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High Road Fellows

Olivia Smith

"I am passionate about equality in the world, and have a specific interest in helping underserved groups of people. I chose to participate in this fellowship program because I want to make a difference in the world when I graduate, and this program helped show me what I can do in my community to make it a better place.”

Livvie Smith
Olivia Smith

Eliza Sherman

“Growing up in upstate New York, I have been exposed to the glaring disparities in our community. The High Road Fellowship provided me with the initial skills and knowledge necessary to make an impact in upstate New York and my community. Although I’m not sure what I want to pursue after graduation, I hope to bring what I learned this summer into future positions in the workplace and continue to stay engaged in whatever community I end up.”

Eliza Sherman
Eliza Sherman

Will Seip

“After taking a class focused on community-based research, I knew that I wanted an opportunity to experience it. Growing up ‘near’ Buffalo (and being a huge Bills fan!), I am extremely excited to continue to learn what makes Buffalo Buffalo and to be shaped by those experiences in my future career.”

Will Seip
Will Seip

Melissa Ruiz Hernandez

“Sustainability and justice are important to me and the High Road is exactly that. In addition, as someone from a community facing great inequality, I now have a greater understanding that nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations play a big role in the empowerment of those who are often left out of the conversation.”

Melissa Ruiz Hernandez
Melissa Ruiz Hernandez

Sofia Petrulla

“I decided to take the High Road because I wanted to gain exposure to research and learn about revitilization as it happens currently in Buffalo. I was able to become more familiar with the process of implementing programs and developing a network of resources for community members.”

Sofia Petrulla
Sofia Petrulla

Jack Millar

“I grew up in the Buffalo area and have a lot of pride and affection for the city. I feel strongly that an equitable economic development approach is the best method to stimulate growth as well as benefit the people in the city.”

Jack Millar
Jack Millar

Alice Kreher

“Being a High Road Fellow allowed me to work closely with an impactful community organization to translate my Policy Analysis and Management education into positive change for an area that is close to my heart.” 

Alice Kreher
Alice Kreher

Yana Kalmyka

“My fellowship at the Area Labor Federation informed my future career goals in labor organizing. I hope to make a difference in people’s lives through this work by helping communities build and exercise power over corporate actors that drive policies impacting working people and their many relevant identities, including class, race, gender, immigrant status, incarceration history, and more.”

Yana Kalmyka
Yana Kalmyka

Laura Holland

“I decided to take the High Road this summer because I wanted to work with marginalized communities and help find solutions to their issues. I have never done research, or this kind of work, before and I wanted to challenge myself because that’s how you grow. This fellowship helped me become a better citizen, person, and professional who can take these skills and help even more communities.” 

Laura Holland
Laura Holland

Cynder Haines

“This summer I was part of a movement to create affordable housing in the West Side of Buffalo. I am obviously a new and very small part of this movement, and thus I could not be what I ought to be in this movement without the past and present work of everyone else involved. The research I did will better inform PUSH’s efforts, so I’ll be helping everyone else do better work.” 

Cynder Haines
Cynder Haines

Sherell Farmer

“Growing up in Brooklyn, inequity is everywhere. I have long sought ways to end this divide and have learned a lot about economic justice through my education here at Cornell. My participation in the High Road has provide me a new, more sustainable method to work toward economic justice and hopefully given me the tools to apply those principles to my own neighborhood.”

Sherell Farmer
Sherell Farmer

Carson Crane

“I think nonprofit work can be some of the most worthwhile and engaging work. You often get the opportunity to see changes you strive for actualized. My motivation for participating was to engage with nonprofits in a professional manner to explore possibilities for future work. I have always enjoyed my work with community development, and I wanted to see what people who work in that do day-to-day.”

Carson Crane
Carson Crane

Shayla Combs

“As someone who is interested in starting my own nonprofit to service my community, the High Road Fellowship seemed perfect. I’m participating because I want to understand the true impact that universal public good practices can have on a community and to be inspired on ways that I can implement those practices and standards into my nonprofit organization in the future.”

Shayla Combs
Shayla Combs

Yuan Chen

“I decided to participate in the fellowship program this summer because I’ve had experiences in the financial services sector and social advocacy organizations, but wanted to intertwine my interests and make tangible impact through finance for communities like mine that need it most.” 

Yu An Chen
Yuan Chen

Ashley Bivens

“I decided to take the High Road this summer as a way to get involved with community based organizations with engaged partnerships. I was looking to participate in hands on activities as well as learn more about non-profit work in large communities.”

Ashley Bivens photo
Ashley Bivens

Victor Rieman

Working in nonprofit law is something I would like to do, and the people I worked with were helping in showing me how to get there.

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Victor Rieman

Tiffany Gibson

Buffalo is indeed on the up & up. It was wonderful seeing the revitalization of the city and feel the energy and optimism the people of Buffalo are carrying.

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Tiffany Gibson

Shara Safer

I learned that the “Buffalo Renaissance” is a real thing, as opposed to a propaganda tactic.

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Shara Safer

Melissa Gao

The intimacy of the office invites transparency, which I believe inspired the easy collaboration and great relationships I see between my coworkers.

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Melissa Gao

Marina Grais

I absolutely loved working in a classroom each day.

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Marina Grais

Madeline Rutowski

I have learned so much about the city of Buffalo this summer. 

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Madeline Rutowski

Lorena Flores

Working at the Buffalo State Community Academic Center (CAC)  has revealed how worldly and interesting Buffalo actually is.

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Lorena Flores

Katy Kaufman

I was not disappointed!

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Katy Kaufman

John Sullivan Baker

I’m grateful that my High Road Fellowship has given me the opportunity to have meaningful conversations both with my interviewees and the community leaders who speak with us every Friday on subjects as diverse as education policy, workforce training, historical restoration, and economic development.

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John Sullivan Baker

Jackson Booth

By working on 43North’s competition operations, I helped find new companies that will make a positive impact in the Buffalo Niagara region through job creation and wealth generation.

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Jackson Booth

Hannah Lorenc

This experience of working on the labor project has been instrumental in guiding my career path. 

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Hannah Lorenc

Hannah Bollinger

Listening and engaging with others has showed me that everyone has something to add, it’s just a matter of recognizing that talent.

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Hannah Bollinger

Genavieve Koyn

The passion that these people bring to the table is what empowers our staff to be advocates for Buffalo students, allowing Say Yes to be successful, but also can cause a certain degree of friction between some individuals.

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Genavieve Koyn

Gayathri Jai

The immersive and intensive educational experience drew me to The High Road program. Buffalo has provided me that and more.

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Gayathri Jai

Emily Bramhall

I feel this sense of community not just in my work, but in the city of Buffalo as a whole.

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Emily Bramhall