Roman Larson

Roman Larson, born in Chelyabinsk, Russia, is a graduate student at Stanford University studying Public Policy Analysis (M.P.P.) and Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership Studies (M.A., POLS). He will graduate with both the M.P.P. and M.A. Master's degrees in June 2015. Graduating with honors, distinction, and Phi Beta Kappa, Roman received his Bachelor's degree from Stanford in 2014. His honors thesis entitled "What Can Massachusetts Teach Washington D.C.?" explored state-level variation in student achievement across the United States.

Besides his academic studies, Roman is a statistics tutor in the Office of Accessible Education and a writing tutor in the Hume Center for Writing and Speaking. Additionally, Roman is pursuing grant-funded research on presidential campaign advertising. Roman has held other research assistantships with the Center for Education Policy Analysis, the Hoover Institution, and the Sociology Department.

Prior to Stanford, Roman founded Dimensions Learning Inc., a non-profit education service company focused on mentorship and tutorial services. The organization has served nearly 2,000 students in Southeastern Wisconsin, and volunteers have contributed over 13,000 hours of service to the Dimensions Learning programs.

Roman also finds time to explore his passion for politics. While a freshman at Stanford, he campaigned for a school board seat in Mequon-Thiensville, Wisconsin, his hometown school district. His candidacy focused on ideas rooted in his non-profit organization’s mission of empowering all students to succeed academically. When not running for office, Roman’s political commentary can be found on his Facebook and Twitter pages.

Roman’s broad goal of improving education systems and building effective schools for all children has roots in his childhood: until age 6, he lived in a Russian children's home. Roman feels immensely grateful for the opportunity to come to America, and the children who remained behind motivate Roman daily.