Juan Cartagena’s Cohort

Steven Gray is a Senior and a Roosevelt Scholar, majoring in Psychology and pursuing minors in public policy and sociology. A community organizer, he is passionate about protecting targeted and underserved people, while also creating community-centered solutions that address systemic failings in society. Currently, Steven serves as the Senate Chair at Hunter’s Undergraduate Student Government. He plans to attend law school, aspiring to carve transformative pathways to protect society’s most threatened communities.

Hannah Matias is a junior at Hunter College majoring in Sociology. She has interned for the Mayor’s Office, Queens Supreme Court Judge Jodie Orlow, and Congressman Hakeem Jeffries. Much of her passions are around education policy and racial justice. Since high school she has volunteered for a nonprofit that has taught her restorative justice practices and the effects of the school to prison pipeline. She plans on becoming a teacher, a lawyer, and activist who is dedicated to dismantling these systems of oppression. One project she is currently working on is crafting her own poetry book with a central theme of domestic violence and women struggling with PTSD.

Amarachi Ngadi is a junior, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Society. She plans on receiving her bachelor’s degree from Hunter College in the Fall of 2022 and then hopes to pursue a master’s degree in Public Policy. Using her interdisciplinary studies, she is driven to attain a career as a public policy analyst. Her future entails raising awareness to the public about our most striking issues and fighting for action. 

Riya Patel is a Roosevelt Scholar in her junior year at Hunter College, majoring in Political Science and Public Policy. Through her studies she aims to better understand food insecurity and its intersections with the labor workforce. Outside of the four walls of Hunter, she is a steering committee member of Student/Farmworker Alliance, and an active member of Student Government and the Purple Apron Food Pantry.

Ariana Silva is a junior at Hunter College majoring in Political Science with a double minor in Human Rights and International Relations. With a strong passion for human rights and public policy, Ariana has previously interned for the Correctional Association of New York (CANY) where she amplified the voices of those most affected by the incarceration system. In her spare time, she also participates in Hunter’s women’s volleyball team and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee as Chair of Community Service. Upon graduating in Spring 2023, Ariana intends to pursue her master’s in International Relations in the hopes to accomplish her career goal of one day working for the United Nations.

christian gonzález-rivera’s Cohort

Laila Gad is a sophomore in the Macaulay Honors College, majoring in Journalism and minoring in Environmental Studies. Passionate about bettering elderly care, Laila spends her free time volunteering with senior services like BOLD where she runs their book club. Additionally, Laila is studying how climate change affects public health, specifically when it comes to the elderly aging comfortably. After Hunter, she plans on attending medical school to study to become a geriatric physician.

Aysha Khan is a sophomore in the Macaulay Honors program class of 2024, majoring in clinical psychology, minoring in Spanish, and pursuing a certificate in public policy. She is passionate about mental health de-stigmatization and social equity and hopes to produce knowledge that can be used to make the mental health care system culturally competent and accessible to marginalized groups. After undergrad, she aspires to obtain a PhD or PsyD in clinical psychology.

Nick Lamphier is a junior Macaulay scholar studying Statistics with minors in Public Health and Economics. He is interested in closing the gaps affecting public health in areas like nutrition and vaccine access. In the future, he hopes to enter public service in epidemiology or health policy to conduct research that informs effective, data-driven, and equitable policy solutions. Outside school, Nick works in a Target store and serves as an RA at Hunter’s Brookdale Residence Hall.

Zara Nadeem is a Yalow Honors Scholar for pre-medicine and research. She is a junior majoring in Biology with a minor in Political Science, graduating in Fall 2022. She is the Founder and Co-President of the Heart at Hunter club, a partnership with the American Heart Association. She is passionate about cardiovascular health and is interested in advocacy and public health, looking for ways to connect her interests to better serve the needs of underserved communities. In the future, she would like to conduct healthcare advocacy work abroad to contribute to humanitarian causes and learn of global health practices.

Harold Holzer’s Cohort

Amber D’mello is a sophomore majoring in education and sociology. Amber’s passions include using fitness to empower and educate women. Amber hopes to pursue an international career in education policy and social justice. Allowing for more women in third world countries to get equal access to education.

Vasuki Gaba is a sophomore in the Thomas Hunter Honors Program double majoring in Biochemistry and Economics while minoring in Computer Science. She previously volunteered for Womankind which allowed her to work with women who are survivors of domestic violence. Upon graduation in Spring 2024, she plans on attending law school and aims to work with domestic violence survivors and be an advocate that can raise awareness about women’s rights.

Nolan Lyons is a junior Roosevelt Scholar studying political science, media, and sociology. Nolan has experience working for various organizations aimed at addressing inequities within our society with an emphasis on centering youth perspectives. In the future, he hopes to work within government to provide solutions to systemic issues facing the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized demographics

Nicole Palmetto, Class of 2024, is a Roosevelt Scholar majoring in Public Health, obtaining a certificate in Public Policy and double minoring in Human Rights and Women and Gender Studies. She is currently an intern and executive assistant at Apne Aap, an NGO based in India and the United States, with a mission to dismantle the system of prostitution with an emphasis on preventing intergenerational prostitution in India. She looks forward to pursuing a career rooted in Human Rights advocacy and hopes to travel in the future.

Isabellah Paul is a sophomore at Hunter College double majoring in Political Science and Women & Gender Studies. She has interned with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPRIG) and is an ambassador with CMMB x Hunter working to bring awareness to health disparities for women and children in developing countries. Upon graduating in the Fall of 2023, Isabellah aspires to attend law school and act as a legal proponent for social justice reform.

Melva M. Miller’s Cohort

Josh Aydil is a senior at Hunter College, majoring in Political Science and French and graduating in Fall 2022. After he graduates, Josh intends to pursue a degree in law and practice as an educational attorney. He is passionate about advocating on behalf of students with disabilities to ensure that they reach their full potential. He looks forward to using his experience to further his mission of ensuring accessible and quality education for all students.

Tudor Boanda is a Roosevelt Scholar pursuing a double-major in Economics and Political Science and a minor in Statistics, while working as a Student Ambassador and welcoming future Hunter Hawks to campus. Tudor is interested in global affairs, geoeconomics and politics and has interned for congressional and city council candidates. After graduation in Spring 2023, Tudor plans to attend graduate school and further pursue his passion for international politics and economic development.

Ilanith Nizard is an Athena Scholar and Thomas Hunter Honors Scholar studying Economics with minors in International Relations and Philosophy.  Outside the classroom, Ilanith represents students as Freshman Senator on Hunter’s Student Government. She is passionate about poverty, education, and gender equity and volunteers with local organizations to provide relief to low-income families. She hopes to use her knowledge and experience to fight for equitable and affordable education for all, regardless of gender or socioeconomic status.

Jackson Todd is a senior pursuing a double major in political science and urban studies with a minor in human rights. As part of the Mellon Public Humanities program, he is interning with delivery worker organization Los Deliveristas Unidos to research gig worker activism. In graduate school, he hopes to continue researching how precarious workers organize themselves to study the implications for the broader U.S. labor movement.

Lily Yeung is a Phi Theta Honor Society member, Guttman Transfer Scholarship recipient, and Sociology major senior pursuing a Public Policy certificate. Passionate about teaching and counseling younger generations, she trained to promote literacy in children from low-income communities while accommodating and servicing those with special needs. She aims to be a strong advocate and catalyst in abolishing racial and social injustices, prioritizing environmentalism, and enhancing the overall quality of life for marginalized populations.