Standout Spartan: Rafi Zepeda '26

Rafi Zepeda ’26, a member of Steward’s Leadership Program, recently teamed up with Latinos in Virginia Empowerment Center (LIVE), an organization that provides services for Latinos impacted by sexual and domestic violence, to coordinate a service opportunity. Working with LIVE and several other local non-profits, Rafi and her group members, Kensington Charles ’26 and Sanai Green ’26, recruited 10 Spartans to volunteer their time at the Free Latin Food Distribution Center, where they packaged and distributed 200 boxes of food for those in need. 

This project falls into the “health and wellbeing” category of the United Nations' official Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the year 2030. Through the lens of the UN’s SDGs, the second-year Leadership students are participating in a year-long exploration of various global issues in which they develop service projects that directly address the SDGs. 

“This event connected people in need to all kinds of health and wellbeing organizations and gave them a box full of healthy food,” said Rafi. “My favorite part about the event was bringing together some of my favorite things: activism and empowerment in the Latin community, and stewardship. Through the planning and implementation of this project, I gained lots of leadership experience.”