NYC High Road Fellows

The NYC High Road Summer 2023 pilot program launched in the summer of 2023 with 12 students working with nine NYC organizations. The students spent eight weeks in NYC learning practical civic engagement and leadership methods at their internship sites and weekly cohort workshops focused on critical reflection, professional networking, and peer-to-peer collaboration at ILR's NYC office. NYC High Road fellowships focused on public policy and activism, climate justice, unions, disability, diversity and inclusion, neuro-diversity, and training for adults facing barriers to joining the workforce and building entrepreneurships.

Access to Work

Kirsten Law ‘25, Ron Varghese ’25 interned at an organization that works to provide employment to individuals with Intellectual & Developmental Disorders (IDD) in food services social businesses. Arianna Josue ’24 interned at NYC OPEN DOORS that works to invest in the creativity and leadership of Black and brown artists who use wheelchairs.

"This experience has shown just how many doors can be opened and how many different routes are available." - Arianna Josue '24

Public Policy & Activism

Yemisi Mustapha ’25 interned for Action Network, a non-profit tech company that supports progressive organizations such as AFL-CIO, Black Lives Matter, and the Poor People’s Campaign. Alex Herazy ‘25, Bryanne Sarfo ’26, Claire Ting ‘25 interned for Assembly Member Alex Bores (ILR ’13) of the New York State Assembly.

Worker Voice

Suparna Agarwal ’25 developed surveys for the career and training resource fair for The Office of Diversity and Industry Relations (ODIR) at Department of Design and Construction (DDC), and Mateo Franco-Aguirre ’24 developed systems and tools for the RWDSU/UFCW.

Elizabeth Si ’24 worked with Hand in Hand, a national network of employers of nannies, housecleaners and home attendants working for dignified and respectful working conditions.

“Everyone is a stakeholder in the care industry…Care work makes all work possible.” - Elizabeth Si ‘24

 Climate Justice Jobs

New York City natives Bridget McKnight ’24 and Tover Feist ’26 immersed themselves in climate justice related issues interning at The Horticultural Society of New York and The NYC Mayor's Office of Climate and Environmental Justice (MOCEJ) respectively.

"I am from New York, but I gained a different perspective about living here, through a horticulture lens. I have a grasp more about the disparities between low income and high-income communities with the amount of nature available, and how the Hort uses plants to provide jobs and opportunities." - Bridget McKnight '24

The 2023 high road fellows felt their work was impactful and meaningful. Alex Herazy '25 said, "The Canadian fires clouded NYC in smoke and haze, Assembly member Bores’ District Director, Constituent Outreach Director, and myself set-up a table outside the 86th Street train station and handed out N95 masks."

"I found community outreach to be quite meaningful, as it allowed me to understand the people who will be impacted by the policies on which I am working on." - Alex Herazy '25

“To see the impact of my work firsthand through the construction career and resource fair, it made the summer feel purposeful and worth it after seeing how many jobseekers our efforts had a positive effect on," said Suparna Agarwal '25.

ILR's partner organizations in New York City likewise felt they benefited from the program. “Our intern raised the standard of what we will expect from students we work with in the future," said Alex Eshelman, ILR’22, Associate Director of OPEN DOORS, NYC.

"As an organization that supports the domestic worker movement through the work of employers, many people struggle to articulate our work. Our intern quickly picked up our talking points and spoke eloquently about our role in the labor movement.” -Erica Sklar, National Organizer, Hand in Hand

"The New York High Road program really provides the type of individual who is passionate and eager to better understand the principles they're learning and how they will play a role in their career,” said Nikki Kateman, RWDSU/UFCW. Political and Communications Director.

The NYC High Road 2024 applications will open in January 2024.