Summer Fellowship

Maylin Lainez is a recent graduate from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN where she majored in Health Equity on the Pre-Medical track. She is a proud Honduran raised in Houston, TX. Maylin’s career interests overlap in public health and medicine. Maylin’s senior thesis was highlighted in the annual Research Symposium at Rhodes College with the title, The Undocumented Narrative: Health Experiences of Undocumented Immigrants in Memphis, TN and Houston, TX. She is a strong and passionate advocate for the Latino and undocumented communities.

Chand is a social researcher and development sector professional with experience working as a Guest Faculty at a state government university in New Delhi, India, in the area of life skills. They have also been part of queer, trans, and anti-caste advocacy efforts over the years. They graduated with an MA in Development Studies and an MPhil in Women's Studies. Their MPhil dissertation sought to bring together anti-caste worldviews and trans liberation by outlining a theory of transgender justice based on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s idea of ‘Prabuddha Bharat’.

Ali Allam is a second-year student at the University of Michigan studying Political Science and Information Analysis. His experience in organizing started in high school, where he helped organize the effort to pressure BHSD to recognize Eid as a holiday. He is passionate about healthcare policy and has conducted research on Islamic Thought. He was recently elected Vice-President of the University of Michigan's LSA Student Government. During the summer, Ali will be working on the Austerity and Public Health project.

Aliyah Armstrong, a low-income individual herself, born and raised in the heart of the Bay Area, Richmond, California. Aliyah is a UC Davis Graduate who majored in Pre-Law with an emphasis in Philosophy and Sociology. Her ultimate goal to become a Criminal Defense Attorney has been put on pause to do communal work and research on bridging and belonging in low-income areas. Her passion for inclusivity, fairness, communication, and understanding pushes her to want to do the work for the change she wants to see.

Anja Jolin (she/her) is an Economics and Environmental Studies major at Swarthmore College focusing on the intersection between environmental justice and economic policy. She has a passion for quantitative research and analysis related to environmental and housing equity. Her previous applied research experience includes projects on the criminalization of homelessness and the impacts of redistricting on Native American communities. During the summer, Anja will be working on the Transportation Opportunity project.
 

Precious P. Fasakin is a Ph.D. student at the University of California, San Diego. Her current research interests lie at the intersection of political economy, spatial economics, applied game theory and the socioeconomic consequences of climate-induced migration and displacement. Precious is committed to developing economic and political applications that address issues concerning human rights, global disarmament, border studies and global indigeneity through her scholarship. During the summer, Precious will be working on the Climate Crisis, Displacement, and the Right to Stay project.

Hartwell (they/them) is a Sociology major at Occidental College, graduating in Spring of 2024. For their senior comprehensive thesis, Hartwell conducted research on genderqueer stigma management. Currently, they are collecting qualitative data in Amsterdam, Netherlands and Los Angeles, California for a transnational study on sense of belonging in queer spaces. During the summer, Hartwell will be working on the Gender & Authoritarianism project.
 

Lisa (she/her) is an undergraduate student at the University of Irvine, majoring in Social Policy and Public Service and African American Studies. Before transferring, she studied at the College of San Mateo, an experience that shaped her deeply humanistic and community-driven approach to advocacy. Her strong student activism background informs her academic research interests in Black feminists' role within social movements and anti-colonial resistance.

Dillon Muhly-Alexander is a doctoral student in the Educational Policy and Planning department at the University of Texas at Austin. Dillon attended West Virginia University for his undergraduate and received an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge. As a native West Virginian, he is particularly interested in the relationship between socioeconomic status and issues of equity, particularly within Appalachia and other developing economies.

Van Tran, originally from Vietnam, is a recent graduate from Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee, where she majored in International Studies with a concentration on the Asia-Pacific region and immigration. Her senior thesis, which studies the effect of political regimes on perceived discrimination among immigrants, received Rhodes College's John Franklin Copper Award for Excellence. Van's academic and professional careers combine her interests in law, international relations, and technology.