DMI Announces 2008 DMI Scholars

DMI is thrilled to announce our new class of DMI Scholars.  In 2006, we launched the DMI Scholars program to create a pipeline dedicated to guiding talented young people into the field of public policy.  The program identifies accomplished college activists from diverse communities and trains them in the skills necessary to obtain and succeed in entry-level public policy positions.  Our mission is to increase and diversify the pool of strong candidates that enters key professions in the field, better equipping the movement to affect reforms on a policy level.  With DMI’s network and expertise, DMI Scholars will become the future Legislative Directors, Issues Directors, Policy Analysts and Strategists that fuel the progressive movement with new ideas and effective advocacy.

Selected among 185 applicants, this year’s 14 Scholars come from every region of the nation and have all demonstrated a commitment to activism and a desire to learn how public policy can advance an agenda of fairness and equity.  Scholars will begin training this summer at our Summer Institute, a rigorous two-week training institute in New York City that offers DMI Scholars the public policy lens, analytical and practical skills as well as experiences to allow them to understand, navigate, and successfully enter the public policy world.

Conservatives have long excelled at cultivating their youth for careers in public policy. The DMI Scholars program now offers the same dedication to the next generation of leaders in the progressive movement. After the Summer Institute, Scholars continue to work with a policy research & writing coach throughout the following academic year and receive additional training and networking opportunities at our winter training weekend in Washington D.C.  The following summer, Scholars are placed in policy internships and jobs within the offices of elected officials, government agencies, think tanks, and nonprofit advocacy organizations.

Please join us in welcoming our 2008 class of DMI Scholars!

CHLOE MIRZAYI grew up in Littleton, Colorado and is currently a junior 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 was just elected 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. 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 is currently a junior studying Political Science and Asian American Studies at Columbia University. She is the executive co-chair of the National Asian American Student Conference (NAASCon), which aims to foster dialogue and build awareness of issues affecting Asian American communities. Christina is also the president of Students Promoting Empowerment and Knowledge (SPEaK), political chair of the United Students of Color Council (USCC), and the chair emeritus of the Asian American Alliance Political Committee. She co-founded the New York City Asian American Student Conference (NYCAASC), a forum for collective action around progressive Asian Pacific American issues. Christina volunteers with the Chinese Staff and Workers Association (CSWA), and the Asian American Legal and Defense Education Fund (AALDEF). She is interested in issues of immigration, labor, queer rights, and access to resources like healthcare and affordable housing for communities of color.


DANIEL WU is from Cypress, California and is currently a sophomore at the University of Southern California, majoring in International Relations and Public Health.  He is the Community and Assembly Chair for the University of Southern California’s Asian Pacific American Student Assembly and is involved with several community-based organizations like the Bus Riders Union and Strategic Action for a Just Economy.  He has interned as part of the Health Access Project for the Korean Resource Center and the K.W. Lee Center for Leadership on issues of health care reform and health equity. As a Young People For Fellow and a McNair Scholar, Daniel hopes to integrate community activism with research by critically exploring equitable and sustainable regional and global development, structural racism, and participatory processes for policy. He is passionate about issues of spatial justice and transportation policy, particularly the intersections between smart growth, transit-oriented development, and social equity.


FRANCISCO COVARRUBIAS is originally from South Central Los Angeles and is currently a sophomore 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. This year, Francisco will continue his research on Latina/o students with a grant from Pomona College. Through his Young People For fellowship, he is also working with other queer students to start a not-for-profit organization that will provide professional and academic development to LGBTQ students from Los Angeles. Francisco is focused on urban policy and its effects on the education experiences of students.


JASON WALKER is a junior 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, Inc.  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 junior 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.  She aspires to become Georgia’s future Secretary of State.  Jillian is a committed workers rights activist and has been a leader in the Agnes Scott's Living Wage Campaign for three years. Her policy interests include wage laws and laborer rights, affordable post-secondary education, and public transportation.


LACOLE FOOTS is originally from Damascus, MD and is currently a junior 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. This summer she will be interning at the Democratic National Convention.


LAUREN SILVERMAN is currently a junior 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.


MARIO LOPEZ is originally from Mexico City, Mexico and is currently a sophomore majoring in Political Science at East Los Angeles College.  Part of the organizing committee of the Power and Unity Coalition, Mario is currently working with a statewide organizing campaign in support for the passage of the CA DREAM Act to provide institutional financial assistance to undocumented students.  This summer, Mario will intern 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.  Mario’s current policy areas of interest are immigrant and worker rights as well as educational access for all students.


MARKUS KESSLER is from Corona, CA and is currently a sophomore majoring in sociology at Pomona College. He is a Young People For Fellow and a board member of Empowered Latinos in Action, a politicized Latino organization that actively addresses Latino issues on and off campus while creating a safe and supportive community.  More recently, 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 the disparities in education achievement and accessibility amongst the Latino community in the LA Unified School District. 


NANA DUFFOUR is from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and is currently a sophomore 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 was recently appointed a bi-weekly column which will focus on diversity issues in The Chronicle, Duke’s student newspaper.  Nana’s policy interests include education and women’s rights.


ORRIN TIBERI is originally from Helena, MT and is currently a junior at the University of Montana in Missoula, majoring in Cultural Anthropology with 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 has recently 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 to limit the sale and increase the price of cigarettes. 


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 will spend this summer working for the Center for Law and Social Policy on poverty and race related social issues. Currently, he chairs the Africana Studies Departmental Undergraduate Group and the Academics and Administrative Affairs Committee on the Undergraduate Council of Students, and last summer was awarded the Charles Nichols Award for Leadership. 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 and is currently a junior studying Political Science at the University of Southern California.  She is 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. Currently, she sits 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 and a coach on the USC Marathon Team. She has interned with UNITE HERE Local 11 and United Students Against Sweatshops in Hong Kong and China. This summer, she plans on organizing with the Figueroa Corridor Coalition for Economic Justice in South Los Angeles.  Teresa’s policy interests are in international trade policy, labor, and immigration.  

2007 Summer Institute Video

Check out this video starring the very first class of DMI Scholars at the 2007 Summer Institute!  It will give you a good idea of what our intensive “Public Policy 101” training is all about from the Scholars’ perspective.

2007 Class of DMI Scholars

REBECCA BUCKWALTER-POZA is a junior concentrating in Government and Health Policy at Harvard University.  She has served as co-Director of Harvard Students for Choice, and has senior roles with the Harvard Model United Nations and the Harvard International Review. Her research experience includes work at the University of North Carolina Institute of Government on abortion access and a Radcliffe Research Fellowship Partnership for a book project on race and poverty in the Americas. Rebecca is on the Advisory Board of Campus Progress of the Center for American Progress and the Young Women of Color Leadership Council of Advocates for Youth.  She recently received a grant from Nothing But Nets, a UN Foundation affiliated organization.  She has also interned with the Global Fund for Children and works on an ongoing basis in the Office of 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, a junior at Santa Monica Community College, is working for the rights of undocumented immigrant youth in America at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).  Samantha also sits on the Board of Directors for the Southern Californians for Youth Network, a network of social justice youth organizations working towards social justice.  She previously interned at the Center for Community Change. 

“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. She is also active in the Anti-War Network and Darfur Awareness Coalition on campus and the founder of the Call to Consciousness Training Institute, which teaches New York City high school students about the history of people of color social and political movements. 

“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 senior studying American Government & Society at Washington and Lee University, where she recently became the university’s first African American Homecoming Queen. She is president of the Multicultural Student Association.  Having grown up in Chicago, she recently worked in the office of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.  Quiana has also worked for The Boys & Girls Adult Community Development Center in the Mississippi Delta through the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability.  She now sits on the program’s Advisory Board, and has made it one of her career ambitions to establish a network of community centers.

“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 is a senior at Baylor University, where she studies Economics and Leadership. A Ronald McNair Scholar and PFAW Foundation Young People For Fellow, she plans to attend graduate school to study economic development and/or education policy. Nekpen has served in the Baylor Student Government since her freshman year, and currently holds positions as Student Body Electoral Commissioner and President of the Baylor collegiate chapter of the NAACP. She has interned with the City of Waco Public Health Department, the U.S. Navy, and the NAACP Washington Bureau in D.C, among others. Most recently, she completed a civic-engagement project through the Baylor Academy for Leader Development with the City of Waco's HUD-sponsored Homelessness.  In 2008, she will serve as an AmeriCorps volunteer with Habitat for Humanity-Waco.

“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, a junior at Brown University, concentrates in Development Studies. In the fall of 2006 she helped bring together a coalition of students on campus to volunteer for the Rhode Island Right to Vote Campaign, the first successful ballot initiative to re-enfranchise over 15,000 ex-offenders. During the year, Neeta teaches a debate and public speaking class to the girls' unit of the Rhode Island Training School, the state's juvenile prison. Neeta worked as a Minority Peer Counselor (MPC) from 2006-2007, a position run out of Brown's Third World Center, and currently serves an and MPC co- coordinator. This past summer, Neeta worked at the Campaign for Youth Justice, an organization dedicated to ending the transfer of youth under 18 to the adult criminal justice system. In the spring, Neeta plans to study abroad in London at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS).

“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 Reem Rahman is currently the Communications Coordinator at the Council American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Chicago, a chapter of the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group in the nation. She graduated with honors from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an interdisciplinary Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Neuroscience. At UIUC, Reem was a Residence Advisor at Allen Hall where she facilitates and creates programs for the empowerment of women, conflict resolution, sustainable activism, and leadership development. She was also one of the founding members of CAIR at the University of Illinois and served as the Executive Director, coordinating media and civil rights activism, community service, interfaith dialogue, and leadership development. Reem is a Young People for the American Way Fellow.

“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 is a senior at the University of Michigan completing a triple major in Political Science, Communications and Near Eastern studies.  On campus, she is president of the Muslim Students Association and works as a Research Assistant in the university’s Political Science Department.  Nura also recently was appointed Associate Editor of the Michigan Journal of Political Science.  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.  This year Nura will also be traveling to Germany through the Fulbright Berlin Capital Program.

“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 is a junior studying Immigration and Politics at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. He recently won a grant to launch a new organization, Promoting Immigrant Voices in Education (PIVE), with two fellow NYU students.   PIVE works in collaboration with schools and community groups to encourage the meaningful participation of immigrant parents in NYC public schools. In early 2007, he was also named an NYU Reynolds Scholar in Social Entrepreneurship.  He has interned at a number of immigrant rights organizations throughout NYC, and is currently working with the Immigrant Financial Justice Project at NEDAP.

“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 senior at the University of Vermont studying Political Science and Spanish.  He is 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.  Joseph, based on his own experience growing up in the Bronx and attending the University of Vermont, centers much of his activism on educational access and transitional issues for young people of color into college. Joseph is currently interning in the Washington, D.C. office of US Senator Patrick Leahy.

“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  is a junior and English major at Fisk University.  She is heavily involved in student government and currently serves as the university’s student Community Outreach Director. Karla was previously a hurricane relief volunteer in New Orleans and has interned in the Mayors Office of Youth Services in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.  

“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 is a junior at Swarthmore College, pursuing a major in History and Education. Since his first year, he has been active in various student groups of the Intercultural Center, including the Swarthmore Asian Organization, the Swarthmore Queer Union, and Colors. In his sophomore year, he worked as a Multicultural Recruitment Intern with the Admissions Office and was named a recipient of the Lang Opportunity Scholarship for his commitment to social justice. In addition, he currently serves on the national board of the National Asian American Students Conference (NAASCon). In New York City, where he was raised, he has also worked with Chinatown Youth Initiatives and the Coalition for Asian American Children & Families.

“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  is a senior at the City College of New York (CCNY), majoring in International Studies and Political Science. Among her academic interests are immigration, voting rights, civic participation, and education. At CCNY, Julia is the founder and director of Partners in English (PIE), a volunteer program that matches English-speaking volunteers with limited-English proficient students. She also interns at the Urban Justice Center, working on various projects related to the local implementation of human rights. She has received numerous awards and is currently a Josh and Judy Weston Scholar. During her freshman summer, Julia interned at the Center for Law and Social Justice and during her sophomore summer, she interned at the Center for American Progress. Last year, she worked at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

“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.”