Weinberg seniors win fellowship to work in Illinois governor's office
The Office of Fellowships is proud to announce that Sarah Richman (WCAS ’22) and Nuo (Anor) Chen (WCAS ’22) have been chosen for the 2022–2023 cohort of the James Dunn Fellowship! Next year, Sarah and Nuo will work in a department of the Illinois governor’s office.
Sarah is a graduating senior from South Salem, New York, majoring in political science, with a minor in Middle East and North African studies. On campus, she works as a Farrell Fellow in the political science department, assisting Dr. Wendy Pearlman’s research on Syrian identity. Sarah is also the president of Significant Others A Cappella, and she previously served as outreach director for the Jewish Theatre Ensemble. Outside of Northwestern, Sarah has worked for Illinois State Senator Robert Peters, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs.
Sarah is passionate about politics, gender issues, and pursuing racial and economic equality. She is so excited to support the work of the lieutenant governor and help develop policy recommendations for Illinois in the upcoming year!
Nuo is a graduating senior double majoring in psychology and political science, with a minor in philosophy. Born in China, Nuo immigrated with his family to Chicago when he was nine and has lived here ever since. As a first-generation, low-income immigrant, Nuo’s personal experiences have led him to pursue a wide array of leadership positions and opportunities to help empower the voices of marginalized communities, both on campus and beyond. On campus, he has worked as the co-president of QUEST+, advocating for the needs of fellow FGLI students on such issues as COVID-19 emergency relief packages and the expansion of Books4Cats to provide free textbooks. His experiences as an immigrant have also inspired him to learn how legal representation can be used to protect the rights and needs of disadvantaged communities and constituents, and he has already helped achieve these goals through work at various pro bono law firms in Chicago.
Nuo is excited to bring his passion for social reform as well as his experiences in legal advocacy to local government, where he will work with attorneys and policymakers to respond to the legal inequalities and challenges that communities across Illinois face.
The James Dunn Fellowship provides bright, highly motivated college graduates a unique opportunity to experience firsthand the operations of state government for one year. Fellows are recruited from public and private colleges and universities throughout the nation.
Sarah and Nuo join several recent Wildcat graduates as Dunn Fellows. Beverly “Bevy” Daniel (SESP ’20) received the award in 2020. The prior year, fellow SESP graduate Michael Deneroff won the fellowship. And in 2018, Weinberg alum Mackenzie Eisen was named a fellow.
Contact Jason Kelly Roberts at jason-roberts@northwestern.edu to learn more about the James Dunn Fellowship.