This award remembers Leah Horowitz (FPAN ’06), who died tragically in a car accident in Ghana in May of 2009. Leah was a tireless advocate for student involvement in the daily life and broader mission of the Friedman School. In her two years at Friedman, Leah led the creation of the school’s first student group and student-organized symposium. She also spearheaded an effort to review and revise the Friedman curriculum to provide students with a more systemic view of food policy and ways to influence it. Constantly striving for a deeper understanding of problems and solutions in the food system, Leah pushed herself and her fellow students to work across disciplines, think more critically, and make greater change in the world.
Leah earned a bachelor’s degree in geography at Dartmouth College and worked on community food security issues in Oregon before completing her FPAN degree at the Friedman School. As an undergraduate she studied in Zimbabwe and South Africa and continually aspired to return to Africa. After graduating from Friedman, Leah worked for the International Food Policy Research Institute in D.C. and asked to be transferred to Ghana, where she focused on sustainable agriculture, good governance, and the role that gender plays in developing societies. She was ever curious and mindful of how agriculture can be used as a tool to increase food security and reduce poverty. Her spirit, attention to the beauty in the world, and compassion for others inspired all who knew her, from the communities of Philadelphia, Hanover, NH, and western Oregon to Boston, Washington, DC, and Accra, Ghana.
Leah set an example for all of us. To her family and friends, Leah’s life embodied the elements described in what was one of her favorite quotes: You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand. - Woodrow Wilson
This award recognizes a Friedman alumni who:
- Has demonstrated a substantial commitment to forging relationships based on service in humanitarian field work;
- Strives to achieve lasting change by empowering individuals in their local communities;
- Seeks to bridge cultures and create systems-based solutions to problems.
