor in Technical Innovation, Design Thinking, and Entrepreneurship
Major in Economics and Minor in Technical Innovation, Design Thinking, and Entrepreneurship
Erik Keifer, '25
General Engineering
General Engineering
Ivan Carrasco, '25
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Jackson Dwelle, '25
Biochemistry Major, Entrepreneurship Minor
Biochemistry Major, Entrepreneurship Minor
Kelly Zhou, '25
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Major
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Major
Kendall Cox, '26
Undeclared
Undeclared
Kimberly Salas-Ruiz, '25
Child Studies Major (pre-health track)
Child Studies Major (pre-health track)
Patricia Landers, '25
Biology and Child Studies Double Major
Biology and Child Studies Double Major
Sabrina Gonzalez, '26
Economics
Economics
Samira Billow, '25
Biology Major, Public Health Minor
Biology Major, Public Health Minor
Sharmila Bhatt, '25
Psychology, Real Estate
Psychology, Real Estate
William Langdoc, '26
Sociology Major
Sociology Major
2022-2023 Cohort
Abem Lucas, '25
CS and Engineering
CS and Engineering
Ash Uyematsu, '24
Biology, Public Health, Japanese Minor
Biology, Public Health, Japanese Minor
Brian Wiebe, '25
CS and Engineering, Technical Innovation Minor
CS and Engineering, Technical Innovation Minor
Camren Kremers, '24
Finance, Real Estate Minor
Finance, Real Estate Minor
Evan Baerg, '25
Bio-Chemistry
Bio-Chemistry
Harvard Muhm, '25
Business, French
Business, French
Hriday Gurnani, '25
Finance, Economics
Finance, Economics
Jonathan Santosa, '24
CS and Engineering
CS and Engineering
Kaitlin Webster, '25
Neuroscience, WGST
Neuroscience, WGST
Karl Schumacher, '24
Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering Minor
Bioengineering, Electrical Engineering Minor
Khushboo Gupta, '24
COEN, Design Thinking and Innovation
COEN, Design Thinking and Innovation
Leo Illing, '25
Physics, Mathematics Minor, Art History Minor
Physics, Mathematics Minor, Art History Minor
Lillian Coan, '24
Marketing
Marketing
Nicolas Lyons, '24
Business
Business
Olivia Sargent, '25
Biochemistry, Public Health Minor
Biochemistry, Public Health Minor