ESP Biography



WILLOW HERZ, AmStud major & aspiring teacher!



Major: American Studies

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: 2025

Picture of Willow Herz

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hi! My name is Willow, and I'm a senior at Stanford majoring in American Studies with a concentration in modern American Jewish culture. I have a huge passion for education and hope to be a PreK or Kindergarten teacher in the future! On campus, I can be found peer advising for the AmStud department, answering students' abroad questions as a Cape Town student ambassador, researching to compile a historical exhibit of Stanford's Jewish community, and diligently working as a University Fellow for the JFCS Holocaust Center in San Francisco.

In my free time, I love to hike, spend time with friends in the sun, wear pink high heels, and scope out new vegetarian food scenes. I am super psyched to be teaching at SPLASH this year! Feel free to reach out to wherz@stanford.edu :)



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

L8076: From Harry Potter to Ye: Modern Antisemitism in Splash Fall 2024 (Nov. 16 - 17, 2024)
Antisemitism, defined as prejudice against or hostility to Jewish people, has been a form of hatred for millennia. Since 2022, the number of Americans who harbor antisemitic views has raised from 20% to 24%, according to the ADL. Even closer to home -- on Stanford's campus -- over fifty percent of the school year's identity-based crimes in 2022-23 were antisemitic. Where is this hatred stemmed from, where do we see it now, and why is it rising? Learn the roots of misinformation and stereotypes and modern examples you have certainly seen. This is not a class on the current conflict in the Middle East, but rather on how antisemitic tropes are affirmed and spread in the media we digest. We welcome students of all backgrounds looking to be more informed on this issue!


L7876: From Harry Potter to Ye: Modern Antisemitism in Splash Spring 2023 (May. 20 - 21, 2023)
Antisemitism, defined as hatred towards Jewish people, has been a form of hatred for millennia. In 2022 alone, antisemitic incidents in America have raised by a shocking thirty-six percent. Even closer to home -- on Stanford's campus -- over fifty percent of the school year's identity-based crimes were antisemitic. Where is this hatred coming from? Why is it rising? And how can we be more informed to stop it? Learn the roots of misinformation and stereotypes, modern examples you have certainly seen, and tools to combat antisemitism in the future. This class welcomes students of all backgrounds looking to be more informed on this issue!