Created by Her Friends, A Scholarship Fund Celebrates One Woman's Dream to Study at NYU

Ellen Gstalder was in her third year of teaching at Orr Elementary School in Washington D.C. when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. A graduate of Georgetown University, Gstalder had embarked on her teaching career through the Teach for America program, which recruits talented graduates around the country to teach in urban and rural public schools. At Orr, Gstalder was dismayed by her first graders’ tired sluggish behavior, and their constant search for food. Friends believe that the epidemic cycle of poverty, poor nutrition, and obesity Gstalder saw in her classroom was one of the most profound insights she took away from her teaching career.

Gstalder had been a food lover all her life, and after undergoing cancer treatments, she attended cooking school and earned a professional chef certificate. During her remission, she also began to write a cookbook that addressed the special needs of people with cancer, featuring recipes that were nutritional, appealing, and easy to prepare. Her goal was to attend Steinhardt’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program in the Department of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health, and then start a career in the public health field.

Gstalder died in May 2004, at 27 years old, four months before she would attend the Steinhardt School. To honor her, Lauren Schwabish and Adam Rana, two of her childhood friends, raised $30,000 to establish The Ellen C. Gstalder Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship will support a student in the MPH program who is working to foster research in nutrition and provide educational outreach to vulnerable populations.

“Ellen was an incredible source of strength and love for her family and friends,” Schwabish said. “Her acceptance to NYU really represented a moment when her life’s interests — teaching, food, health, her commitment to help others — could meld in a meaningful way. I really believe that she could have done incredible things for the world. This scholarship gives Ellen’s friends a chance to honor her accomplishments and celebrate her life.”

To make a contribution or to learn more about the fund, please contact Erin Dodd at erin.dodd@nyu.edu or write to NYU Steinhardt Development and Alumni Relations, 25 West 4th Street, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10012.