HWS News
1 October 2026 Csaposs ’09 Named City Year Alumni Shining Star
The HWS graduate is recognized for a commitment to education and service that has taken him from Geneva to Baton Rouge and Nairobi.
Brendan Csaposs ’09 has been named the 2026 recipient of City Year Baton Rouge’s Alumni Shining Star Award, recognizing his continued commitment to service since his first AmeriCorps experience as an HWS student in Geneva.
Csaposs is the third recipient of the award, which honors City Year alumni who have carried their commitment to service into their careers and communities.
His path began at Hobart and William Smith, where Csaposs spent a year mentoring a Head Start student through Jumpstart as part of his first AmeriCorps term. At HWS, he majored in LGBTQ+ studies and music and was active across campus through Hobart Student Government, Colleges Chorale, WEOS, Pride Alliance and several honor societies.
After graduating in 2009, Csaposs continued in national service, completing three additional AmeriCorps terms, two with Teach For America and one with City Year Baton Rouge.
“I left Hobart wanting to be useful and not entirely sure how. Teach for America gave me a place to start, and I’ve been following that thread ever since, from a classroom in Baton Rouge to schools and communities across Africa and the wider world,” Csaposs says.
Csaposs began his career as a special education teacher in Baton Rouge and New Orleans before moving into school leadership, where he helped found and lead public charter schools serving historically underserved students.
“Baton Rouge is strengthened by leaders who choose to serve their communities long after their initial call to service,” says Brianna Young, senior impact manager at City Year Baton Rouge. “His story is a powerful example of what can happen when a year of service becomes a lifelong commitment to creating opportunities for others.”
Csaposs later earned a master’s degree in educational leadership from George Washington University and a Doctor of Education in adult education and lifelong learning from the University of Arkansas.
Today, he lives in Nairobi, Kenya, where he founded Sea Change Consultants Ltd., an education and monitoring, evaluation and learning consultancy. Through Sea Change, Csaposs works with nonprofit organizations, foundations and education providers across Africa and internationally, including National Geographic, the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research and the Oyana School.
As part of the Alumni Shining Star Award, Csaposs will participate in speaking and mentorship opportunities with City Year Baton Rouge corps members over the next year.
