2009 POINT SCHOLARS

Jeremy Bearer-Friend

UC Berkeley

Education Policy

Ever since joining his high school's Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Jeremy has worked to improve educational opportunities for marginalized youth. He has taught part-time in public schools, private schools, home schools, after-school programs, museums, colleges and prisons.

These experiences in the classroom continue to inspire his activism, including his previous efforts as Lead Organizer of a statewide ballot initiative campaign to freeze tuition at all public universities in California. Jeremy has also served as the Co-Lead Trainer of Young People For's national youth summit to develop a national leadership pipeline for young progressives.

In tandem with his teaching practice, Jeremy has organized against prison expansion through collaborations with Justice Now, the SF Coalition on Homelessness and Direct Action for Rights and Equality. In the spring of 2008, Jeremy served as a lobbyist for Californians United for a Responsible Budget, a state-wide coalition of 29 organizations working to cut prison spending in California.

Jeremy's writing on social justice has appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the American Prospect and a variety of web outlets, including feministing.com, WireTap Magazine and raceandmedia.com. Jeremy graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brown University and is a Ph.D. student at UC Berkeley's School of Education. In 2009, Jeremy was awarded a three year fellowship in the field of public policy by the National Science Foundation.