Andrew Gounardes’ Cohort

Daniel Cronin, class of 2025, is a Macaulay Honors Scholar pursuing a degree in History, Political Science, and Classical Studies. With interests spanning various levels and sectors of government, he hopes not to limit himself to one career post-graduation. Although unsure of where his passion for public service may lead, he looks forward to positively impacting communities on both a local and global scale.

Frances Macalimbon Hamed is a sophomore in the Macaulay Honors College, majoring in Political Science and pursuing a certificate in Public Policy. She has experience interning in local and state government and actively volunteers for a local youth-led mutual aid organization. She is deeply interested in public health policy and how it intersects with transportation and the environment. She would love to continue exploring these fields as a Policy Analyst in the future.

Laszlo LeCroy is a sophomore Roosevelt and Janovic Scholar in the Thomas Hunter Honors Program. He is majoring in political science with a certificate in public policy and a minor in economics. Laszlo’s research on the criminal justice system has inspired him to fight against structural inequality. Upon graduating in 2025, he plans on attending law school to prepare him for a career in public defense or public policy, where he can do work to change the cycles of crime and poverty.

Naiomi Sampson is an Eva Kastan Grove Scholar majoring in Economics with minors in History and Legal Studies. After graduating in the Spring of 2024, she plans to attend law school. Naiomi is a passionate activist for immigration rights, climate justice, and criminal justice reform. This past summer, she had a judicial internship at the New York Supreme Court. One day Naiomi hopes to start a nonprofit that serves as an information hub for immigrants.

Carolyn Maloney’s and Jessica Neuwirth’s Cohort

Asia Khan is a senior at Hunter College majoring in Public Health. Asia is an intern at the NYC Department of Health Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response and a research assistant at Hunter’s Department of Nutrition and Food Science. She is interested in analyzing how the outbreaks of diseases happen, how various communities are affected, with a focus on community health and an understanding of effective health communication strategies to promote health equity in underserved communities within New York City. Upon graduation in Spring 2023, she plans to attend graduate school for an MPH in Health Policy where she will continue her work in public health research, chronic disease prevention, and improving health policies in New York City.

Andrew Loka is a Junior and Roosevelt Scholar. He is studying Political Science as his major, with minors in International Relations and Legal Studies. He has worked with others in establishing CUNY’s first undergraduate political journal. Andrew’s passion is centered around the Middle East and Africa. After graduating in May 2024, he plans to go to law school and learn how he can use his legal knowledge to help others and correct whatever systemic injustices he can.

Maya Mouldi is a Junior majoring in Political Science and minoring in International Relations. She has previously interned at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, a German NGO in Tunisia, where she researched irregular migration in North Africa and the 2022 Tunisian constitutional referendum. Upon graduating, she hopes to pursue a Master’s degree in International Relations and further her interest in Foreign policy and Middle Eastern studies

Lyle Reed is a junior majoring in political science, a member of the MA/BA program in economics, and working towards a public policy minor. They have worked in restaurants for over 14 years which has led to an interest in food insecurity. They have volunteered for two years at their local food bank, and been an advisor on food policy to Samy Nemir Olivares’ last campaign for state assembly.  After graduating they hope to be admitted to a PhD program studying development economics focusing on better governance for the poorest.

Eric Dinowtiz’s Cohort

Isabella Grullon is a sophomore at Hunter College majoring in Political Science and minoring in Public Policy and Africana/Latinx Studies. Her path in public service began in high school, volunteering at a Bronx enrichment program for underserved students. Currently, she is a legislative intern at the New York Birth Control Access Project, advocating for the expansion of contraceptive accessibility. She aspires to become a civil rights lawyer to defend the voiceless.

Jeremy Montrose is a sophomore Roosevelt Scholar pursuing a double major in Political Science and Urban Studies. This past year he has interned at the New York City Comptroller’s Office and ABNY. Professionally, he hopes to impact communities across the nation regarding issues such as gun violence, voting rights, abortion bans, and economic development. He is also a proud brother of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and on the Hunter College Men’s Basketball Team.

Ariadna Pavlidis-Sanchez, class of 2025, is a Roosevelt Scholar majoring in Public Health, obtaining a certificate in Public Policy and a minor in Sociology. Currently, she serves as a Sophomore Senator in the Undergraduate Student Government. She is passionate about education access and quality, and its relationship to health. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector, connecting communities to the resources they need to obtain high-quality and affordable education.

Soleidy Ramos 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 Spring of 2024. After undergrad, she hopes to attend law school and become an immigration lawyer. She is passionate about the urgency of immigration reform and eliminating inequality within immigrant communities. Through this career path, she hopes to bring awareness of the political and economic complexities as well as the repercussions of our current immigration policies and, most importantly, help provide migrants a pathway to citizenship in the public sector.

Kevin Jennings’ Cohort

Alyssa Procanyn is a Junior at Hunter College majoring in Political Science and minoring in Legal Studies. She is a strong community and social services advocate. Alyssa works part-time in her local elementary school. As a mandated reporter, she has learned first-hand how the childhood education system can coincide with the legal system. After graduation, Alyssa plans to attend law school.

Shounak Reza is a sophomore in the Thomas Hunter Honors Program, majoring in English and minoring in History. He grew up in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and the social injustices he grew up observing profoundly informed his worldview. He plans to eventually go to graduate school and study feminist and queer theories to understand how the rights of women and LGBTQ+ people are consistently violated because of the patriarchy, its representation in literature, and how democratic backslides contribute to it.

Sarah Shalan is a senior at Hunter College in the Macaulay Honors program with a deep interest in human rights. She actively advocates for marginalized groups’ rights through her participation in campus-based human rights clubs and organizations. As a board member of the Palestine Solidarity Alliance and Pre-Health for Human Rights Society at Hunter College, Sarah has played a leading role in a number of successful awareness campaigns and initiatives related to human rights issues at the global and local levels. She collaborates with various NGOs and organizations, such as The Asiyah Women Center and Malikah, to advance initiatives to end gender-based violence and promote women’s and refugee rights.

Matthew Washington’s Cohort

Angela Eslava Gonzalez is a member of the Thomas Hunter Honors Program, the Phi Sigma Tau Honor Society and the 2022-2023 Public Service Scholar Program cohort. She is graduating with a Philosophy major, a Public Policy Certificate and a Dance Minor. She is passionate about social justice and intends to go to law school to pursue advocacy as a career. She has been involved in environmental campaigns, as well as volunteer programs in which she has focused in expanding access to reproductive rights and housing.

Abigail Jimenez is a junior in the Macaulay Honors College class of 2024, majoring in Political Science and Sociology. She currently serves as the housing outreach staff at Woodside on the Move where she aims to build up tenant organizations and educate tenants about their housing rights. Much of her passions are around immigration and housing policy as her experience as a tenant organizer and first gen Mexican American drives her to break down social injustices. Upon graduating, Abigail intends to go to law school and pursue career in policy to work on transformative legislation that helps undocumented and unhoused New Yorkers.

Ayaz Khan is a Thomas Hunter Honors junior pursuing a Statistics major and a mini-concentration in Urban Studies. His interests revolve around creating research-based statistical tests, models concerning metropolitan cities. One project that he is currently undertaking is measuring NYC train congestion density and how it affects factors pertaining to public health. In the future, Khan aims to create sustainable standardized green smart cities which prioritizes the quality of life for residents and the planet.

Nikole Rajgor is a junior at Hunter College pursuing a degree in Media Studies with a concentration in Journalism, and a minor in Psychology. Outside of journalism, she has a passion for affordable housing and equitable education, and hopes to be able to cover these topics in the media. She supports policies and legislation that will help our underserved residents in New York City, especially youth. Currently, she is a reporter for Hunter’s newspaper, The Envoy, and also a staff writer intern for Secret NYC. As a New York Times Scholar, she hopes to inspire and help low-income students to continue pursuing their education despite the obstacles they may face.

Juan Carlos “JC” Santiaguel is a senior in the Public Service Scholars Program, majoring in History and Philosophy. He is also a Mellon Public Humanities and Social Justice Scholar. As an intern with the Urban Justice Center’s Safety Net Project, JC works closely with attorneys providing free legal services to underrepresented tenants. He plans to pursue a career in immigration law, representing clients who, like himself, are first generation immigrants.

Sasha Ahuja’s Cohort

Iza Choudrey is a Senior and a Roosevelt Scholar, majoring in Political Science and pursuing minors in sociology and legal studies. With a strong passion for advocacy and community-building, Iza has previously interned for the League of Women Voters NYC and the Office of the NYC Comptroller. She plans on receiving her bachelor’s degree in the Spring of 2023 and intends to pursue a master’s degree in Public Administration in aims of becoming a policy analyst.

Nivrita Haque is a junior double-majoring in Political Science and Urban Studies. She is also pursuing a minor in Sociology and a Public Policy Certificate. A Roosevelt and JFEW Scholar, Nivrita’s primary interests are in child welfare and women’s rights. Her goal is to address systemic failures that have plagued the lives of women and children in the United States through policy work. She will aim to take an intersectional approach to this work upon graduating in the Spring of 2024

Lauren Mangla is a senior in the Thomas Hunter Honors Program, majoring in environmental studies with a minor in computer science. She has previously worked in Senator Brian Kavanaghs office as part of the Public Service Scholar program, where she helped to draft climate legislation. Lauren is the founder and president of the Effective Altruism club at Hunter and seeks to help as many people as possible as effectively as possible.

Lily McAndrews is a Hunter College sophomore majoring in sociology and minoring in Chinese and public policy. She is passionate about bettering elderly care, ending food insecurity, and helping educate the next generation about reproductive rights. She is devoted to serving her community through neighborhood gardening and fiber arts as she spends her time volunteering in both capacities. She is thrilled to be joining such an inspirational community of peers and mentors as a new transfer student at Hunter. In her free time, Lily enjoys baking, playing tennis, and going to Costco!

Maya McCormock, class of 2023, is majoring in political science and hope to pursue a career in public interest law. Maya is passionate about public service and social justice, after interning for various organizations that tackle different issues, such as prison/criminal justice reform and increasing political engagement. Upon graduation Maya intends to utilize their experiences in constituent services, research, and community organizing to make a positive impact in the public sector.