2015-2016 Fellows

Patrick Ambrosio is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in physics, with a minor in Spanish. His experience in politics includes volunteering on environmental campaigns with NJPIRG and Central Hudson Gas and Electric, and eavesdropping on conversations while working in the kitchen at the Eagleton Institute of Politics. He loves the outdoors and has worked as a whitewater raft guide in Maine for the past two summers. When not studying or working in New Brunswick, he enjoys biking, running, swimming, and bothering people with physics facts.

Yosef (Joey) Baruh is a School of Arts and Sciences Honor Student, majoring in Economics and minoring in Computer Science. He has received the School of Arts and Sciences Academic Excellence Award and looks forward to participating in the 2015-2016 Aresty Assistant Research Program. Joey enjoys studying the Talmud and actively participates in his synagogue. For the summer of 2015 he is an intern at the Union County Prosecutor's Office in the Civil Forfeiture division. On the side, he fights a losing battle against the weeds in his front yard.

Laura Friedman is a junior in the SAS Honors Program studying political science and art history. During her sophomore year she was an Aresty Research Assistant at the Rutgers Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, where she studied race-of-interviewer effects with Dr. David Redlawsk. This year she will be serving as a Peer Instructor at the Aresty Research Center. Laura is also secretary of the Rutgers Art History Student Association and is on the Zimmerli Art Museum's Student Advisory Board. Last summer she interned in the Estates, Appraisals & Valuations department at Christie's Auction House in New York. Laura loves spending time with her family, traveling, and going to museums.

Sean Giblin is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program, double majoring in Political Science and Economics and minoring in Computer Science. He is the Vice President of the Rutgers Democrats, Political Director of the College Democrats of New Jersey, Vice President of Leadership Development for Rutgers Interfraternity Council, a brother of Sigma Pi, and a Camp UKnight Leader. He also interns at the Office of Congressman Frank Pallone. In his spare time, Sean likes to keep up to date with politics and listen to hip-hop, all while trying to get his rap career off the ground.

Antoinette Gingerelli is a member of the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program and a proud member of Douglass Residential College. She is pursuing majors in Political Science, Women's and Gender Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies with a minor in International and Global Studies. On campus, Antoinette serves as President of Douglass Friends of UNFPA where she found a passion for global health. She is also President of the Rutgers Women's Political Caucus, working to encourage women to run for public office and become actors in the political sphere. Further exploring her interest in civic engagement, Antoinette is the Student Coordinator for RU Voting and National Campaign Ambassador for the Harvard Political Institute this year. As an Aresty Research Assistant this past year, Antoinette worked with Professor Cynthia Daniels of the Political Science Department on her project, "Informed or Misinformed Consent? Abortion Policies and their Integrity in the United States"; she is now a Peer Instructor for the Aresty program. Off campus, she serves as the American Association of University Women (AAUW) Youth Representative to the United Nations, a County Committeewoman in her hometown and Ms. EduCare 2015 for EduCare Foundation Inc. In addition, Antoinette is a Harvard Public Policy and Leadership Fellow, Young People for (YP4) and Institute for Women's Leadership Scholar. In the future, Antoinette plans to pursue a career in social policy reform focusing on health and education. She hopes to empower women and ensure they are represented in decision-making regarding public policy.

Evan Gottesman is a History major minoring in Political Science and International and Global Studies. He is currently president of the Rutgers University Association of International Relations. Passionate about global affairs, Evan is especially interested in the Caucasus and Central Asia regions and the foreign policies of Russia, the United States, and Israel. He has been published by The National Interest, World Policy Journal, and ETH Zürich's Center for Security Studies. A dedicated Model UNer, Evan has attended 18 MUN conferences and led the Rutgers team during the 2014-2015 academic year. He worked at the real United Nations last fall and found it nothing like the model. Evan serves on Rutgers Hillel's executive board and is active in the Demarest Hall special interest community, where he participated in Hall Government. Evan fills his free time reading, playing board games (Settlers of Catan is a favorite), visting museums, and taking trips into New York City. He is guilty of engaging in political debates on the internet.

Aaron Jaslove is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program who has received the SAS Academic Excellence award while majoring in Philosophy and Economics with minors in Political Science and Jewish Studies. In the past, he has been a Residence Hall Association Representative and done research on the Millenial Generation through the Eagleton Institute of Politics. Currently, his involvement on campus includes being a Peer Instructor with the Aresty Research Assistant program, planning concerts with the Rutgers University Programming Association and being a member of the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity. One day he hopes to go to law school but, in the mean-time, his efforts are directed at making political change, becoming a famous musician and discovering the meaning of life.

Lin Lan is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in economics and minoring in philosophy. She previously interned at the New York County District Attorney's Office and has also been a correspondent and opinions columnist at The Daily Targum. She is a recipient of the Rutgers SAS Excellence Award in 2015 and the Global Reach Scholarship in 2015 for study abroad students. She studied abroad in the spring semester of 2015 at the University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Business and Economics. Additionally, she has competed on the Rutgers University Debate Union, winning two first-place tournament awards. Lin enjoys reading about the financial crisis, debating and watching legal dramas.

Daisy Lee is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in Philosophy and minoring in French. She is a recipient of the SAS Academic Excellence Award. With the support of the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship of the U.S. Department of State and the Benjamin Franklin Travel Grant of the Embassy of France in Washington D.C., she will be studying abroad in Paris the summer of 2015. She has also been selected as a research assistant for an Aresty research project led by Professor Nicholas Rennie that will begin in the fall of 2015. With her love of philosophy, Daisy enjoys being an editor of the Rutgers philosophy undergraduate journal Arête. She also spends her time volunteering at Eastern Service Workers Association (ESWA) as a graphic design artist and canvassing member. In her free time, Daisy enjoys reading and perfecting her macaron-baking technique.

Lauren McGowan is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in Political Science and Spanish with a minor in English. Lauren is the President of Student Peacemakers, a student-run, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting a culture of peace and inclusivity. In addition, she serves as the Director of Communications for the Association of International Relations, is a member of the Rutgers Model United Nations team and is the Vice President of External Relations for the RUAA Scarlet Council. This is also Lauren's second year as a Resident Assistant (RA). Lauren enjoys reading, hiking, and traveling. She is an avid soccer player and can often be found either on the field or watching Manchester United.

Chelsie Riche is a Douglass Woman and student in the School of Arts and Sciences double majoring in Africana Studies and History and minoring in Women's and Gender Studies. A Haitian immigrant, she is fluent in English, French, and Creole. During the 2014-2015 academic year, Chelsie served as a Teacher's Assistant for the Black Experience in America course assisting the Chair of the Africana Studies Department, Dr. Edward Ramsamy. In summer 2015, she will serve as a Resident Mentor for the SAS EOF summer program. For the 2015-2016 school year, she will serve as a History and Africana Studies tutor for the Rutgers Athletic Department. Chelsie has served as a Peer Mentor for the Paul Robeson Living and Learning Community and currently serves as Secretary and Treasurer for the Galvanizing and Organizing Youth Activism (GOYA) Project; an organization with aims of improving childhood literacy by providing school supplies and creating libraries for schools in places such as Jamaica, Haiti, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. Chelsie recently helped the United States Student Association (USSA) organize and plan their first "Student of Color Conference," where she led caucuses centered around women, gender, and race as well as the Caribbean immigrant experience. In spring 2016, Chelsie hopes to partake in a service and learning community program in South Africa. Above all, Chelsie wishes to ameliorate issues of race, class, and gender, one activist project at a time.

Juan Sacasa is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences. He is a recipient of the RUP Excellence Award and was Dean's List his freshman and sophomore years. He is pursuing a degree in History and is hoping to gain entrance into the Rutgers Graduate School of Education. He is an active member of his township and Rutgers communities. Juan intends to teach special education at the elementary school level. He currently provides religious instruction as a catechist for St. Ambrose Parish in Old Bridge, New Jersey and is the director of a Catholic youth group. The youth group is involved in frequent volunteering activities. Juan's essay for Research and Disciplines was chosen for the Rutgers annual Undergraduate Writer's Conference as well as selected for publication for Dialogues @RU. He served on two volunteer service trips for the Rutgers Catholic Student Association to Tampa, Florida where his group helped to renovate a church and distribute food and clothing to the poor. He also writes for St. Ambrose Church which is inserted in the weekly church bulletin. Juan is employed at the YMCA of Western Monmouth County as a membership associate and as a camp counselor during the summer.

Priscilla Savage is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences majoring in Political Science and Public Policy. She is a former government affairs intern for the City of Jersey City. More recently, she interned at Greener by Design, a leading environmental consulting firm, where she developed a professional focus on energy policy and worked with Senator Lesniak to fight environmental injustices. This past summer, Priscilla worked at Princeton Public Affairs Group alongside the top lobbyists in New Jersey. She is an Aresty Research Assistant for Professor Ruth Mandel, helping build a database that documents the advancement of women through Hillary Clinton as a candidate in the 2016 presidenetial campaign. Priscilla is the recipient of the School of Arts and Sciences Academic Excellence Award. She is thrilled to be a part of the Lloyd C. Gardner Fellowship in Leadership and Social Policy.

Maegan Kae Sunaz is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences Honors Program and Douglass Residential College majoring in Political Science and Women's and Gender Studies. She spends the bulk of her time poring over articles as the associate copy editor of The Daily Targum. She is a scholar in both the Institute for Women's Leadership: Leadership Certificate Program and the McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. Mae is the recipient of the SAS Excellence Award and the Rutgers 2015 Academic Excellence Award. Last summer, she had the chance to participate in the women's rights and community development service learning program in Ghana to intern for Point Hope, a nongovernmental organization at the Buduburam Liberian refugee camp. This summer she will be working on a research project with Professor Mary Hawkesworth and for the next academic year she will be working with Professor Mona Lena Krook to study gender quotas and women's political representation. In her free time she loves going to concerts and plays, eating ice cream, and most of all, reading good books.

Sonni Waknin is a student in the School of Arts and Sciences double majoring in History and Political Science. Sonni currently interns with the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling, a non-partisan poll targeting public interest in New Jersey. Previously, she was an outreach and organizing intern for the Monmouth County Democratic Party. Sonni was recently an Op-Ed columnist for The Daily Targum where she wrote her bi-weekly column "The Logical Liberal" about U.S. politics. In addition, Sonni has recently been awarded the SAS Academic Excellence Award. Outside of her academics, Sonni is the treasurer and a beater for the Rutgers University Quidditch team, as well as an avid foodie. She plans on pursuing a career in politics and law, and to attend law school after graduation. In the summer of 2015, she will be interning at EMILY's List in Washington D.C.

Hina Walajahi is double majoring in Public Health and Middle Eastern Studies, and is a proud student of the SAS Honors Program, where she is an Honors Ambassador and blog writer. She is an active member of the Rutgers United Nations club, where she and other socially conscious members strive to inform the Rutgers community of various global issues. Hina recently embarked on a trip to San Francisco with Rutgers Alternative Breaks to volunteer for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the Larkin Street Organization for Homeless Youth. In the summer of 2015 she will be an intern at Mission House Clinic, a non-profit organization that provides immediate medical care to patients who are homeless and/or uninsured. She constantly strives to take a comprehensive approach to medicine, and hopes to obtain a dual MD/MBA degree in the future where she can venture into the world of health administration and policymaking. In her free time, Hina enjoys reading, running, and climbing at the wonderful Rock Wall on College Ave.

Maggie Woodruff is a student in the school of Arts and Sciences Honors Program majoring in Cultural Anthropology. She is also pursuing minors in Criminology and Environmental Studies, and a certificate in Digital Filmmaking. Maggie is a recipient of the SAS Academic Excellence Award, and has made the Dean's List for the past four semesters. At Rutgers, Maggie is a member of the Verbal Mayhem Poetry Collective, as well as the Artists' Collective, for which she hosts the monthly coffeehouses. She has also gotten involved in the Students for Environmental Awareness club and the Apiculture club. This past year, Maggie was proud to be the Peer Academic Leader for the Honors residence hall for the Douglass Residential College. An avid ultimate frisbee player, Maggie will be a captain of the women's club team at Rutgers this year. She is also excited to be taking on the new leadership position of Resident Assistant on College Ave. during the '15-'16 academic school year. Maggie loves traveling, and was grateful to be able to travel with the Honors Program to the Yucatan Peninsula this past spring to learn about Mayan and Mexican history. During the summer, Maggie interned with Wac Arts in London, a program dedicated to empowering young people through art. She also worked on an archeological dig in Vacone, Italy, where she started learning Italian in addition to her Spanish studies. Over past summers, Maggie has interned with Leonard Lopate at WNYC (NPR). In the future, Maggie envisions creating powerful narratives that open our eyes and ears so as to increase understanding, grow empathy, and make room for social change.