UMass Women into Leadership Announces 2019 Fellows

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Twenty-five undergraduate students have been selected from a pool of more than 100 applications to be 2019 UMass Women into Leadership (UWiL) fellows.

The fellows represent a variety of schools and colleges at UMass Amherst including the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Humanities and Fine Arts, College of Natural Sciences, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, and College of Engineering. Together, the students are enrolled in 17 majors and cover all class years. 

UWiL is a competitive leadership training and professional development program that prepares students from the state’s flagship public university for public leadership after graduation. By introducing these students to public leaders and providing opportunities for them to see first-hand the benefits of public service, UWiL provides models and pathways into leadership for young people—all while helping to address the gender gap in politics and creating a pipeline from public education into public service.

Throughout the spring semester, UWiL fellows will receive individual mentoring from professionals in the public sector, participate in a series of workshops and seminars around leadership development, and receive targeted professional support including resume reviews, mock interview practice, free business cards, and AAUW salary negotiation training. After completing the program, fellows are eligible for scholarships to support unpaid or low paying internships in the public sector.

Currently in its fifth year, UWiL is supported largely by alumni donations. It was the recipient of a 2016 Zuckerberg Prize from the UMass President’s Office and has received two grants from Women for UMass. Graduates from the UWiL program have gone on to a variety of positions with local and state governments, non-profits and NGOs and have entered a range of graduate programs. For more information about UWiL, visit www.umass.edu/uwil.

2019 UMass Women into Leadership Fellows:

  • Victoria Abramchuk, economics, legal studies
  • Megan Alberto, political science, Portuguese
  • Mabrouka Boukraa, history
  • Edna DaCruz, sociology
  • Kekely Dansouh, political science
  • Elizabeth Donoghue, political science, journalism and women, gender and sexuality studies
  • Victoria Duran, political science, history
  • Rachel Ellis, political science
  • Emily Ishak, biochemistry and molecular biology, comparative literature
  • Sifa Kasongo, political science, journalism
  • Carys Lamberg, political science, BDIC
  • Reilly Lee, political science, economics
  • Sarah Lee, political science
  • Alexandra McCandless, political science
  • Shannon McCann, political science, pre-medical
  • Faith McGuire, psychology, pre-medical
  • Esther Oh, biochemistry and molecular biology, pre-medical
  • Rebecca Piscia, public health sciences
  • Prashasti Rayamajhi, chemical engineering
  • Fraha Sabir, political science
  • Shannon Silva, biology
  • Deepika Singh, political science
  • Horizon Starwood, anthropology
  • Kristal Yee, political science, legal studies
  • Talisha Yunen-Arias, legal studies