NLC Menino Fellowship Alums

2023–2024 NLC Menino Fellow: Tammy Dong

Tammy Dong, a senior studying International Relations with a focus on foreign policy and security studies in Africa and the Middle East, is our current Menino Fellow. Tammy’s directed study in the fall semester focuses on the history and effectiveness of New York City public housing policy, with a particular emphasis on the planned demolition and high-rise replacement of the Fulton and Elliott-Chelsea Houses apartment complexes in Manhattan. During the spring semester, Tammy will study in Washington, DC while interning with the National League of Cities. 

2022–2023 NLC Menino Fellow: An Pham

An’s directed study focused on the history of Boston housing policy. He is investigating the social patterns and policy choices that defined major eras of Boston’s development, from the post-war period, through urban renewal, and into ongoing suburbanization and gentrification. During the spring semester, An worked with many teams at the National League of Cities in Washington, DC, including the Early Childhood Success team, the Health and Wellness team, and the Economic Opportunity and Financial Empowerment team. Read more about An’s experience as a Fellow. 

2021–2022 NLC Menino Fellow: Gloria Ampadu-Darko

During the fall 2021 semester, Gloria’s directed study centered around a contemporary comparison of the levels of socioeconomic inclusivity in Seaport, Boston and Midtown, Atlanta in regards to housing affordability and housing developments. During the spring 2022 semester, Gloria’s work at the NLC Institute for Youth, Education, and Families included work on a grant program that awarded small southern communities with micro-grants for positive change, as well as a research on how different organizations and entities implemented systems change frameworks. Read more about Gloria’s experience as a Fellow. 

2020–2021 NLC Menino Fellow: Daniel Daponte

During the fall 2020 semester, Daniel had the chance to work with IOC Director Graham Wilson on a directed study focused on restorative justice. Daniel compared two community courts, the Red Hook Community Justice Center in New York City and the North Lawndale Restorative Justice Community Court in Chicago, examining their approaches to criminal justice. Daniel said that he initially went into the project looking to compare their methods. However, he ended up comparing their outcomes because of key differences. Read more about Daniel’s experience as a Fellow.

2019–2020 NLC Menino Fellow

For her Fall 2019 directed study, Elizabeth looked at Boston Centers for Youth and Families to see if equity exists between each location for their programs, pricing, funding, and facilities. Using Boston as a case study, her goal was to evaluate if programs, such as these centers, help or harm the equity of communities and cities at large. Elizabeth was a Political Science major who hopes to work in public policy and urban governance. Read more about Elizabeth’s experience as a Fellow.

2018–2019 NLC Menino Fellow

For his Fall 2018 directed study, Adam conducted an economic historical analysis of an emerging public finance mechanism called the social impact bond to evaluate if and how social impact bonds present new alternatives to existing solutions for urban financial challenges. Adam graduated with a Dual Degree in Economics and English in 2019. Read more about Adam’s experience as a Fellow.

2017–2018 NLC Menino Fellow

Augustine focused his directed study on researching affordable housing policies aimed at homeless youth, particularly immigrant youth from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Augustine was a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations. Read more about Augustine’s experience as a Fellow.

2016–2017 NLC Menino Fellow

Alessia’s directed study and internship focused on access and quality of urban early childhood education and family economic success. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations from the College of Communication and a minor in Political Science in 2018. Alessia has most recently worked for The Children’s Defense Fund and the Irish International Immigrant Center.

2015–2016 NLC Menino Fellow

Sana was the IOC’s inaugural NLC Menino Fellow. She focused her on-campus directed study on gender in the juvenile justice system and continued her research with the NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families in Washington, D.C. Sana graduated with a degree in international relations in Spring 2017. She graduated in 2019 with a Master of Science in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies at the London School of Economics.