The Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement catalyzes student learning and participation in civic and community engagement. They help students to understand the history, culture, and context of the St. Louis region. This place-based learning occurs through fellowship programs, Civic Action lab courses, large-scale civic engagement events, and student staff positions. The institute employs a range of student staff including undergraduate coordinators, graduate assistants, and graduate fellows who fulfill essential roles and benefit from substantive professional and personal development.
Name: Drew Ryherd
Year: Class of 2026
Major: Master of Arts in Nonprofit Management from the School of Continuing and Professional Studies
On-campus job title: Graduate Assistant for Community Engagement
On-campus job department: Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement
Drew Ryherd is lifelong St. Louisan, a student studying nonprofit management in the CAPS school, and a Graduate Assistant for Community Engagement at Gephardt where he supports the St. Louis Fellows Program and works on other St. Louis related work to help students better learn about, discover, and understand our home. The combination of an in-person setting with work that puts connection with St. Louis at the center was appealing to Drew, “Being in an online program, I was excited by the opportunity to connect with WashU’s campus and all the incredible people who work and study here. When I saw the opening for a graduate assistant in community engagement at the Gephardt Institute, I knew this would be the perfect steppingstone to continue building my professional skills and network.”
Drew’s academic studies paired with his hometown knowledge also helps advance the Gephardt mission as Associate Director for Community Engagement and Drew’s supervisor, Sam Babb shares, “Drew brings a unique and important lens to our work, especially connecting students with local nonprofit and civic organizations. He shares with students his own lived experience growing up here, as well as his academic studies, which further their understanding of regional dynamics and priorities. We find his welcoming, can-do attitude representative of the St. Louis community at large, and he brings such a sense of Midwestern warmness to all of his interactions with staff, students, and community members.”
While on-campus student employment serves as an important source of income for many students, Drew describes how it can be so much more. “My work at Gephardt has enriched my life while working through my masters program and has reaffirmed that I’m on the right educational and professional path for me. It has given me the opportunity to strengthen my teaching and facilitation skills by working so closely with the curriculum and students of the St. Louis Fellows program. This experience, supported by truly exceptional mentors, has fueled my drive to be an educator and steward of knowledge not only in my time at WashU but in whatever I do following commencement.” Babb reflects on how Drew’s growth and successes are mutually beneficial, “Drew has grown in his confidence during his time at the Gephardt Institute and built upon his understanding of the St. Louis nonprofit and civic ecosystem, both of which are important to the success of our programs and his own career goals long term. He’s such a natural fit at the Gephardt Institute and exemplifies regional civic and community engagement.”
Drew’ experience working at Gephardt shows how through the intentional integration of knowledge, action, and reflection, on-campus employment can be high-impact experiential learning. “My work at Gephardt has helped evolve my understanding of what it looks like to do community-based work in a real, day-to-day way. A lot of what I’ve done has been working with students and community partners, which has given me not only exciting new connections but also a fantastic view of St. Louis’s civic landscape. It’s made things feel a lot more tangible than just learning about it in class, and it’s helped me get a better sense of the kind of work I want to keep doing after I graduate. I feel so lucky to be working on such a beautiful university campus in the city that I love so much.
Inspired by Drew’s story? The Gephardt Institute employs about 10 students every year in various roles. Student employment positions, when available, are posted here.
Written by Sarah Sims, March 30, 2026.
