Environmental activist wins public policy fellowship based in Washington, DC
The Office of Fellowships is thrilled to announce that Bibiana Belknap Fernandez (WCAS ’22) has been chosen as the CHCI-Coca Cola Foundation Public Policy Fellow in the 2022–2023 cohort of Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellows! For the next year, Bibi will work for the caucus in Washington, DC.
Bibi graduated from Northwestern with a BA in biological sciences and a concentration in ecology, evolution, and conservation; she also completed minors in legal studies and environmental policy and culture, driven by her interest in environmental activism and public policy.
During her time at Northwestern, Bibi founded and served as president for Philanthropy Choir, a vocal performance ensemble dedicated to spreading joy throughout the Chicagoland area and fundraising for local charities. In May 2022, Philanthropy Choir hosted a spring benefit concert featuring guest performances from Evanston Township High School Choirs and the a capella group Tempo Tantrum, working together to raise hundreds of dollars for Evanston Pride Inc., a nonprofit group dedicated to uplifting the Evanston LGBTQIA+ community.
Bibi also spent two years working as a resident assistant at Northwestern, acting as a liaison between students and administrators and creating programming to promote the well-being of resident students during the pandemic. Outside of Northwestern, Bibi spent a summer as an intern for the Chicago Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Chicago Bar Association, where she directly connected individuals to accessible and affordable legal services, completed research on student loan debt solutions, and helped to organize an awards ceremony for pro bono and public service attorneys in the Chicagoland area.
As a fellow with CHCI, Bibi will spend nine months working on Capitol Hill with legislators and staff, learning about the policy-making process and further developing leadership skills. Bibi is thrilled to have this opportunity to immerse herself in public policy at the federal level as part of a cohort of Hispanic and Latino peers. She expects to build on this fellowship experience by attending law school and serving as a professional advocate for environmental protection.
The CHCI Public Policy Fellowship Program offers talented Latinos a paid nine-month fellowship to accelerate their careers as public policy leaders. Participants will be placed in a congressional office on Capitol Hill for the first half of their fellowship and will have the opportunity to pursue a different placement during the second half that best matches their policy interest. The range of placements include congressional offices, committees, federal agencies, the White House, national nonprofit advocacy organizations, and government-related institutions.
Bibi is Northwestern’s first-ever recipient of the CHCI-Coca Cola Foundation Public Policy Fellowship.
Contact Jason Kelly Roberts at jason-roberts@northwestern.edu to learn more about the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Public Policy Fellowship.