Lateefah Simon Social Justice Leadership Fellowship

Lateefah Simon

 

 

 

Lateefah Simon has spent her career fighting for justice — fighting for folks without a voice. Lateefah began her career in advocacy at age 16 as an outreach coordinator for the Young Women’s Freedom Center. At age 18, she gave birth to her eldest daughter, Aminah, and quickly learned as a young single mother that the government wasn’t working for people like her. A year later, she became Executive Director of YWFC and spent the next decade earning national acclaim for her advocacy on behalf of marginalized young women. In recognition of that work Lateefah won a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, and at age 26 she became the youngest woman to receive this prestigious award. 

She was tapped by then-San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris to lead the creation of Back on Track — a highly effective, first-of-its-kind anti-recidivism initiative for young adults charged with low-level offenses. In 2016, galvanized by the death of Oscar Grant, Lateefah ran and was elected to the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board of Directors. Born legally blind, Lateefah relies solely on public transportation to go about her day and sought to make BART more affordable for working families and transit-dependent people like herself. 

Lateefah continues to be a leading voice in Oakland and the Bay Area serving a multitude of local organizations and frequently offering state officials strategic advice on policy matters related to racial justice.

OVERVIEW   

The Lateefah Simon Social Justice Leadership Fellowship awards a full-tuition scholarship for full-time study for Executive Master of Public Administration candidates or a partial-tuition scholarship for Master of Public Administration candidates, living stipend and summer internship stipend. The Fellowship is open to students admitted for full-time study in the Master of Public Administration or Executive Master of Public Administration. In addition to financial support, Lateefah Simon Fellows receive an NYU faculty mentor.  

FELLOWSHIP CRITERIA 

  • Demonstrated commitment to social change and social justice
  • Leadership experience, potential, and aspiration
  • Ability to collaborate with range of actors and stakeholders
  • Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and belonging
  • Strong academic record
  • Thoughtful and articulate communicator, both written and verbal
  • Experience in at least one policy area

Students enrolled in dual degree programs with other NYU schools are not eligible for NYU Wagner Fellowship programs.

HOW TO APPLY

  • Submit your admissions application to NYU Wagner.
  • Recipients will be chosen based on meeting the Fellowship criteria outlined above.
  • Selected fellowship semi-finalists will be invited to submit a brief personal profile.
  • Those selected as fellowship finalists will be invited for a virtual interview.