The Founder

Dirk Sampselle

President

President@citizensforsocialjustice.com

You see things; and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say, ‘Why not?’

-George Bernard Shaw, Back To Methuselah

"“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours... 
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.”
~Thoreau

I founded Citizens for Social Justice to foster an environment of true leadership and service at the University; to inspire students to discover their own sense of justice; and to help others achieve a more profound awareness of themselves and their existence within society.  Citizens for Social Justice symbolizes a revolution in consciousness that is possible for each of us in all of our daily deliberations and actions. 

I would like to thank:  Harvard Square Homeless Shelter student Directors Shane Donovan and Mal Hellman, for providing inspiration and hope that led to our program's creation; my parents, for their support in all my endeavors; Professors Leslie Thiele, Jon Tresan, and Leslie Anderson for the intellectual stimulation out of which this project was born; and God, for creating the possibility of goodness in mankind.

Other things about me: I am an Eagle Scout.  I played soccer in Europe when I was a freshman in High School.  I was a three-time member of All-State Band, and won a music scholarship to the University of Vermont, where I studied Environmental Engineering.  I then became a commodities broker before returning to college to pursue a carrer in public service.  I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science cum laude from the University of Florida last year, and plan to attend Pepperdine University Law School as a member of their Dean's Scholars program while continuing my work in public service.

Past Work

Dirk formed Citizens for Social Justice after realizing the power of students to gather together to create change.  He realized this power in his first exercise in community organizing, a collaborative event for homelessness involving students and community officials, the 2007 Homeless Night Out and Service Fair held at the Downtown Community Plaza.  Chairman of the County Commission Rodney Long and Executive Director of the Gainesville/Alachua County Office on Homelessness Jon Decarmine were formative in this beginning stage of Dirk's efforts.   Click here for the Alligator article covering the event.  Click here for the Gainesville Sun article covering the event.

Below are segments from the press release for that event:

Nearly 1,000 students from organizations from the University of Florida will participate in the event by serving food to Alachua County’s homeless community. The coalition of student organizations has been coordinated by University of Florida student liaison to the County Commission, Dirk Sampselle. Sampselle organized a donation competition for the participating student organizations.

The Office on Homelessness will be awarding Alpha Tau Omega, the winner of the competition, with a plaque for their helpful donation contributions. Other participating student organizations include Delta Gamma, Chi Phi, Alpha Omicron Pi, Sigma Chi, Gamma Eta, Kappa Alpha Psi, Kappa Alpha Order, and Habitat for Humanity. In addition to handing out the goods they have donated, students will be meeting and greeting the homeless, serving food, and helping to connect the homeless with various service providers at the event.

In speaking of the event Sampselle said, “I believe that the key to social change is social participation. This event marks an important step in the evolving relationship between University of Florida student organizations and the homeless community.”