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Spring 2018 Grove Fellowship Cohorts

Cohort Leader: Daniel Garodnick

Krissia Bonilla is a proud immigrant from El Salvador and migrated to America in 2001 when she was 2 years old with her family. Currently DACA-mented, Krissia is a passionate activist for immigrant rights and social justice. She has always been interested in politics and started to get involved by campaigning at the age of 15. She is currently a paralegal at the nonprofit Atlas DIY.

Major: Political Science

Isidora Echeverria was born in Chile, immigrating to New York as a toddler. She is a senior Political Science major with a Public Policy minor, Grove Scholar, and works in Student Affairs advising immigrant scholars. As an advocate of undocumented youth, she serves as the VP of the Hunter Dream Team and a Grove Campaigner, pushing for immigration reform. After graduating in Fall 2019 and attending law school, she hopes to practice public interest immigration law

Major: Political Science

Florimond Le Goupil-Maier is a Roosevelt Scholar, Thomas Hunter Honors Scholar, and captain of the Men’s Tennis Team.  He has interned at the NYC City Council, NYC Smart Cities Conference, and Kasirer Consulting. Florimond wrote his public policy capstone thesis on affordable housing and his political science honors thesis about the rise of middle class in China. After graduation, he aspires to attain a joint JD/MUP degree and advocate for equity and sustainability in cities.

Majors: Political Science, Chinese Language and Literature 

Nicole Retsepter is a senior at Hunter College, graduating in the fall of 2018. She is pursuing a Major in Political Science, a Certificate in Public Policy, a Minor in Economics, and a Minor in Philosophy. Nicole is planning to pursue a career in International Law. She aspires to work for the United Nations to fight economic disparities in developing nations. In her spare time Nicole enjoys traveling to new countries and playing tennis.

Major: Political Science

Juan Cambeiro is a pre-med student who plans to use his strong interest in public policy to pursue either a PhD or MPP in addition to his MD to make universal healthcare a reality. He is committed to making healthcare accessible and affordable for all, especially for those in underserved communities. He has a background in both bench work and clinical research and is involved with Students for a National Health Program.


Cohort Leader: Karen Hunter

Mariama Badjie is a current Junior at Hunter and a Macaulay Honors Scholar. Her public service involvement ranges from health equity to education access to building youth leadership in the American Muslim community. She is currently an intern at Sauti Yetu Center for African Women in the Community Wellness Department. Mariama aims to pursue a career in public health to increase access to health services as a means of promoting racial justice.

Major: Community Health Education

Juan Diaz is pursuing a Certificate in Public Policy and a minor in Human Rights at Roosevelt House. Juan currently interns at the Fortune Society, assisting staff in criminal justice reform and an immigrant rights advocacy campaign. Upon graduation, he will pursue a Master’s degree in Public Administration and Policy. As a Grove Fellow he will continue his commitment to public service through research and advocacy in a team-oriented approach.

Majors: Sociology, Public Policy

Vera Pertsovskaya is a McNulty and Thomas Hunter Honors Senior Scholar majoring in Biology and German, with minors in Mathematics and Physics. This past summer, she had an internship at the NYC Health + Hospitals, Division of Correctional Health Services where she developed an appreciation for the complexity of healthcare within the criminal justice system. She hopes to focus her passion for social medicine by pursuing M.D./M.P.H. degrees upon her graduation from Hunter College.

Majors: Biology, German

Juliana Poroye is an Athena and JFEW scholar expecting to graduate in 2020. She is a philosophy and political science double- major interested in prison policy, education policy, and criminal justice reform. Juliana believes courts are capable of improving the way the United States operates, and aspires to help induce such improvements by entering the field of law. Her hobbies include watching movies starring Denzel Washington, cooking tasty healthy meals and performing spoken word poetry.

Majors: Philosophy, Political Science

Dariann Rickerson is a senior public health major and is minoring in human rights. Dariann is a Health Educator with Peer Health Exchange. She teaches sex education at NYC public high schools that lack health education curriculums. Dariann is also a Community Outreach Intern at the NYC DOHMH, working with a mental health organization. In the future, she hopes to accomplish creating her own community-based organization and community health center in NYC.

Major: Public Health


Cohort Leader: Charles Kaiser

Omar Dibba is interested in medicine and public health. As an aspiring physician, he intends to combine his passion and love of medicine and public service to help and serve his fellow human beings globally, especially in under-served communities and populations. His childhood in The Gambia, where he saw the effects of public health limitations firsthand, prompted his interest in this field. Presently, Omar is a senior at Hunter College.

Major: Biochemistry

Sarah Eldiasty is a senior at Hunter College studying Gender and Human Rights. Sarah is interested in how facets of identity – particularly gender and sexuality – affect quality of life. She is a Public Service Scholar at the Office of State Senator Krueger and previously interned with the NYC Law Department and Assembly Member Seawright. She hopes to enhance the status of women and the LGBTQ+ community through informed policy.

Eli McClain, Class of 2019, is a Macaulay Honors Scholar interested in increasing accessibility and learning outcomes in museums and cultural centers. Previously he worked with Practice Makes Perfect, the New York Hall of Science, and the Fraunces Tavern Museum to provide and expand educational programming across New York City. Eli plans to continue working in museum education addressing issues surrounding accessibility, and community engagement after graduating from Hunter.

Majors: History, Sociology

Gabriel San Emeterio is a first generation LGBT Mexican immigrant, who experiences the impact of public policy on minorities. He wants to become a social worker and engage with these communities, while working on policy to protect their rights and guarantee their access to healthcare. He studied abroad in India focusing on social entrepreneurship and interned with GMHC’s Policy Department and with the Welfare Rights Initiative (WRI).

Major: Gender Studies

Faith Titilawo is a senior pre-med student studying Biochemistry at Hunter College. She has worked for various non-profit organizations like East New York Farms Project and focused on promoting public health and preventive health in her community. As a JFEW scholar, she was able to work with public health organizations including Public Health Solutions, Planned Parenthood, and MIC Women’s Clinics. She is passionate about eliminating the healthcare disparity in America.


Cohort Leader: Dorchen Leidholdt

Mrinali Dhembla is an American citizen raised in New Delhi. Having been at the center of immense diversity in New Delhi, she embraces diversity very comfortably. Belonging to a family of Pakistani migrants, one of her goals is to bridge the gap between the Indian and Pakistani public. She wishes to further women interests, especially in South East Asia. She interns at the American Pakistan Foundation and volunteers to teach Chinese immigrants English every weekend.

Majors: Political Science, Chinese Language

Jonathan Fallas is a junior. He currently interns at the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, where his work aims to provide preventative care and disease management measures to underserved communities across the city. Jonathan is also interested in international efforts to protect and conserve wildlife. Upon graduation, he hopes to find a niche where both public health/healthcare and conservation overlap.

Majors: Psychology, Community Health

Sarah Kamensky is a senior with a major in Anthropology and a minor in Women and Gender Studies. One of her most influential experiences in public service was tutoring underserved teens in New Orleans, which created a passion for education and its reform. One of her goals is to further her education in Women and Gender Studies and teach the subject at a collegiate level, while fighting for youth to have access to educational opportunities.

Major: Anthropology

Demi Moore is a Macaulay Honors Junior exploring the nexus of Political Science, Creative Writing, and Human Rights as it relates to critical race theory. Demi hopes to use a J.D./M.P.P. to develop support programs that center identity politics, digital organizing spaces, and the expansion of the American electorate for Black natives and immigrants alike. She serves as a Lead Organizer for TEDxCUNY and a Student Senator in the College Senate.

Aidana Razhap is pursuing her BA/MA in Economics with a minor in chemistry. Her goal is to pursue a PhD in environmental economics; she is studying issues including economic implications of climate change. Her current research interests are “Planetary Boundaries theory” and the requisites for earth’s safe margins to sustain life. Upon graduation she is seeking to collaborate with experts to research public policies relating to environmental sciences and economics in developing countries. 


Cohort Leader: Jessica Neuwirth 

Nicholas Adamo is a senior and member of the Thomas Hunter Honors Program. In 2012, he was a Field Organizer for President Obama’s campaign in Ohio. Nick joined the military in January 2014 and has served as a Paralegal in the Army Reserves since. He participated in the Kheel Fellowship at Roosevelt House, studying under transportation expert Sam Schwartz. Nick is passionate about fighting for criminal justice reform, addressing income inequality and combatting climate change.

Majors: Interdisciplinary Honors, Political Science, History

Isabel Gouse is a Macaulay Honors scholar pursuing two certificates at the Roosevelt House in Public Policy and Human Rights. Upon graduation, she aspires to pursue a law degree in Human Rights or International Law, in addition to a Masters in Public Health. Eventually, she aims to start her own non-profit organization that works to provide basic health necessities for displaced populations including refugees, internally displaced persons, and migrants.

Major: Political Science

Naho Hirohata is a Thomas Hunter scholar majoring in English with a concentration in linguistics and rhetoric. Through teaching she hopes to address children’s rights and the underrepresentation of minorities in higher education.

Major: English

Edress Sediqi is a Cooperman Scholar, a Track & Field athlete, and a Model UN Delegate at Hunter College. During high school, Edress and his peers co-founded a Non-profit organization that aimed to help students in developing nations by providing more efficient and environmentally safe forms of transportation. Edress aspires to work with the international community to ameliorate access to higher education for students of all race, color, and origin.

Majors: Sociology, Political Science, Classical Studies

Alexandre Alvalade Ximenes is the Philosophy writing tutor at Hunter College. He participates in activities organized by the NYPIRG, the Hunter Philosophy club, and Model UN. Alexandre worked as a senior policy analyst on Capitol Hill for 3 years where he researched matters of international and human rights law, as well as universal rights. Alexandre cofounded the Shia Israeli Alliance. He is an aspiring attorney, and plans to work on matters of public interest law.

Majors: Political Science; Philosophy; Psychology; Women and Gender Studies

Ruth Wollman’s area of interest in the field of Political Science is democratization processes, but she has a passion for community organizing. As a lifelong resident of Rockaway, she was one of many who lobbied local, state, and federal officials for more dedicated relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy. She hopes to spread her enthusiasm for helping others to larger issues, such as aiding New York’s homeless population, and helping obtain free quality healthcare for all.

Major: Political Science