• Program
  Fellows
• Featured Fellows
• Meet the Fellows
• Fellow Blog

• Partner
  Organizations
• Featured Organization
• Current
• Past Organizations
• Apply
• FAQ

• Prospective
  Applicants
• Application Process
• Applicant FAQ

• Fellowship Alumni
• Featured Alumni
• Past Fellow Bios
• Alumni Blog
• Get Involved

• Northwestern
  Alumni
• Featured Alumni
• Get Involved

Fellowship... Experience... Change...

2008-2009 Fellows Bios

Megan Ballard (Tax Assistance Program)
Megan Ballard was born, raised and educated in Evanston, IL but her time at Northwestern was the greatest 4 years in the town by far - and she is finally moving all the way to Chicago!  At Northwestern Megan majored in Dance and Psychology with a minor in Spanish.  She devoted countless hours to dance productions but was also very involved with volunteer activities. She spent 4 vacations volunteering with Alternative Student Breaks, serving twice as a Site Leader. She had the opportunity to serve and see poverty's effects firsthand in communities in Ecuador, Florida, Oklahoma and West Virginia. She was also on the founding Leadership Council of Peer Health Exchange, and taught a workshop on  abusive relationships to hundreds of CPS freshmen.  This year she will be working at the Tax Assistance Program in downtown Chicago, recruiting and assisting volunteer professionals to help low-income residents access crucial tax refunds, and will be heading up the financial literacy component which educates students, parents and school counselors on financial aid and assists them with the FAFSA.  She is thrilled to be a part of NUPIP.

Molly Day (campusCATALYST):
Molly is thrilled to be a NUPIP Fellow for campusCATALYST, an organization that builds capacity of nonprofits, communities, and the next generation of cross-sectoral leaders by engaging college and business school students in high-impact, pro-bono consulting services in partnership with community-based organizations. Prior to her fellowship, Molly graduated from Northwestern University with a B.S. in Social Policy & International Studies and a minor in Spanish. During her undergraduate career, Molly explored diverse efforts and organizations to improve the social good, both in her own community and abroad. These activities included National Student Partnerships and Americans for Informed Democracy, as well as internships at the Office of Senator Barack Obama and the U.S. Department of State. As a culmination of her academic work, Molly traveled to rural Malawi during her senior year to research integrated microfinance/AIDS education programs. Going forward, Molly hopes to continue to blend the best of all worlds - public and private, local and global - in her professional career and personal life.

David Ellis (Interfaith Youth Core)
Dave Ellis graduated from WCAS in 08' with a degree in political science. During his undergraduate experience, he was actively involved in the Global Engagement Summit, Church of the Redeemer, and general Tom Foolery. He will be working at the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) as a PIP fellow, which is an organization that seeks to mobilize religiously diverse youth from around the world to work together toward social change and geopolitical stability. At IFYC, Dave will be working on the development team, which will involve securing IFYC's budget, managing donor relations, and positioning IFYC to be a sustainable organization. He plans on living in the Wicker Park/ Bucktown area and trying to blend in with hipsters and coffee aficionados.

Julia Fedor (Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health)
Julia graduated with a B.A. in Sociology and Urban Studies with Honors from Northwestern University. Her senior thesis, titled "The Emergency Contraceptive Pill: Knowledge and Attitudes in a University Population," measured the use of Plan B as an effective preventive sexual and reproductive health behavior. During college, she served on the Executive Board of College Feminists and performed with dance group TONIK Tap. Previously, she worked as a field organizer with Population Connection to promote voluntary family planning, progressive environmental policy, and population stabilization. She conducted legislative research on women and children's health policy while interning at the National Organization for Women and assisted with development and fundraising at Pediatric AIDS Chicago. Currently, as the Advocacy Coordinator at the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, she is doing legislative work at the local, state, and federal levels around sexual health care and contraceptive access, comprehensive sex education, and supportive programs for pregnant and parenting youth. In addition, she is working to expand the organization's Action Network and train youth activists on policy, advocacy, and lobbying.

Laura Howard (Free Spirit Media)
Laura Howard grew up in the very small town of Becker in Minnesota. At Northwestern University she studied Film and Political Science. Laura also recieved a Certificate in Service Learning from the School of Education and Social Policy.   The highlight of Laura's college career occured in her junior year, when she spent three months studying public health in South Africa.  She fell in love with the diverse people and  intricacies of the history and political system of this country and vows to return to Africa as soon as she can.  Laura's senior year was consumed by the creation of the senior thesis film. She wrote and directed a short film about the a young boy with austism.  Laura is now working for Free Spirit Media, a non-profit organization in Chicago.  Free Spirit Media provides education, access, and opportunity in media production to under-served urban youth. Through hands-on production oftheir own video programs, participants build skills in communication, critical and independent thinking, teamwork, and the use of technology. Laura has spent the summer working with youth at the Gary Comer Youth Center and can't wait to continue her work in the school year.  She is thrilled to be sharing her film expierence with urban youth in Chicago.

Melanie Kahl (Chicago Public Schools—Office of New Schools)
Melanie hails from the east side of Lake Michigan in the mitten state, but has enjoyed living and learning on the other side of the lake for the past four years. She graduated Northwestern University with a degree in Social Policy, minor in Business Institutions, and a certificate in the Undergraduate Leadership Program. She focused her academic studies on environmental/education policy issues and organizational change. In the summer of 2006, she studied comparative politics of democratic transitions in Prague, Czech Republic.  During her time at Northwestern, she worked to develop the Women in Leadership program building intergenerational dialogue and mentoring relationships amongst NU women. Outside of classes and work, she embraced her love of the outdoors and comedy as a backpacking counselor with Project Wildcat and a member  of Titanic Players improv troupe. During her social policy practicum, she worked  with the Sierra Club on car efficiency legislation and the Jane Goodall Institute's service learning program, Roots & Shoots. In the fall, she will be working with the Office of New Schools in the Chicago Public Schools in Planning and Development. During the NUPIP fellowship year, she will learn inside and out how a new school is opened and will support school leaders in this incubation process. She is excited to learn about the organizational underpinnings of school creation and innovation in education. 

Samantha Kirby (Interfaith Youth Core)
Samantha Kirby graduated from Northwestern University in 2008 with a degree in Religion and a minor in Psychology. She garnered substantive research experience at Northwestern through summer and study abroad research grants, and holds a strong commitment to social responsibility and building constructive interreligious relations. After studying in Morocco, she focused her senior honors thesis on applying Martin Buber's dialogical philosophy to the relations between diverse Moroccan religious communities. Samantha interned with the Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) during the summer of 2007, and looks forward to returning to IFYC for her fellowship year as a Public Affairs Research Associate. She anticipates a productive year of combining the grassroots work of IFYC with theory surrounding interfaith relations and pluralism, and is excited to be engaged with policy work as well as social media and international programming. A native of Mountain View, CA, Samantha spent her time at Northwestern working as a DJ for the radio station WNUR and volunteering as a counselor for Camp Kesem.

Sten Langsjoen (Metrosquash)
Sten Langsjoen graduated from Northwestern with a major in American History and a minor in Creative Writing. For the upcoming year, he will serve as METROsquash's Assistant Academic Director and High School Placement Coordinator. METROsquash is an innovative organization offering underserved students from Chicago Public Schools the opportunity to combine academics and athletics in an after-school program. Sten is excited for the chance to channel his love of the English language toward curricular development. Before moving to Chicago to attend Northwestern, Sten moved with his family from Texas, where he was born, to Japan and, finally, Minnesota where his family still resides. Outside of work, Sten engages in film fanaticism and plays ice hockey whenever he can.

Jillian Nameth (City of Waukegan)
Jillian Nameth graduated from Northwestern in 2008 with a degree in History and Global Health. During her junior year, she interned for the City of Evanston's Housing Planner and researched affordable housing and condominium development. That same year, she also studied abroad in South Africa, learning about Public Health with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS. Jillian is spending her fellowship year working at the City of Waukegan's Lakefront and Downtown Redevelopment Office. She will assist in implementing the Master Plan of Waukegan, specifically in open space implementation. Jillian is very excited about the opportunity to fulfill her interests in this fellowship, and she plans to continue her work in the planning field by applying for a Masters in Urban Planning in 2009.

Rachel Patten (Adler Planetarium)
Rachel Patten graduated with a Bachelors in Social Policy and a minor in Environmental Policy and Culture. She will spend the next year working as an Assistant Educator at the Adler Planetarium, where she will focus on science education implementation. While at Northwestern, Rachel served as the co-chair of the environmental club, SEED, for two years, working closely with University administration to improve campus sustainability. As co-chair of SEED, Rachel participated in several environmental education programs and is excited to continue learning about and practicing education at the Adler. Rachel is especially interested in environmental advocacy and human rights, and hopes to continue on to a career in the environmental field.

Ryan Pederson (Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement)
Ryan Pederson will work as Co-Director for the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) at Northwestern University (NU). Over the summer he is helping to coordinate the Engage Uganda study abroad program, which places 20 students with host organizations to complete a small development project in teams of five. When back in Evanston, he will help with the CGE's development of a Global Engagement Summer Institute, which will expand the Engage program to Uganda, India, Egypt, and Latin America. He will also help to advise the Global Engagement Summit, consult on student social entrepreneurship projects, and advocate for further institutional commitment to global engagement at NU. He is excited to set up experiences for other students that he found personally transforming.  Ryan grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and studied economics and international studies at NU.  On campus he was heavily involved in leadership in InterVarsity Christian Fellowship and the Global Engagement Summit. He spent his summers working on projects in China and Uganda and did research in Uganda on the life stories of community leaders.  Ryan loves to play tennis and basketball in his free time and, long term, hopes to integrate his passions for ministry and international development.

Ravi Randhava - (Northwestern University, Office of Student Community Service)
Originally from Evanston, Ravi is sticking around for one more year.  He's very excited to be serving as an AmeriCorps*VISTA at NU's Center for Student Involvement.  Ravi will be working with the staff to support, strengthen, and expand our community service programs.  Bringing together campus and community through volunteerism is another goal for this year.  At Northwestern, Ravi co-chaired Special Olympics and also had several opportunities to explore service-learning.  One of his favorite experiences was being a counselor for the Freshman Urban Program.  The program uses a service-learning model to explore issues such as housing, immigration, and power & politics.  Ravi also co-taught a Student Organized Seminar on ESL and Bilingual Education, and participants volunteered once a week at an elementary school.   Ravi was actively involved in his residential college, and was fortunate to have the opportunity to study abroad in Mexico City & Istanbul.  His degree is in International Studies & Spanish, and he hopes to teach high school at some point.  For now, when he's not at CSI, Ravi is happy seeing good movies and going kayaking when he can.

Carla Reyes (The Civic Federation)
Carla Reyes graduated from Northwestern in 2008 with a degree in Political Science and a minor in American history.  She attended Sciences Po in Paris, France fall quarter of her junior year where she studied the political and economic institutions of the European Union and in her free time explored her passions for fine art and electronic music.  While at Northwestern, Carla participated in Peer Health Exchange, a program that trains college students to teach health lessons in public schools and volunteered as a DJ on WNUR FM 89.3's Rock Show.  Carla's PIP placement has her working as a research analyst at the Civic Federation, a government research organization focusing on fiscal policy.  She enjoys working in the field of public finance and policy and hopes to work at the intersection of the public and private sectors. 

Brooke Thurman (Lawndale Christian Health Center)
Brooke graduated from Northwestern in 2008 with a degree in Anthropology. Her NUPIP placement is with the Lawndale Christian Health Center, an organization on the west side of Chicago that provides holistic health care without regard for a patient's ability to pay. At LCHC, Brooke will gain both clinical and administrative experience.  As a medical assistant, she will take patients' vital signs and perform basic laboratory services.  As an operations intern, she will work with the director of operations to run clinical quality and provider evaluation reports, and assist in evaluating and improving clinical efficiency. Brooke is excited about this opportunity to learn more about the medical field as well as community development as a whole.  Brooke plans to apply to medical school next year, and to complete a Masters in Public Health when she finishes the MD.  During college, Brooke wrote her senior thesis on health insurance policy in Illinois, exploring ways to extend coverage to all children.  She also spent a summer in China with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, studied abroad in Paris, and traveled to El Salvador on a service trip with Alternative Student Breaks.  She hopes to continue exploring different countries through her career in medicine.

Blake Walker (Chicago Public Schools - Summer Quest)
Blake majored in ethnomusicology and religion at Northwestern, and also received a minor in African studies.  He spent a semester in Senegal, where he recorded the traditional music of the griots and learned how to make people laugh by trying to dance.  Blake grew up in Spokane, which is the largest city between Seattle and Minneapolis, at least if you draw a straight line between those two cities and don't include Salt Lake City, Pheonix, Denver, or any of the other bigger cities lying further south.  Coming of age in such a massive cosmopolitan center gave Blake the crucial experience he needed to work for one of the largest urban school districts in the world, Chicago Public Schools.  At CPS, Blake will be working on a program called Summer Quest, which connects low-income high school students with high quality pre-college programs, sending students beyond their local neighborhoods and developing their intellectual, social, and leadership capacities.  Summer Quest also provides the financial resources, as well as academic and counseling support, for students to engage in learning opportunities that would otherwise be unaffordable or inaccessible.

Chris Warren (Cabrini Connections Tutor/Mentor Connection)
Chris graduated in 2007 with a B.A. in Cognitive Science and a specialization in cognitive neuroscience.  During his time at Northwestern his primary outlets for his passion for social justice were the Campus Greens and the NU Darfur Action Coalition.  Music also continues to play a large role in Chris’ life.  In college, he was a drummer in both the NU African Drum and Dance Ensemble and a rock band called The Monocles.  He will continue both these musical pursuits in the coming year as he seeks to start an African Drum and Dance Club for the youth of Cabrini Green while simultaneously recording and playing shows around Chicago with his new band, The Howling Poppies.  As a PIP fellow, his official position is Assistant Program Coordinator, but he will be a jack of all trades as he balances his duties between 2 affiliated NGOs, Cabrini Connections, which is a tutor/mentor program directly serving the kids in Cabrini Green and Tutor/Mentor Connection, which seeks to connect people in Chicago and around the world with information and networks that help support the growth of comprehensive, volunteer based tutor/mentor programs for at-risk youth.   

Chris Warren with Chicago Bears offensive
tackle Orlando Pace at Cabrini Connections.

Precious Wright (Evanston Community Development Corporation)

Precious Wright was born and raised on the West Side of Chicago. She credits her successes to placement with a foster family at the age of eleven. The strength and courage she gained from this loving family allowed her to overcome a troubled family history to become a successful and accomplished young woman. Graduating from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Psychology, she became the first person in her biological family to graduate from college. While in school, she was involved in several community volunteer activities, such as, Family Focus Tutoring and the HIV/AIDS Literacy Organization (HALO). Her volunteer efforts and involvement with the Chicago and Evanston communities have increased her interest in non-profit organizations that serve distressed populations. For her fellow year, she will be the Program Manager for Evanston Community Development Corporation (ECDC), a community development organization that is making positive changes on the West Side of Evanston through affordable housing efforts, workforce development, and business/economic development.  She is excited to get involved with the businesses on the West Side through the Business Mentorship Program, the Church/Dodge Business Association, and the West End Market. She intends to stay committed to community work and to possibly attend graduate school to earn her Masters degree in Social Work.

Search About Our Program News & Events