Gretchen Steidle, JS '96, continues to champion conscious social change

Published author, Emmy-nominated producer and documentarian, humanitarian, CNN Hero, non-profit founder, conscious social change advocate, and classroom teacher—these are just some of the ways one could describe Gretchen Steidle, the Stewart H. Brown Jr. Jefferson Scholar. Having graduated from U.Va. in 1996, Gretchen has managed to transform the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals across the globe over the course of 20 years.

Recently UVA Today caught up with Gretchen while she was on Grounds teaching the January term course, “Conscious Social Change.” Gretchen credits the Jefferson Scholars Foundation for instilling in her early on the value of being a “scholar, leader, and citizen” of the world. Read the article here and discover more about Gretchen and her work with the non-profit organization Global Grassroots here.