Sparkseed Welcomes Summer Team

             Sparkseed is thrilled to announce the formation of its Summer Team. During the summer, members of the team will be integrated into the heart of our organization and will be tasked with completing a variety of crucial projects for Sparkseed. We welcome them. To find out more about the amazing individuals who have recently joined us, look below: 

Daria Reaven

Although she is a relative newcomer to the world of social entrepreneurship, Daria has become entirely infatuated with the youth saturated culture that is current social innovation. Daria is serving as an intern for Sparkseed while on summer break from Whitman College, where she is majoring in Sociology and Politics. Additionally, this fall, Daria will be studying abroad in India and is thrilled that she will be getting a sense of the work being done there. A lover of poetry, songwriting, and getting her hands dirty, Daria is excited to be part of a team that finds opportunity in conflict.

Umair Raza

At Sparkseed, Umair conducts in-depth research and helps to customize the company's client demand capabilities. Last summer, he worked at the Chicago office of Merrill Lynch and helped to cater to the firm's high net-worth clients. He has interned in corporate finance and has audited clients for the accounting firm KPMG.  Umair is pursuing a BS in Economics and Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. At the university, he co-founded a club to promote microfinance awareness amongst students. He has also worked alongside his school's consulting club in doing multiple pro-bono consulting projects. In his free time, he enjoys playing video games and soccer. This summer, Umair is working to increase Sparkseed's revenue streams through consulting new clients.

Sarah LeClaire

Sarah is pursuing a BA in International Relations with a minor in Comparative Literature at the University of Southern California.  Recently, Sarah served as the Chief of Staff of the USC Undergraduate Student Government. Furthermore, in the summer of 2009, she was one of 28 people selected to be a USC Global Fellow. As a fellow, she interned at the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of Trade and Investment in the World Trade Center in Taipei, Taiwan. This summer, Sarah is helping to coordinate Sparkseed's inaugural Social Innovation Summit, being held in August. She enjoys traveling and immersing herself in new cultures. During her free time, Sarah races in triathlons as a member of the USC club team.

Frankie Warren
Part geek, part life of the party, Frankie Warren is working at Sparkseed to make an impact through developing social media. Frankie graduated from Boston College with a BA in Economics and a minor in Faith, Peace and Justice. He received his MBA from Pepperdine University and is headed to the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Institute of Government to focus on making the world a better place. Frankie currently works in the strategy group at iCrossing, a full service digital marketing agency that was recently acquired by the Hearst Corporation. His passions include international development, emerging technologies, good music and food.

Grace Lin
Grace just finished her freshman year at UC Berkeley and plans to double major in Business Administration and Social Welfare. As a Sparkseed intern, she is currently assisting the staff with administrative tasks and is helping to coordinate Sparkseed's inaugural Social Innovation Summit. Interested in combining business with her passion for social justice, Grace is excited about Sparkseed's vision of cultivating social entrepreneurship through students.

Ashkun Zaker

Ashkun is passionate about the social entrepreneurship movement, especially when it comes to the young minds driving it. After graduating from U.C. Davis, and then spending six years in investment management, he saw the light and made the change to social entrepreneurship by coming to help at Sparkseed. He plans to continue fueling this passion by getting an MBA from USC's renowned Society and Business Lab. He spends his free time bicycling, practicing yoga and mediation, as well as trying unsuccessfully to be a good guitarist. Ashkun is working to make Sparkseed the top college business incubator in the world.

Sam Felsing
Sam is an aspiring journalist. He recently graduated from the University of Redlands, where he majored in English: Writing and minored in Government. For the past year, Sam has worked for the Alameda Sun as an intern/reporter. As a reporter, he covers a variety of different news topics, but his primary reporting focus is on education. Prior to his experience at the newspaper, Sam interned for a U.S. congressman and had a long and storied career in higher education administration. During the summer, he will be working as Sparkseed’s blog editor.

Gregory Kaplow

Entering his senior year at Santa Clara University, Greg is currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in Business Management with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship and Psychology. While studying abroad at the University Deusto in Spain and after being exposed to cross cultural work groups, he realized the importance of team empowerment in a worldwide work environment. He is interested in organizational development and maximizing team effectiveness through leadership and character. Very active on the Santa Clara campus, Greg is a captain of the volleyball team, psychology research assistant, and a founding member and President of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. Over the summer he is working to help discern the company culture of Sparkseed and to write an intern training program.