Amanda Ross

Editor-In-Chief 

Regina Morales Tsuji

Staff Writer/Photographer

This post was originally published on October 17.

The Behrend Beacon was given the opportunity on Oct. 11, 2025, to speak with Behrend alumni Dr. Ala Stanford. Stanford founded the Black Doctors Consortium to provide care for underserved communities in Philadelphia, and the Center for Health Equality. She is currently running for the House of Representatives. Stanford spoke about her time at Behrend as well as her political goals. The interview was conducted by Amanda Ross and Regina Morales. 

Amanda: You mentioned [to the FOX66 team] the first elected black female official, Shirley Chisholm. How did your time at Penn State Behrend enable you to take this next step into Congress? 

Dr. Ala Stanford: When I finished high school and entered college, I knew that I needed a little more help; let’s just say. My high school was not fully resourced to prepare me for the rigors of college, definitely not professional school, and even standardized tests. So being here, being able to knock on the door of my professor and say – “I understood the concept of photosynthesis, but I didn’t do well on the exam” – was important. And that smaller classroom size, in which the professor could see all of our faces in one room, helped me feel comfortable approaching them. Also, I still remember the support from the counselors, the advisors, and other people here. The fact that Behrend was a lot smaller back then gave me an opportunity to be a big fish in a little pond…and to really boost my confidence. I felt ready, you know? 

Regina: What are your political priorities moving forward? 

Dr. Ala Stanford: One of my priorities is feeling safe in our communities, and that goes both for folks who live in impoverished areas and in affluent areas. You know, people want to be able to go for a jog and not worry about their car being broken into. That ties in with economic viability and sustainability, with people being able to get a good paying job, rather than one just to survive. That way they can build and provide for their families, as well as educate their children in the next generation. So often, particularly in under-resourced communities, that doesn’t happen. People live their whole life, going paycheck to paycheck, and there’s nothing left behind. It’s really about legacy building for those who come after. 

Next is our educational systems, making sure that the kids in the city have as much as the kids in the suburbs. We know that in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania the amount of money spent per student is not the same. Per dollar, there’s more money spent for children in suburban schools than urban schools. How do we balance that scale? Until we get to a place where the kids in the city have the same resources as the kids in the suburbs, and they have the same highly qualified instructors as the kids in the suburbs, you’re gonna continue to see this gap between the have and the have-nots. 

After that is, of course, healthcare. I mean, it has to be. Even right now, as we are day 8 or 9 of the government shutdown, I support what the Democrats are doing. I support it because if they signed right now, another 15 to 20 million people would lose their benefits. That’s a lot of people. 

And for some people with private insurance, they see that and ask “well how does that affect me?” If you take away the care from the ones who are under-resourced in the first place, they’re only gonna go when they’re sick sick. They’re not going to go for preventive care, or medication management, because they simply can’t afford it. So they’re only going to go when they’re so sick that they have to be seen first, which is then going to bump everyone who isn’t as sick; this means that they are not seen in a timely fashion. 

So, it’s really a cycle that impacts everyone. And the other part of that is oftentimes the career politicians will just see numbers, and just see dollars and cents. “If I take money from this program and put it towards this, then I can move this forward.” But they don’t take into consideration how it impacts people’s lives. 

The Democrats agree that the cuts that have already been made are going to be even greater. It’s a tough time because I believe that what the Republicans are saying is essentially – “Do it our way or no way”. And who’s being hurt in the process are American people, especially the people who are going to work without pay, and those who are laid off who may never get their jobs back. It’s about recognizing that the shutdown is to protect what’s left of healthcare, especially for those who don’t have another option. That’s why the Democrats are really digging in.