Introduction:More than ever, Dwight Hall at Yale is creating pathways…
Our Mission:
Initiated in 1994, Dwight Hall Urban Fellows is an academic-year program whereby Yale University undergraduates gain exposure to today’s urban challenges and work with community professionals to find real solutions. Placements seek to uncover and counter urban challenges through neighborhood empowerment, community-building, and economic development.
Our Activities:
Academic Year Fellowships Direct Service Urban Fellows dedicate 6-8 hours per week working in either a community organization or government agency, where they receive professional mentorship and develop a personalized project. In addition to community work, Urban Fellows garner their collective experience through a series of community-building activities, such as dinners, speaker series, and planned reflections.
Applicant Information
Dwight Hall Urban Fellows 2025-2026 cohort applications are now open! If you are interested in becoming an Urban Fellow starting in Fall 2025, apply by March 30th, 2025 at 11:59 PM ET with the following link:
https://yalesurvey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_26uzzPPg8HL1OOa
The application asks that you answer the following questions:
- What has been your involvement in New Haven? OR describe your relationships with New Haven community members who are not Yale affiliates. (1500 characters max)
- Why do you want to be an Urban Fellow? (1500 characters max)
- In addition to the time they spend at their placement sites, Urban Fellows meet on a monthly basis. What is the value you see in an Urban Fellows community? (1500 characters max)
- A few additional questions regarding whether you would like assistance securing a placement site or you already have a host organization in mind
If you have any questions about the application or program, please reach out to our email:
2024 – 2025 Cohort
August Rios – Coordinator
Placement Site: Neighborhood Housing Services
August Rios (he/him) is a junior majoring in Urban Sociology. Originally from Bluffton, South Carolina, he is passionate about addressing the affordable housing crisis. As an Urban Fellow, August works in the Community Building and Organizing Department at Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) and is also a licensed real estate agent in the NHS Homeownership Center. On campus, August works at the Yale Housing and Health Equity Lab and leads the Yale Student Association for Small Claims Assistance (Y-SASCA). In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, reading, and catching up with his five siblings.
Zaharaa Altwaij – Coordinator
Placement Site: Elena’s Light
Zaharaa (she/her) is a senior majoring in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health and comes from Dearborn Heights, MI. She is passionate about public health and accessibility for all. As an Urban Fellow, she works as the Health and Wellness Coordinator at Elena’s Light, a local organization focused on serving and empowering refugees. Zaharaa also currently serves as one of the co-coordinators of the Urban Fellows program, helping to make sure the program runs smoothly and planning fun events for the cohort. Outside Urban Fellows, she enjoys the outdoors, fabric arts, hanging out with friends, and trying new foods!
Andre Botero
Placement Site: Dixwell Q House
Andre Botero (he/him) is a sophomore studying Neuroscience with a certificate in Education Studies and comes from Tampa, FL. As an Urban Fellow, he works at the Dixwell Community House (The Q House) as a Youth Council leader and Communications Intern. He is passionate about addressing mental health stigmas, especially among the youth, ensuring that mental health is treated with the same respect and urgency as physical health. On campus, he is involved in Sabrosura, Yale’s Latin Dance team, Club Tennis, and Yale’s Student Mental Health Association (YSMHA). In his free time, he enjoys playing the organ, sewing, and making pottery with friends.
Bridgitte Thao
Placement Site: City of New Haven Fair Rent Commission
Bridgitte Thao (she/her) is a sophomore from St. Paul, Minnesota, studying sociology. As an Urban Fellow, she works alongside the City of New Haven’s Fair Rent Commission as an intern, assisting with a wide range of projects, from organizing a statewide coalition to analyzing recent constituent data. Bridgitte is passionate about equitable economic policy and creating sustainable relationships between government and constituents. On campus, she is involved with the Southeast Asian Movement and the Yale Center for British Art. In her free time, she enjoys cozying up by a window with a good book and a cup of tea.
Carmen Lopez Villamil
Placement Site: Yale Prison Education Initiative
Carmen is a senior from Brooklyn. She studies self-governance and twentieth-century autonomies as a dual BA/MA student in History. She likes adapting to surprises and hates making decisions – so she studies and works towards sustaining participatory decision-making processes. She has worked on oral and archival research projects with movements in Latin America and has organized with students in New York City, Birmingham, and New Haven. She likes walking and reading, gathering discordant groups in funny ways, and asking questions. She is thrilled to be working with YPEI as a Dwight Hall Urban Fellow.
Eduardo Marin
Placement Site: New Haven City Plan
Eduardo Marin (he/him) is a 2025.5 studying Environmental Studies and Urban Studies and comes from Columbia, Maryland. As an Urban Fellow, he works at the New Haven City Plan Department as a GIS/General Intern. He is passionate about environmental justice and urban planning due to inequities he has seen and experienced in Maryland. On campus, he was involved with the Yale Student Environmental Coalition. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends, watching mixed martial arts, and grabbing a nice bite to eat at Olmo.
Elyse Thomas
Placement Site: The Children’s Building
Elyse (she/they) is a senior studying Comparative Literature and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration studies. As an Urban Fellow, they work at The Children’s Building as an intern. She is passionate about education, literacy, and the arts. On campus, they are involved in WORD: Performance Poetry at Yale and Despierta Boricua. In her free time, she enjoys reading tarot and taking vocal jazz lessons through the Yale Undergraduate Jazz Collective!
Han Pimentel-Hayes
Placement Site: Yale Prison Education Initiative
Han Pimentel-Hayes is a GED graduate & community college transfer from Kansas majoring in American Studies at Yale. As an Urban Fellow, Han works with the Yale Prison Education Initiative, helping to facilitate study halls, Works in Progress, and serving as transcription network co-coordinator. Han’s academic interests range from studying the domestic and international environmental impacts of U.S. militarism, to educational equity, poetry and public history. On campus, Han works as an Academic Strategies Mentor, Writing Partner,
and journalism mentor in New Haven public schools. She also works with the Harbor Fellows program and plays on the Yale Ultimate Frisbee team. In their free time, Han enjoys birdwatching, roller skating, weightlifting, and wrestling with her two rambunctious dogs, Clementine and Miso Soup.
Huda Siddiqui
Placement Site: Havenly Cafe
Huda Siddiqui, a senior from Addison, IL, is pursuing a degree in History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health with a certificate in Global Health Studies at Yale University. As an Urban Fellow, she serves as a program assistant at Havenly Café, contributing to community-focused initiatives. Passionate about immigrant health and education, Huda is actively involved in the Haven Free Clinic, the First-Gen Low-Income Community Initiative, and the Yale Women’s Center, where she fosters advocacy, inclusivity, and support. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring nature, and unwinding with her favorite sitcoms.
Ivy Tica
Placement Site: ConnCat
Ivy Tica (she/her) is a junior studying sociology with an Education Studies Intensive Certificate. She works as a Youth Program Intern teaching poetry at ConnCat, which aligns with her passion for equitable arts education as a vital means of youth expression and empowerment. On campus, she connects with prospective and admitted high school students for the Yale Undergraduate Admissions Office, reads poetry submissions for The Yale Review, and sings on the Yale Students for Christ’s worship team. You can find her hanging out with friends or writing while on a balcony overlooking New Haven at her favorite (secret) spot.
Lauren Okine
Placement Site: Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services
Lauren Okine (she/her) is a senior studying both Psychology and African Studies and grew up in South Dakota but now lives in Michigan. As an Urban Fellow, she works at Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS) as an intern in the Family Literacy Program. She Is passionate about migration work and community building. On campus, she works as a first-year counselor (FroCo) in Davenport, works as a research assistant in a developmental psychology research lab, sings in the Yale Gospel Choir, and serves as the lead coordinator for the Black Church at Yale. In her free time, she enjoys reading, journaling, and spending time with friends.
Monique Louis
Placement Site: EMERGE
Monique (she/her) is a senior studying History and receiving a certificate in Data Science. She grew up in a Colombian and Haitian household in Chicago, IL. As an Urban Fellow, she works at EMERGE, a non-profit providing education workshops, job training, and employment opportunities to previously incarcerated individuals as they regain footing in society. There, she works as a research assistant and general task manager. She is passionate about abolition, ridding of mass incarceration, criminal justice reform, and education reform. On campus, she is involved in Sabrosura: Yale’s Premier Latin Dance Team, where she choreographs and dances in each semester’s showcase. In her free time, she enjoys watching the NFL, NBA, and international soccer competitions.
Olivia Lombardo
Placement Site: Yale Prison Education Initiative
Olivia (she/her) is a senior studying Political Science as an intensive major and is originally from Staten Island, New York. As an Urban Fellow, she works at the Yale Prison Education Initiative (YPEI) on its reentry projects. She is passionate about access to legal representation and the effects of interactions with the criminal legal system. On campus, she also works for the Liman Center at Yale Law School. In her free time, she enjoys binging Survivor.
Sophia Liu
Placement Site: Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center
Sophia Liu [she/her] is a sophomore studying History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health and Neuroscience from Long Island, New York. As an Urban Fellow, she works at the Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center as a Behavioral Health Intern. She is interested in humanitarian ethics in the Global South, refugee and immigrant health, and social and environmental determinants of health. On campus, she is involved in The New Journal, Yale Visual Artists, and Camp Kesem. Sophia writes poetry, makes films, and eats a lot of chocolate.
Program Highlights
Fellows Spotlight
Dwight Hall Urban Fellow August Rios Invites His Fair Rent Commission Supervisors to the End-of-Semester All-Fellowships Dinner in December 2023
More Groups and Programs
Our Mission:
Initiated in 1994, Dwight Hall Urban Fellows is an academic-year program whereby Yale University undergraduates gain exposure to today's urban challenges and work with community professionals to find real solutions. Placements seek to uncover and counter urban challenges through neighborhood empowerment, community-building, and economic development.
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