Savera Baloch
Majors: Economics and Political Science
"I am so excited to be a Browne leadership Fellow this year. I have always had a personal connection to engaging and giving back to my community. I am excited for the opportunity to engage with the local pittsburgh community and using my last experiences to help pave the way for a successful time as a fellow. With a passion for social justice and future career aspirations to go into policy making or law, i am beyond excited for this opportunity."
Meriem Boukaabar
Major: Biological Sciences
Minor: Applied Statistics and Chemistry
"I am privileged and excited to join a group of various people sharing the collective pursuit of making tangible change through the Browne Fellowship. It is my understanding that things do not have to be the way they are; they can be better. It just takes people who believe that to come together to work towards bettering it for all. As a Browne Fellow, I look forward to gaining training, skills and education that will help me identify ways to use what I have learned for the advancement of social good. This will allow my work to truly reflect my personal values and contribute to positive change."
Samuel Cohan
Major: Neuroscience
Minors: Chemistry & Political Science
Certificate: Conceptual Foundations of Medicine
“I am honored to have been selected to serve as a Browne Leadership Fellow! As someone who was raised in a community where I didn’t experience socioeconomic challenges, I hope to work directly with community leaders to better understand and address these challenges across the greater Pittsburgh area. It is truly a privilege to be able to work with a Pittsburgh community outside of my own as a student, and I know that my time in the fellowship will help me develop valuable skills that will benefit me both personally and professionally.”
Gabrielle Howell
Major: Anthropology
"Having grown up in the Greater Pittsburgh Area, it is with immense gratitude that I look forward to being a Browne Leadership Fellow. I have always had a passion for the focus of restoration and contribution to marginalized communities. Having worked with immigrant and refugee children and other underprivileged youth, my eyes have been opened to all of the communities we have in Pittsburgh located within different neighborhoods. Through this fellowship, I am excited to be able to advocate for and serve these marginalized communities.
I appreciate the program’s emphasis on creating accountable human service programs specifically and want to learn more about how applying those services differs based on different aspects of communities including race, gender, class, etc. Pittsburgh has been my home for 20 years and I have had the privilege to be able to live, volunteer, and work in this city. Still, I have to learn much, and I am excited to do that through being a Browne Fellow."
Brandon Lee
Major: Statistics
Minor: Spanish
Certificate: Global Health.
"I am incredibly humbled and honored to be a Browne Fellow for 2024. I see this Fellowship as an opportunity to give back to the community that has been so helpful and welcoming to me over the years. I am intending to get a master's degree in public health in the future and work in that field, so I hope to gain some experience and knowledge applicable in it!"
Thaanvi Malgireddy
Majors: Neuroscience and International Studies
Minors: Chemistry and BioEngineering
Certificates: Global Health Humanities
“I am honored to have been selected as a 2024 Browne Leadership Fellow! As someone who was only very recently introduced to the Pittsburgh area, I have already gained a lifetime of experiences, relationships, and resources from this community. I look forward to fully immersing myself and being an active member to the community that has given me so much. I hope to work with other members of Pittsburgh to develop and catalyze the changes that we hope to see for our community. I hope I can help shape the community that has played a large role in shaping the last year of my life. I am thrilled to see what my peers and I will accomplish this summer both personally and professionally as Browne Fellows!”
Shanker Pillai
Majors: Computer Science, Computational Biology
"I'm honored to be a 2024 Browne Leadership Fellow. I'm from a Pittsburgh suburb and have always been drawn to the city, but never truly experienced it until coming to Pitt. Pittsburgh is a great city but has a lot of room to grow, and as a Browne Fellow I hope to contribute to making it an easier place to live and raise a family. I've always had a passion for service and am excited to bring it to the place I now call home."
Lucy Y. Wang
Intended Major: Data Science
"I am honored to be a part of a uniquely curious and collaborative community that fosters intellectual diversity, providing me with the opportunity to meet other, value-driven students of all backgrounds. I have always been passionate about making a positive impact in my community and I believe that ethical leadership is a powerful catalyst to driving positive change. Some areas of interest include harm reduction advocacy and stigma prevention.
As a fellow, I am looking forward to asking challenging questions and actively seeking answers with peers and mentors who share this same passion."