Meet Josh Kazdan, a multi-talented and inspirational Jewish teen in St. Louis who is making a significant difference in the world through his remarkable commitment to community service, love of international travel and devotion to innovative scientific research. Kazdan, a recent graduate of John Burroughs School and freshman at Stanford University, is a member of Congregation B’nai Amoona.

“I’ve eaten ostrich in South Africa and visited an ofuro [Japanese bath] in Japan,” Kazdan said. “I’ve spoken out against tyranny in Qatar and run a newspaper in the Netherlands. Some of these experiences were challenging, but well worth the friendships formed, the meals shared and sights seen along the way.”

Kazdan combined his passion for travel and volunteerism during the summer of 2014 after being selected by the Japan America Society of St. Louis to take part in its Tomodachi program, a 10-day ambassadorship trip to Japan with a community service component. After studying the country’s culture and taking weekly Japanese lessons, Kazdan set out, determined to cultivate meaningful relationships with the locals and study the lingering effects of the Tohoku Earthquake and the accompanying tsunami that destroyed the city of Ishinomaki in March 2011. In daily excursions, he and other program participants interacted with people working in shattered schools, temples offering shelter, young adults working to rebuild the community and families still struggling to rebuild their livelihoods. 

“Oftentimes with the departure of the cameras and reporters, the world forgets that an earthquake occurred, so I traveled to the Miyagi prefecture to help raise awareness of the continued devastation and the continued efforts to rebuild,” Kazdan said. “Upon returning, I did some writing for the Tomodachi program’s awareness efforts and gave speeches at [the University of Missouri–St. Louis], the Missouri Botanical Gardens and the Japan America Society’s fundraising events, all to remind people of Ishinomaki.”

Student leaders for the Tomodachi program noted how genuine and thoughtful Kazdan was  as he approached the relief and awareness efforts. Kristy Gammill, a student assistant with the Japan America Society, said Kazdan impressed program leaders and participants with his proactive leadership and dedication. 

“Josh quickly distinguished himself as a quiet leader of this group of students. Always engaged, always curious, reflective, and perhaps most important, sincere,” Gammill said. “He threw himself into this project, even volunteering to lead one of the segments for our orientation meetings. Josh researched and presented a detailed introduction to the shinkansen (Japanese high-speed rail) to the other students, and that early display of proactive leadership would prove to be a rule throughout his participation.”

Traveling to Japan was only one of many international trips Kazdan has taken to raise awareness and educate others about pressing global issues. His passion carried him to Qatar’s capital, Doha, in 2015 as a reporter for the Model United Nations program. There, Kazdan tackled issues threatening principles of equal rights and sovereignty enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations.

“In one of the rooms I covered, the real Pakistani government phoned the Qatari government and requested that they terminated all debate on the issue of self-determination in Baluchistan,” Kazdan said.  “I wanted to write an article about it, but received warnings that there could be serious consequences, including my deportation, if I employed the wrong wording. I wrote the article anyway, and the Qataris didn’t deport me.”

His impassioned journalistic pursuits spanned from the Middle East to his school newspaper, The World, where Kazdan served as a staff writer for six years and rose to the position of editor-in-chief his senior year. His pieces ran the gamut, from critical food reviews of St. Louis restaurants to burning international and domestic issues. 

Andrew Newman, Burroughs faculty sponsor of The World and co-sponsor of The Hague International Model United Nations program, remarked that Kazdan’s genuine enthusiasm for learning motivates both students and adults around him to become engaged citizens embracing civic responsibility and leadership. Newman noted that throughout his four years of high school, Kazdan underwent a transformation from a shy freshman to an upperclassman driven by curiosity, discovery and a commitment to bettering the world on a global level.

“I saw Josh really come out of his shell over the course of high school, landing himself numerous leadership roles that took him out of his comfort zone and helped him realize…how important it is that he share his knowledge and experience with other people,” Newman said. “Once you get to know this quirky kid, you immediately fall in love with his wonderful sense of humor, appreciate the depth of his questions about life, and realize his brilliant mind will someday win him a Nobel Prize in whichever area he applies himself.”

Kazdan’s ability to inspire those around him and play an active role in global affairs does not prevent him from participating in exemplary academic and extracurricular work in his everyday life in St. Louis. He maintained impeccable grades throughout his high school career at Burroughs, taking the most rigorous classes offered (including courses at Washington University), while also participating in athletics and starring in school theater productions. 

As Kazdan starts his first semester at Stanford this fall, the St. Louis community will eagerly await news of his continuing accomplishments.