NYU Wagner Announces Five Fellowship Recipients

            NYU Wagner is delighted to announce that five highly accomplished incoming students have been selected as the recipients of our named Fellowships for the fall of 2014. Chosen by screening judges, the students are poised to begin their graduate work at Wagner this September, each having demonstrated academic success, innovation, and leadership in public service.

            The 2014 Fellows are:

            Lusungu Kayani Stearns and Zara Nasir – recipients of the David Bohnett Public Service Fellowship. The Bohnett Fellowship is "...a great opportunity for students to directly engage in the challenges of governing our vibrant and diverse city," in the words of David Bohnett, Chairman and Founder of the David Bohnett Foundation.

            For the past six years, Lusungu has worked in Nairobi for UN-Habitat, focusing on the impact of rapid urbanization on local, regional, and national governmental agencies in Africa. She holds an M.A. from the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University.

           Zara has worked with parents, students, and community members as a community organizer on education advocacy and immigration reform, training young organizers and leading outreach and canvassing efforts.  She is interested in social activism and organizing in communities of color. In 2010, she received her B.A. in History from the University of Michigan.

            Julliard Lin – recipient of the Henry Hart Rice Urban Studies Fellowship, awarded to outstanding students in the Master of Urban Planning program who demonstrate a commitment to bringing their scholarship and expertise to bear upon significant urban issues.

           With an academic background in cognitive linguistics and experience in the nonprofit and public sectors, Julliard is currently working to strengthen a series of dynamic urban development projects in New York City. She graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Linguistics from Northwestern University. 

             Pessy Katz and Michael Weston-Murphy – recipients of the Lisa Goldberg Fellowship. The Goldberg Fellowship was established for rising leaders in public service who seek careers in philanthropy or Jewish leadership.

             Pessy has interned in the offices of Senator Hillary Clinton and U.S. Rep. Jerrold  Nadler, taught Hebrew and poetry to grade-school children, developed advocacy projects for the Jewish Community Relations Council, and was a program coordinator  for the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance. She holds a B.A. in Political Science from Touro College.

             For the past three years, Michael has been an employee of the Archdiocese of New York, managing the campaign to support the restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. With a strong concurrent interest in global affairs, he has served as an issues intern for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy. At Boston College, where he received his B.A. in International Studies & Islamic Civilization and Societies, he was co-founder of  Al-Noor: The Boston College Undergraduate Journal of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies.

             Congratulations to all!