2010 Class of DMI Scholars

Gina Chen of Chicago, Illinois, is a junior Political Science and East Asian Studies major at Yale University. A first-generation college student, she came to the United States with her mother at the age of ten from China. She began her advocacy work on behalf of immigrant and minority communities in high school. She has worked with the Chinese American Service League and currently works in Connecticut’s only Workers Center, which serves immigrants in Latino neighborhoods. Through the Tina E. Yeah Community Service Fellowship, she worked at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center in Washington, D.C., conducting outreach with senior citizens in Chinatown and advocating for language access, tenants’ rights, and neighborhood revitalization. Gina is interested in immigration policy, direct-action advocacy, and urban development and its effects on minority populations.


Zachary Duffy of New York, New York, is a sophomore Politics major at Whitman College. In the office of Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, he investigated the level of minority representation on Manhattan's Community Boards and wrote a health care guide for the uninsured. Zach has continued his work this year as a researcher in Whitman College’s State of the State for Washington Latinos initiative, advocating for electoral reform and passage of the DREAM Act. He organized a community-wide social justice conference in the fall and recently won election to the Associated Students of Whitman College. Zach is interested in electoral reform, immigration policy, and issues relating to an equitable labor and work environment.

Dana El Kurd of Houston, Texas, is a junior Political Science and Economics major at the University of Houston. Her passion for social justice began in high school when she volunteered at a variety of anti-war events. She has since been involved in many social justice organizations, including Students for a Democratic Society and Texans Together, a civic engagement organization that works to improve economic opportunity. She currently organizes for Palestine solidarity in the greater Houston area. Dana is interested in American foreign policy with a focus on the Middle East and civil and human rights.


Margaret Haule of Austin, Texas, is a sophomore Sociology major at Austin Community College. She has served on the City of Austin HIV Planning Commission and worked with the Real AIDS Prevention Project and AIDS Action Foundation. She volunteered for President Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign and organized a media campaign to shed light on the lack of minorities working at a local TV station. She is interested in a range of issues from AIDS prevention and education to the environment and housing.


Rodney Leggett of San Francisco, California, is a senior Political Science major at Howard University. He has worked with the Regional Congregations and Neighborhood Organizations Training Center to advocate for prison reform in California and worked on the No on Prop 8 campaign. He has also mentored disadvantaged youth at local high schools. He volunteered for President Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign and Martha Coakley’s 2009 Senate campaign. He is interested in criminal justice issues, sustainability policy, and education policy.


James McKinney of Forrest City, Arkansas, is a junior Economics and Public Policy major at the University of Chicago. He has researched economic conditions in Louisiana, worked to improve access to higher education, and helped farmers in Arkansas with debt refinancing. James currently serves as a research assistant to the University of Chicago Medical Center’s South Side Health and Vitality Studies (SSHVS), a university-community partnership to improve health outcomes on the South Side of Chicago. He is interested in poverty alleviation and education reform.


Justino Mora of Los Angeles, California, is a sophomore Political Science major at Mount San Antonio College. A first-generation high school graduate and college student, Justino works with Improving Dreams, Equal Access and Success (IDEAS), which advocates for higher education access for undocumented students. He advocates for federal immigration reform with the California DREAM Network, the Coalition for Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), and the Reform Immigration for American Campaign. He is interested in immigrant rights, women’s rights, and education policy.


Deivid Rojas of Miami, Florida, is a junior History major and Latin American Studies Minor at Swarthmore College. As a Colombian-American he cares deeply about the relationship between the United States and Colombia and Latin America. He co-founded Taller de Paz (Workshops for Peace), which works with internally displaced youth in Bogota. He has served as the co-president of the Swarthmore Latino organization Enlace and in multiple roles in Club Despertar, which mentors and tutors children of farm workers. He has also worked with the Kaolin Mushroom union of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. He currently advocates for the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform and serves as student government vice president. Deivid is interested in immigration issues, queer and gender issues, youth and media activism, and urban development.


Leanne Sajor of Queens, New York is a junior Political Science and Gender Studies major at Hunter College. She began her activist work in high school by founding a student-led group which organized annual citywide youth activist conferences. She has worked with various organizations advocating for immigrant rights, HIV/AIDS prevention, juvenile justice system reform and radical art. Leanne is on the Board of Directors and works as an after-school instructor with Sadie Nash Women’s Leadership Project. She is also part of the founding committee and Board of Trustees for Renaissance Charter High School for Innovation in East Harlem. Leanne is interested in education, gender liberation, and immigrant rights.


Tina Treviño-Murphy of Houston, Texas, is a junior Social Welfare major at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She has served on the Board of Directors of the United Council of UW Students and the United States Student Association and as the Chair of the National Women’s Student Coalition. She currently works as the programming coordinator at the Campus Women’s Center, where she has been fighting to maintain funding for their programs and services while planning events, benefits, and rallies. A fierce advocate for social justice and women’s issues, her interests include higher education, immigrant rights, and intersecting identity issues.

2009 Class of DMI Scholars

Alexander Cumana, of Hialeah Gardens, Florida, is a senior Political Science and International Relations major at Florida International. The son of Cuban immigrants, he is a first generation high school graduate and college student. His pursuit of policy work began with a high school internship in his hometown city hall. He has since held internships with members of Congress and progressive organizations such as Common Cause. He currently serves as an intern in the White House Presidential Personnel Office as part of the New Leaders program at the Center for Progressive Leadership. A member of the Army ROTC program, he will be commissioned as an officer in the Reserve upon graduation. Alex is interested in American foreign policy with an eye to Cuba, middle-class economic issues and veteran’s affairs. 


Alejandra Lopez, of New Rochelle, New York, is a senior Political Science and Women and Gender Studies major at Pace University. Her commitment to community building and social justice has awarded her several scholarship opportunities, including the 2009 Civic Leaders of Tomorrow Public Policy Fellowship. She led her Model UN team to achieve the 2009 Outstanding Model UN delegation award. She is currently researching the U.S. immigration detention system and its impact on detainee children, supported by the Pace Senior Thesis grant. She is the co-editor of the Pforzheimer Honors College E-Journal and continues to co-teach the Model UN workshop and volunteer at Advocates for Children. Alejandra is interested in immigration, education, and child advocacy.

Daniel Wu, of Cypress, California, is a senior at the University of Southern California planning to major in Interdisciplinary Studies. He has worked actively with several Los Angeles community organizations, including the Korean Resource Center and the Bus Riders Union. He now partners with the Figueroa Corridor Coalition for Economic Justice, founding Campus and Community United (CCU), a coalition of religious leaders, students, and faculty that advocates for neighborhood opportunity through green affordable housing, small business development, sustainable design, and a transparent planning process for USC. As a research assistant under Manuel Pastor in the Program for Environmental and Regional Equity and Leland Saito of the USC Sociology Department, he looks at the intersecting issues of just growth, immigrant integration, and gentrification. He works with Transform L.A., a partnership led by USC with community leaders to strengthen community institutions. Daniel is interested in regional and global urban development and planning and the possibilities of a new economy based on sustainability and equity.


Joe Hill, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a junior Political Economy major at Georgetown University. As Chairman of the Philadelphia Youth Commission, Joe advises the Mayor, City Council, and the Philadelphia School District on issues that affect young people in Philadelphia. As an intern in the U.S. House of Representatives, Joe helped conduct research on the “Military Readiness Enhancement Act,” the effort to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” As a Green for All Fellow, he works to develop a strategy for creating an inclusive green economy that can lift people out of poverty. Joe was also the Northeast Regional Director for Students for Barack Obama, the student wing of the Obama campaign. His interests include education policy, economic development and environmental policy.


Kenya Lee, of Harlem, New York, is a senior Public Policy major at Hamilton University. As an intern in the U.S. House of Representatives, Kenya helped educate constituents about funding available through the Recovery and Reinvestment Act. She has interned for First Focus, a national child advocacy organization. Kenya also advocated for the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) as vice-chair of America’s Promise Youth Partnership Team. She currently is a HANSA fellow with Move Along Inc., a new non-profit aimed at helping individuals with physical disabilities. Kenya recently joined the New Leaders program at the Center for Progressive Leadership. She is interested in social policy, criminal justice issues and health care.


Liz Lamoste, of Troy, Michigan, is a senior Sociology and Political Science major at Columbia University. As program coordinator for Project HEALTH's Harlem Hospital Family Help Desk, she supports volunteers in providing information about social services resources to low-income families. She also interned in the Civil Division of the New York City Legal Aid Society. Liz previously served on the steering committee of Young People For. She is interested in social policy, particularly health policy and its effect on the health of low-income populations.


Lucia Leon, of Orange County, California, is a junior Pure Mathematics and Women’s Studies major at California State University at Fullerton. A former intern with Girls Incorporated, Lucia serves as president of Alliance of Students for an Equal Education. She is a member of the AB 540 Task Force of CSUF and the Social Justice Summit. She continues to work with Orange County DREAM Team, OC DREAM Act Coalition, and the Southern Region DREAM Act Network to advocate for passage of the DREAM Act. She is interested in women’s rights, immigrant rights, and LGBT rights.


Marisa Carr, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a senior American Indian Studies major at the University of Minnesota. An advocate for indigenous language revitalization, she served for two years as a chair of the American Indian Student Cultural Center. She recently co-chaired a committee that successfully lobbied the Minnesota state legislature for more than half a million dollars to create training programs for Minnesota’s indigenous languages. Marisa is also interested in social and economic disparities based on race, class and gender.


Olivia Lopez, of Omaha, Nebraska, is a senior Public Policy Studies major and Environmental Studies minor at the University of Chicago. She continues to work with Habitat for Humanity, constructing homes and a new recreational center to help restore the community of Gary, IN. As a member of the Environmental Sustainability Council, Olivia has been rallying local support and awareness about the impending destruction of the 61st Local Community Garden by the University. The garden is extremely important to local families and is a shining example of utilizing sustainable land management to serve local community needs. She also plans to participate in the upcoming Power Shift Campaign of 2009 to urge the University to shift to cleaner, greener energy usage. Olivia also works with the Community Nature Area Habitat Restoration to bring more green space to Hyde Park. Olivia is interested in poverty alleviation, environmentalism and educational opportunities for disadvantaged youth.


Rahul Patel, of Corona, California, is a junior Ethnic Studies and Interdisciplinary Studies major at the University of California at Berkeley. He works with arts advocacy, using the arts as a tool to advocate for equity and equality. He organizes through Students for Hip Hop and Cal Slam, using hip hop and spoken word as means of empowerment. Similarly, he promoted cultural literacy and equality through a showcase designed to challenge cultural hegemony. Currently, Rahul is a senator in the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC). He represents Cal Students for Equal Rights and a Valid Education (CalSERVE), a progressive campus coalition of underrepresented and social justice-focused groups on campus. Some of the projects he is working on revolve around fighting the budget cuts, working for more accessible and affordable arts venues, and demanding academic equity for the humanities and arts. Rahul seeks to explore his interest in sustainable and equitable urban policy.

2008 Class of DMI Scholars

CHLOE MIRZAYI grew up in Littleton, Colorado and is currently a senior geography major at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is pre-med and plans to complete a concentration in global and community health. Chloe serves as the student body vice-president and also participates in MacSoup, a multicultural student group and Thistle, a literary magazine she founded. In April, Chloe was awarded a Community Recognition Award for her work on campus, which includes bringing gender neutral bathrooms to campus and passing an amendment on the student body constitution that now includes transgender students. This past summer, Chloe completed her DMI Scholars internship at the National Gay Lesbian Taskforce (NGLTF), where she researched health disparities in the US transgender population.  She is interested in health care, health education, and the effects of health policy on marginalized and minority populations in the United States. 


CHRISTINA CHEN comes from the Bay Area, CA and recently graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Political Science and Asian American Studies. She served as the executive co-chair of the National Asian American Student Conference, president of Students Promoting Empowerment and Knowledge (SPEaK), political chair of the United Students of Color Council, and the chair emeritus of the Asian American Alliance Political Committee. She co-founded the New York City Asian American Student Conference and volunteered with the Chinese Staff and Workers Association and the Asian American Legal and Defense Education Fund. Christina completed her DMI Scholars internship at Applied Research Center and PolicyLink. She currently splits her time working for both policy organizations. She is interested in issues of immigration, labor, queer rights, and access to resources like healthcare and affordable housing for communities of color.

Christian Plummer grew up in Chicago and recently graduated from Howard University where he studied Political Science and Community Development. On campus, he was a member of the Arts & Sciences Honors Program, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Chapel Assistants and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. His interest in community development has led him on trips to a Navajo Native American Reservation, the Appalachian Mountain Region, Ghana and South Africa, and he developed a passion for juvenile justice during an internship at the Juvenile Intervention & Support Center in his hometown. While still in college, Christian tutored at Howard University’s primary school and continued to work with his church in Chicago on developing after school programs in the community. Christian completed his DMI Scholars internship at the Auburn Gresham Community Center under an initiative of the Chicago Department of Human Services, which enabled him to research federal gun legislation. Christian’s policy areas of interest include education, juvenile justice, and addressing the disproportionate growth of minorities in the prison system. He recently accepted a fulltime policy research and community relations position in the Executive Office of Chicago Public Schools.


FRANCISCO COVARRUBIAS is originally from South Central Los Angeles and is currently a senior majoring in Sociology at Pomona College. In the past, Francisco has researched the experiences of bus riders who commute using the public transportation system in Los Angeles. He has served as a Latina/o Liaison who works with students, groups, professors, staff, and other organizations to empower Latina/o students on campus to engage in critical, community-based, academic work. Francisco was previously elected to serve on a South Central Los Angeles neighborhood council. Through his Young People For fellowship, he worked with other queer students to start a not-for-profit organization that will provide professional and academic development to LGBTQ students on campus from Los Angeles. This past summer, Francisco completed the Public Policy International Affairs (PPIA) program (delete PPIA here) at the University of California, Berkeley. He is focused on urban policy and its effects on the educational experiences of students.


JASON WALKER is a senior at the University of Louisville majoring in Pan-African Studies, with a minor in Cultural Anthropology.  Originally from Washington, D.C., Jason is the President of the NAACP college chapter on campus and a member of the Malcolm X Debate Society, whose mission is to increase the participation of minority groups in collegiate debate through a movement known as MPOWER (Multi-cultural Policy Organizing with Emancipatory Rhetoric). He has organized campus demonstrations in support of racial and social justice. One of his most significant accomplishments was the creation of a campus-wide movement known as the Justice and Equality Now in America! Movement or (J.E.N.A!). Jason is also an active member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. This past summer, Jason completed his DMI Scholars internship at the NAACP national headquarters. His interests include dismantling structural racism through public policy, education policy, and justice issues including police accountability and juvenile justice.

JILLIAN WELLS is originally from Decatur, GA and is currently a senior Political Science major from College Park, GA studying at Agnes Scott College. For two years, she has served as co-president of Witkaze, the Black Student Association on campus, and as a Student Senator in student government. Jillian is a committed workers’ rights activist and has been a leader in the Agnes Scott's Living Wage Campaign for over three years. This summer, Jillian completed her DMI Scholars internship providing research support on the federal minimum wage for the Usery Research Workplace Group at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University. Her policy interests include wage laws and workers rights, affordable post-secondary education, and public transportation.


LACOLE FOOTS is originally from Damascus, MD and is currently a senior Political Science and Public Communication double major at Temple University. She is Vice President of the Temple Debate Team, a Resident Advisor and a coordinating member of her Black Student Union. Being a proud Marylander, she has worked for grassroots organization Progressive Maryland on issues such as minimum wage raise and campaign finance reform. She hopes to pursue a career reforming Maryland’s public education system and alleviating poverty. Last summer she interned at the Democratic National Convention and this summer she studied abroad in Argentina.


LAUREN SILVERMAN is currently a senior concentrating in Political Science at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In her hometown of Oakland, California, Lauren worked as a reporter and peer teacher at Youth Radio, an award-winning journalism education organization. As a reporter, she worked to provide a voice for young people typically underrepresented in the adult-dominated media industry.  A number of Lauren’s pieces have aired on National Public Radio, and she received a Gracie Allen Award from American Women in Radio and Television. Currently, Lauren works with the Washtenaw County Workers’ Center in Michigan – a nonprofit organization committed to improving the living and working conditions of low-wage and immigrant workers. As a community organizer and board member, Lauren has fought to raise the minimum wage, promote equal employment opportunities, file lawsuits against un-safe workplaces and affect public policy. Last year, Lauren interned at the Center for American Progress and recently returned from a study abroad program in Argentina.


MARIO LOPEZ is originally from Mexico City, Mexico and is currently a junior majoring in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley.  As part of the organizing committee of the Power and Unity Coalition, Mario worked with a statewide organizing campaign in support for the passage of the CA DREAM Act to provide institutional financial assistance to undocumented students.  In the past, Mario interned with UNITE HERE! working on the Hotel Workers Rising campaign in an effort to raise the living standards of disenfranchised workers in the service-sector industry.  This summer, he interned at Voto Latino, writing extensively on issues of importance to the Latino population, such as hate crimes and immigration. Mario’s current policy areas of interest are immigrant and worker rights.


MARKUS KESSLER is from Corona, CA and is currently a senior majoring in sociology at Pomona College. He is a Young People For Fellow and a board member of Empowered Latinos in Action, a student organization that addresses Latino issues on and off campus.  He has taken an active role in addressing issues of climate change and its effect on communities of color, joining other campus leaders in forming an environmental justice committee. Markus is a mentor for first- year students of color and co-founder to a group whose mission it is to initiate responsible dialogue on issues facing communities of color on campus. He is most interested in education policy and is currently involved in research addressing disparities in education achievement and accessibility in the Latino community in the LA Unified School District.  


NANA DUFFOUR is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and is currently a senior at Duke University.  Her concentrations are International Comparative Studies, English, and Journalism.  For the past two years Nana has been a tutor and coordinator in the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership Tutoring Program. Last summer she worked with the Neighborhood Partnership to create a two month program for adolescents, a local summer camp which would focus on educational and behavior skills.  Nana also serves on the executive board of Duke Africa, Duke’s only African student organization and works with Know Your Status, an organization that provides free, confidential HIV testing and counseling on campus.  Nana takes great interest in issues of race, gender, and sexuality. She is a member of the university’s Center for Race Relations and writes a bi-weekly column which will focus on diversity issues in The Chronicle, Duke’s student newspaper. This summer, Nana wrote stories for www.CBSNews.com while studying abroad in France. Nana’s policy interests include education and women’s rights.


ORRIN TIBERI is originally from Helena, MT. He recently graduated from the University of Montana in Missoula, with a major in Cultural Anthropology and a minor in International Development Studies. He is active in many social rights campaigns across campus, recently organizing "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes," a men's march to increase awareness about domestic and gender violence and sexual assault. Orrin is a member of Mpowerment, a young gay and bisexual men's group that does outreach and education to youth on how to lead a healthy lifestyle "out" in the big sky state.  He also works with the health center on campus to help promote and sustain a tobacco-free life for students and faculty, and participated in some ground breaking research on the enforcement of smoke-free policy on campus. Orrin's policy interests include advancing LGBTIQ rights in the workplace and reforming anti-tobacco legislation. 


RAKIM BROOKS comes from The Bronx, NY and is currently a junior at Brown University concentrating in Africana Studies. A member of the 2007 Mellon Mays cohort, Rakim has interned at the Brookings Institution, worked as a research assistant for Economics Professor Glenn Loury, and spent last summer working for the Center for Law and Social Policy on poverty and race related social issues. On campus, he chaired the Africana Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group and the Academics and Administrative Affairs Committee on the Undergraduate Council of Students. Rakim was awarded the Charles Nichols Award for Leadership at Brown. He is currently a social policy graduate student at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Rakim’s policy interests include urban policy, particularly housing, unemployment, and the role that globalization is playing in restructuring urban renewal initiatives.

TERESA CHENG is originally from Castro Valley, CA. She recently earned a B.A. from the University of Southern California with a major in Political Science. She was an active member of the USC Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation, through which she has played an integral role in building the campaign to hold her university responsible for respecting workers' right to organize. She also served on the Coordinating Committee of United Students Against Sweatshops. Teresa is also the Executive Director of the Political Student Assembly under the USC Undergraduate Student Government.She has interned with UNITE HERE Local 11 and United Students Against Sweatshops in Hong Kong and China. This past summer, Teresa organized with the Figueroa Corridor Coalition for Economic Justice in South Los Angeles. She currently works for the Program For Environmental and Regional Equity at USC. Teresa’s policy interests are in international trade policy, labor, and immigration.   

2007 Class of DMI Scholars

REBECCA BUCKWALTER-POZA is majoring in Government at Harvard University. She concentrates on human rights and reproductive rights, focusing on HIV/AIDS. Rebecca is a member of the Young Women of Color Leadership Council with Advocates for Youth and the Advisory Board of Campus Progress with the Center for American Progress. She is also active in Advocates for Human Rights and in the International Relations Council, where she has served as a Senior Editor of the Harvard International Review and Director of the Commission on the Status of Women for the Model United Nations. Rebecca has interned for the Global Fund for Children and in the office of James Carville. Rebecca worked as a Polling and Targeting Analyst for the 2008 Presidential Election at Campaign to Defend America, and most recently worked in Communications for the Democratic National Committee. A 2009 Truman Scholar, Rebecca recently co-authored the book, 40 More Years with political consultant James Carville.

“The SI was two weeks immersed in a world of original thought and incisive analysis. The opportunity to meet and learn from established thinkers, advocates, and policy-makers. Most of all, the privilege to be part of a group of students of extraordinary spirit, ability, and determination.”

SAMANTHA CONTRERAS, is studying at Santa Monica College and working fulltime for the rights of undocumented immigrant youth in America at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA). She sits on the Board of Directors for the Southern Californians for Youth Network, a network of youth organizations working towards social justice. She previously interned at the Center for Community Change. In summer of 2008, Samantha provided research and communications support to the Legislative Deputy in the office of Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti for her DMI Scholars internship.

“The DMI Scholars Program gave me the necessary tools and knowledge to enter and succeed in the Public Policy field. The DMI Scholars Program reinforced my commitment to serving my community. Overall, the Scholars Program provided me the confidence I needed to continue my path to public office.”


TAMARA JOACHIM, a senior at Hunter College, works with the Welfare Rights Initiative, which seeks to inform and empower students to organize around social welfare and education policies. Tamara has participated in the National Equity Center's Summer Civil Rights and Social Justice Training Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles where she was later given the resources to implement community forums informing parents about the impact current education policy has on the future on New York City public school students. For one semester Tamara interned in the office of US Senator Charles Schumer. The following summer, she provided research support to the Taskforce on Poverty at the Center for American Progress for her DMI Scholars internship. She is focused on policy alleviation and social policy.

“I came into the Summer Institute expecting to simply learn about ways in which I could incorporate my skills as a grassroots organizer, and passion for social justice, into a career in public policy. I got so much more than that; for the first time I was able to fully hone my leadership skills, I was given the opportunity to assess a wide range of issues and offer sound policy alternatives, and most importantly, I learned and accepted the importance of the Progressive voice in policy debates.”

QUIANA MCKENZIE is a graduate of Washington and Lee University. Having grown up in Chicago, Quiana lived in the Mississippi Delta during college and worked for a community development center through the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability. She also served on the program’s Advisory Board, and has made it one of her career ambitions to establish a network of community centers. Quiana recently completed a Dunn Fellowship, working in the office of the Governor of Illinois for one year. She is currently an Economic Receovery Coordinator for the State of Illinois. She considers herself a policy “generalist” and hopes to continue working on a wide range of issues in a government, with an eye toward health care justice.

“The DMI Summer Institute was a phenomenal introduction to in-depth exploration of the public policy field. During this brief but remarkable time period, I established a connection with undergraduate peers with similar interests and goals and developed a great support network.  There were also numerous occasions to interact with various public policy professionals, all of whom gave pertinent advice about academic and career paths and opportunities. The Summer Institute transformed and clarified my perception of the public policy field and I could not be more pleased with the results.”


NEKPEN OSUAN graduated as a University Scholar at Baylor University and a Young People For Fellow. She has worked for both the City of Waco Public Health Department and the Homelessness Initiative, and she is passionate about working on community empowerment initiatives. In summer of 2008, Nekpen evaluated education policies in the office of Congressman Chet Edwards on Capitol Hill for her DMI Scholars internship. She recently completed a one year appointment at the MATCH Charter School in Boston, and began her graduate studies in economic and education policy at Columbia University this fall.

“The DMI Summer Institute was an intense two weeks filled with exploration of the- power and strategies necessary for effective and sustainable public policy. The coursework and networking opportunities opened my eyes to many ways to shape a policy career, which is both promising and demanding for social change agents. I also enjoyed the opportunity to meet with other progressive leaders and students looking to shape our country to the very best it can be.”


NABANITA PAL, recently graduated from Brown University, where she taught a debate and public speaking class to incarcerated young women in Providence. Nabanita also worked at the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Gulf Coast Rebuilding, providing research support on post- Hurricane Katrina policy initiatives. While a student, she was also a leader in the Rhode Island Right To Vote Campaign, a state-wide movement to restore voting rights to Rhode Island’s 15,000 ex-offenders and completed a Mellon-Mays Fellowship in 2008. In summer of 2008, Nabanita researched crime prevention and prisoner re-entry legislation for the Open Society Institute’s Policy Institute for her DMI Scholars internship. Most recently, she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and is currently completing her fellowship study in India.

“At DMI, I further developed my analytical framework for thinking about the relationship between policy, politics, and social justice. I learned that in order to critically engage in the political process, progressives must fight for values and viable strategies for change. With the kind of applied knowledge I gained at the Summer Institute, I am now able to envision in more concrete terms my potential role(s) in the world of public policy.”


REEM RAHMAN graduated with honors from the University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign. On campus, she was the Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Chair of the Hip Hop National Action Network and is leading the Students Transforming Oppression and Privilege Coalition (STOP), working fervently to advance the formation of Islamic Studies programs in the U.S. Reem was also a Young People For Fellow. For the past three years, she served as the Communications Coordinator for the Chicago chapter for the Council on American Islamic Relations. Reem began her graduate studies at Oxford University this fall.

“It was an eye-opening experience to learn what public policy is, how policy is made, how policy is analyzed, on what levels policy is influenced, who makes policy, and what paths policy makers have taken to gain their positions of influence. Part of the experience was networking in small groups with influential policy makers from the levels of grassroots organizers to elected officials. I used every opportunity I could to discuss the concerns of Muslims in the U.S. and what I would like to see from policy makers so that I myself may one day create policies to enfranchise Muslims and other minority groups to take part in the American Dream.”


NURA SEDIQE graduated with two degrees in Political Science and Communications with a concentration in Near East Studies from at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where she was also president of the Muslim Students Association. She has monitored election polls for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and previously worked as a research assistant for America Abroad Media. Prior to graduating, Nura served as a Research Assistant in the university’s Political Science Department. For her DMI Scholars internship, she served as a Research Assistant on the Safe Ports Campaign at the Change to Win labor coalition. Nura is currently a Research Director at the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund.

“The DMI experience exceeded my expectations. The program and the people we had the opportunity to network with and learn from empowered and motivated me and my future aspirations. I left developing skills that I know will help me in my future career and am honored to be part of such a strong progressive network that the institute has made myself and my fellow scholars a part of.”

JOSEPH TARANTO graduated from The Gallatin School of Individualized Study at New York University, where he studied Immigration and Politics. As a recipient of the Reynolds Undergraduate Scholarship in Social Entrepreneurship, Joe founded Promoting Immigrant Voices in Education (PIVE).  He previously interned at New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE) and at the Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY), fighting workplace injustice in New York’s restaurant industry. In the summer of 2008, Joe developed policy advocacy strategies around the DREAM Act with the Coordinator of Education Advocacy at the New York Immigration Coalition for his DMI Scholars internship. He is currently the Legislative Aide for New York City Council member Melissa Mark-Viverito, where he also completed his DMI Scholars internship. Joe is interested in a wide range of issues, with a special focus on immigration reform, language access policy and labor policy.

“The DMI Scholars Summer Institute presented an amazing opportunity to be introduced to fundamental concepts in public policy while meeting peers and influential figures involved in the Progressive Movement.  From the SI, I took with me a better understanding of public policy, a renewed commitment to creating change, and lifelong friendships with my fellow DMI Scholars.” 

JOSEPH THOMAS, a graduate of the University of Vermont, was heavily involved in diversity initiatives on his campus as the President of Alianza Latina, Philanthropy Chair of the Intra-Fraternity Council, a Residential Advisor and intern in the Office of Admissions. During his college tenure, Joseph interned for US Senator Patrick Leahy, both in his regional Vermont office and on Capitol Hill. He further developed his love for constitutional law during his DMI Scholars internship at the Center for Justice and Democracy. Joseph is currently a Legislative Assistant for the US Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill.

“From the DMI Summer Institute, I got a sense of empowerment. I came into the Institute feeling accomplished, but I left the Institute with the sense that there is so much more we, as Progressives can do and will do. More importantly I received a sense of community and an overall sense of support from the Institute and my fellow Scholars, we will definitely see each other and support each other in our many endeavors.”

KARLA TURNER a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Fisk University, is heavily involved in student government and was previously a hurricane relief volunteer in New Orleans and an intern in the Mayors Office of Youth Services in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. In the summer of 2008, Karla completed a PPIA (Public Policy International Affairs) fellowship at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University. She is currently attending Vanderbilt University School of Law. In the future, Karla hopes to hold a policy position for a civil rights advocacy organization.  

“In having the opportunity to interact with leaders who are currently bringing my dream to fruition, the 2007 DMI Scholars Summer Institute allowed me to truly learn a lot about myself and the type of impact I want to make on society by using the law to positively affect change in the world. The Summer Institute also reemphasized the importance of networking by allowing scholars to observe first hand the closely knit, yet extremely competitive policy world. Moreover, I gained an understanding of the value and beauty revealed in diversity through daily interacting with my peers who enriched my life by providing me with a hint of their own different, yet dynamic culture.”


XINGHUA WU graduated from Swarthmore University with a degree in History and Education. His activism emerged in his home community in NYC, where he worked at Chinatown Youth Initiatives and the Coalition for Asian American Children & Families in. As a student, Xinghua was a Programming Co-Chair of the National Asian American Students Conference National Board, a fellow at Young People For, a Multicultural Recruitment Intern with the Admissions Office and co-president of the Swarthmore Asian Organization.  In the summer of 2008, he completed a social action project for his Eugene M. Lang Opportunity Grant. Xinghua is currently a Fellow at the Center for Progressive Leadership.

“I have gotten more from the DMI Scholars program than I can name. The skills set ranged from critical readings of the newspaper to practical training in policy analysis, and the exposure to the progressive movement ranged from peers on other college campuses to high-ranked leaders in the field of national and international policy. Perhaps more importantly, my time with DMI Scholars has better informed and complicated the ways in which I can and will contribute to the progressive movement for social and economic justice.”


JULIA YANG  who graduated with honors from the City College of New York in 2008, started Partners in Education (PIE) on campus to match English-speaking volunteers with limited-English proficient students. She is currently working at the Asian American Legal Defense Fund and previously interned at the Center for American Progress and the Center for Law and Social Justice at Medgar Evers College. In the summer of 2008, Julia worked at the Urban Justice Center’s human rights program.

“The DMI Scholars Summer Institute gave me an opportunity to meet with thirteen enthusiastic future leaders in public policy and social justice. It also sharpened my ability to think critically about issues, and how they are presented in newspapers and other sources of media. The open support from DMI staff has encouraged me to continue pursuing a career in advocacy.”