Bliss Temple is the 2004 winner of the William W. Whitley Citizen Scholar Prize

Bliss Temple earned a BS in Earth Systems and a BA in Public Policy. Bliss completed an internship in Ankara, Turkey, refining the national econometric model of interactions between energy sector activities, GDP and air pollution. She taught English in a Vietnamese detention center in Hong Kong and participated in a leadership exchange program for disabled people in Mexico.

Bliss has used a wheelchair since an incomplete spinal cord injury during high school athletics. Personal experience with discrimination has inspired Bliss to advocate for disabled and chronically ill people by consulting, educating, and presenting to a broad community of health care professionals, the public and the Stanford community. 

As the former Assistant Director for Stanford’s Disability Resource Center and a current volunteer at the Stanford Medical Center, Bliss acts as a liaison between disabled individuals and the institutions which serve them. She has facilitated inservice trainings for the San Francisco Dept. of Public Health, Stanford University Medial Center and the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. Bliss coauthored a chapter, "General Health and the Physical Examination" for "Women With Disabilities: A Comprehensive Guide to Care," by Sandra Welner, MD and served as an assistant medical editor for the book. As a consultant to the US Dept. of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health, Bliss is developing online resources for adolescent girls with disability or chronic illness.

Bliss served as the President of The Disabled Students at Stanford for three consecutive years. In 1996, Bliss was honored with the James W. Lyons award for Service to the Stanford Community.

Through her academic, philanthropic and professional endeavors, Bliss has learned to analyze social outcomes and understand interrelationships in systems of all kinds. She intends to apply these skills to her pursuit of a medical degree.