Otero

Otero is Stanford’s Public Service and Civic Engagement (PSCE) Theme House. As the PSCE Theme House, residents will have opportunities to learn about various approaches to public service, engage in service activities on and off campus, consider how service can be integrated with their academic work, and connect with other students, faculty, and community organizations who are committed to social change efforts. Residents also have an opportunity to make a Cardinal Commitment - a year-long commitment to a public service program or organization.

Find Otero on the Stanford Searchable Map here

More About Otero

Students receive individual support and guidance from undergraduate student staff, a graduate fellow, and Resident Fellows as they craft their public service journey at Stanford and beyond - as well as support from our colleagues at the Haas Center for Public Service, the hub of public service at Stanford. Students will have opportunities to form strong relationships with others who share a similar dedication to public service and explore how to create a more just and sustainable world through service.

Meet the Otero Resident Fellows

Resident Fellows, or RFs, are Stanford faculty and senior administrative staff who live in apartments or cottages adjacent to student residences and serve as leaders for their communities. Luke and Megan Terra have served as the Resident Fellows of the Public Service and Civic Engagement Theme House in Otero since 2021. While the theme is new to Otero, it’s not new to Stanford. For more than a decade, the Public Service and Civic Engagement Theme was housed in Branner. With the move to Otero, the theme expanded to a four-class house supporting residents’ interest and engagement in public service across their Stanford careers. Both Luke and Megan view service as core to their professional work and personal commitments, and are honored to support students along their own path of public service and civic engagement.

Luke and Megan have two children (ages 17 and 19) and a goldendoodle named Gillian.

Luke joined VPUE and the Haas Center in 2013 after completing his doctorate at the GSE where he focused on history and civic education. At the Haas Center, he works with the Cardinal Courses and Cardinal Quarter teams, and occasionally teaches courses on deliberative democracy and progressive education.

Megan Terra is the lower school division head at the Nueva School, where she supports more than 40 teachers and 200 students and their families. Megan joined Nueva in 2008 as a first grade teacher and has also led their teacher training and apprenticeship program. Luke and Megan have two children (ages 17 and 19) and a goldendoodle named Gillian.

About the Public Service & Civic Engagement Theme

Otero is Stanford’s Public Service and Civic Engagement Theme House, a four-class house with 44 first-year residents and 34 upperclass residents who share an interest in public service.

As the Public Service House, residents will have opportunities build community with each other and connect with broader community. Each quarter, we welcome local leaders to share about their work in our lounge, organize optional service events for residents to learn about organizations and issues in the community, and deepen our own understanding about issues like housing, public interest tech, educational equity, public health, and sustainability among others.

Our amazing staff team supports each resident to pursue their interests and make connections on and off campus. The only requirement for the theme is to attend just two events each quarter, from dinners with faculty to guest speakers in the lounge. We pride ourselves on being a caring and welcoming community – we hope you will join us!

Students will have opportunities to form strong relationships with others who share a similar dedication to public service and explore how to create a more just and sustainable world through service.

Visit Haas website here

Luke Terra, Associate Director, Haas Center for Public Service and Resident Fellow, Otero Public Service & Civic Engagement Theme House
Megan Terra, Resident Fellow, Otero Public Service & Civic Engagement Theme House
Kemi Oyewole, Doctoral Candidate in Education, and Graduate Fellow in the Public Service & Civic Engagement Theme House
Juliet Brodie, Peter E. Haas Faculty Director, Haas Center for Public Service, Professor of Law and Director of the Community Legal Clinic at the Stanford Law School

Students who pre-assign to Otero share an interest in deepening their knowledge of and engagement in public service. We welcome students regardless of previous service experience - whether you are already deeply engaged or just exploring public service, this is a community of students for you. The minimum expectation for all students in the Public Service House is to attend just two events per quarter - from faculty dinners to service events - with additional options available for students looking for a more structured experience.

Living in the house, you will have opportunities to learn with and from other students who value public service and civic engagement. You’ll also get to connect with leaders from the Bay Area and beyond who we invite to the house, as well as faculty and graduate students across campus doing impact-focused research.

The Resident Fellows and Graduate Fellow will provide individual support to help you craft your own public service journey at Stanford and beyond - with support from our colleagues at the Haas Center for Public Service, the hub of public service at Stanford.