Acacia Patterson is a political science major with a minor in anthropology at the City College of New York. She is an immigrant and a first-generation college student. Acacia is passionate about social change because she strongly believes that everyone is deserving of respect, equal opportunities and is committed to ensuring that that becomes a reality.

A compassionate attention to our social world fuels Alexandria’s forward movement. She has a vast array of professional experiences, such as leading LGBTQ+ community programs, managing senior welfare services, and empowering international youth. She hopes to grow within the civil society sector and collaboratively build a more just, sustainable world. Alexandria is getting her Masters in Urban Studies at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies.

Amanda is a law student, organizer, and artist based in Queens. She’s an aspiring people’s lawyer by day and a guerrero-esque militant by night. She fights rising fascism in the Philippines by serving NY-based Filipino youth and students, migrant workers, and trafficking survivors.

Amna Bajwa is a first-generation Pakistani-American. In college, Amna found her voice by doing service and giving back to her local and global communities. She served as the NY District Governor for Circle K International in 2020, where she led a board of 24 officers who worked to support the movement for Black lives and to end the global water crisis. Amna is double majoring in Sociology and Management and Administration at City College of New York.

Anqa is a non-binary Kashmiri-American organizer, advocate, and educator based in Lenapehoking (otherwise known as Brooklyn, New York). They are the member engagement coordinator at the Audre Lorde Project, an organizer with the South Asia Solidarity Initiative, and an MPH candidate in Community Health Sciences at the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Policy.

Desmond Serrette is the Assistant Director for Civic Engagement and Strategic Campaigns at SEIU. He has worked in the labor movement fighting on behalf of working people for almost his entire career, except for two years as a Community Outreach Representative for Congresswoman Donna F. Edwards (MD-04). Prior to working at SEIU, Desmond was the Deputy Political Director at Unite Here Local 25.

Camila Rivadeneyra is pursuing an MA in Urban Studies at CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, and works part-time as an Educator at the Tenement Museum. She is passionate about immigrant rights advocacy, housing justice, and de-colonizing cultural institutions.

Divine Soona Gertrude Ndombo is a Cameroonian-Congolese first-generation college student at City College University. Divine’s organizing has been at the intersections of civic engagement and education justice, especially centering the experiences of Black and undocumented communities. Currently, Divine serves as the Director of Youth Development at The YA-YA Network.

Edward, or Adonis which is what he likes to go by, was pushed to create social change. From looking at his community which is filled with marginalized groups of people and understanding that life isn’t livable like that!

Eman is a student at Hunter College double majoring in Political Science and Women & Gender Studies, and minoring in Arabic studies. As the daughter of Egyptian immigrants, she became deeply aware of how islamophobia and economic inequality have disenfranchised those in her communities—especially women. Eman hopes to bring her organizing experience back to her community where she can advocate for change.

Gavrielle Reyes is the Program Coordinator at BALI. She is a Cuban-American bruja feminist and she received her BA in Film with a concentration in Gender Studies from Hunter College. She is a survivor of sexual assault & domestic violence, and has become a fierce advocate for awareness & resources within the organization as well as in all spaces she finds herself in.

Imani is born and raised in the Boogie down bronx. She is a system impacted mother who is passionate about building equity amongst her people, dismantling all systems that create more harm than good, and empowering black and brown communities.

Indhira is a Bilingual Special Education teacher at a High School in East New York who is passionate about education and policy. Ms. Castro hopes to engage in work throughout her career that will enable her to disrupt and dismantle some of the inequities in our school system.

Isabela Bulacia is a junior, double majoring in international relations and English. She was born and raised in Jackson Heights, Queens. At City College, Isabela is vice president of the CCNY Pre-law Club. She is an intern at Sadie Nash Leadership Project, where she teaches young women and gender-expansive youth about social justice issues. Isabela is passionate about social change as she has experienced first hand, the change that can occur when people work as a collective. In her free time, Isabela enjoys skateboarding and reading.

Jennifer (Jen) Collao is a senior at Claremont McKenna College majoring in International Relations and Film Studies. Her passion for social change stems from her personal experiences with immigration and watching endless documentaries with her grandfather. Through this fellowship, Jen hopes to synthesize her passions for research, human rights, and digital media to become an investigative video journalist.

Josue is a freshman at CCNY, majoring in Political Science and Sociology. He is from Mexico and grew up in the Bronx. He went to Xavier High School, where he founded a passion for starting conversations that were not typically talked about and begin his work in social justice his freshman year. Josue is excited to be part of the Social Change fellowship

Khadija Maqsood is a senior at The City University of New York earning degrees in Sociology and International Studies, and minors in Legal Rights and Human Rights Studies. She has dedicated her time to social justice, political organizing, and community building creating and affirming inclusive spaces in the city she was born and raised in

Born in the South Bronx, of a Japanese American father, interned during WW2 and a Salvadorian mother, forced to flee during the civil war, Natalia grew into an activist and social justice advocate with a passion for fighting equity for marginalized communities.

Nina is passionate about building a just and sustainable political economy. She works in the field of worker ownership and is helping launch a community center in the Mid-Hudson Valley. She is also completing CUNY SLU's Graduate Certificate in Workplace Democracy and Community Ownership.

Rob Zentgraf is an organizer and law student in NYC, focusing on the intersection of harm reduction strategies and Transgender justice. Rob has engaged in legislative advocacy, worked on campaigns, and supported mutual aid in their community. Rob currently attends Brooklyn Law School and lives in Queens.

Robert is originally from Birmingham, Alabama and currently a union representative for UFCW. Before joining UFCW he was a student organizer and then worked for the American Federation of Teacher in New Orleans for three years. He is currently pursuing his master’s in labor studies and writing a capstone about efforts to transform the union movement.

Sachaly De Leon is a life-long New Yorker of Puerto Rican heritage passionate about social change because she wants to disrupt the systems that have harmed her loved ones. She is passionate about strengthening and re-shaping our democratic process to be more accessible, meaningful, and participatory for everyday people. Sachaly is pursuing a M.A. in Urban Studies at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies.

Queer. Palestinian. Neurodivergent. Immigrant. Woman. Sundos is an advocate and activist, dreaming daily of a healed and liberated society. As a Social Change Fellow, she hopes to work towards shuttering all youth jails, and replacing incarceration entirely with restorative justice and humanity-first approaches to everything that we do as a society. Sundos is a nontraditional student at the City College of New York.

Vanessa is a senior at Hunter College. She is currently working at the New York City Department of Social Services as a Senior Policy Advisor. Prior to this, she was a paralegal at Advocates for Children of New York and has written articles about the experiences of youth in foster care, including her own, for Represent and YCTeen, two award-winning national magazines. In her free time, Vanessa enjoys running and reading about politics.