Benson Adjei was the name given to a brilliant prodigy who was born in Ghana and is currently residing in the Bronx. He attended Democracy Prep Charter High School where he graduated in June 2020. Benson participated in Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship in 2019 where he loved and enjoyed every single part of it during his summer of becoming a senior. This fall, Benson will be starting his Sophomore year at SUNY New Paltz where he's planning on majoring in Computer Science. Benson likes to play video games, play the piano and even ride bikes in his free time.

Kwame Adjei Ankamah is a first-generation Ghanaian-American born and raised in the Bronx, New York. He participated in Columbia University’s Freedom and Citizenship program during the summer of 2020 and graduated from La Salle Academy in 2021. He is currently a freshman at Lawrence University and plans on double majoring in Political Science and Psychology on a pre-med track. In his free time, he enjoys watching films, television shows, and reading.

Ezekiel Bascombe is a Harlem, New York resident who graduated from Frederick Douglass Academy 1 in 2020. In the fall of 2021, he will be attending Dartmouth College as a prospective English major. Ezekiel loves the woods—that being part of the reason why he chose to attend Dartmouth—and enjoys reading sci-fi books.
 

Ashby Camacho was born and raised in Washington Heights, New York City. He participated in Columbia University’s Freedom and Citizenship program in 2019 and graduated from Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School in 2020. Ashby is a sophomore at Nazareth College where he intends to major in psychology. In his free time he enjoys playing basketball and collecting records.
 

Debora Camacho resides in the Bronx, New York with her mother and three other siblings. She is a recent participant of the Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program for 2020 and graduated from Bronx High School for Law and Community Service in June 2021. This fall, she will be attending Smith College in Massachusetts and intends to major in computer science, but is open to exploring other careers within STEM and connecting them to the humanities. During her free time, she enjoys watching crime documentaries on Netflix or baking.

Koudjedji Coulibaly is from the Bronx, NY and graduated from Essex Street Academy in 2021. She currently attends Lehman College where she plans to major in accounting. Koudjedji's interests are poetry, cartoons, anime, and cooking.

Aminata B Diouf is a Senegalese American born and raised in Harlem, NY. She graduated from the Frederick Douglass Academy 1 and participated in the Freedom & Citizenship program at Columbia University from 2020 to 2021. This fall, Amina will be attending New York University with an intended major in Global Public Health on the Pre-Med tract. In her free time, she enjoys reading, volunteering, and baking.

Jasmine Greene is from Guyana and is now a resident of Crown Heights in New York City. She participated in Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program in 2020-2021 and graduated from Uncommon Charter High School in 2021. This fall, she will be attending Mount Holyoke College where she intends to major in Psychology and social work. In her free time she enjoys playing volleyball and playing video games.

Tamba Jagana was raised in the Bronx, New York and currently lives in the Bronx. He participated in Columbia University’s Freedom & Citizenship program and graduated from Democracy Prep Charter high school in June of 2021. This fall he will be attending Wake Forest University and studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark. He enjoys working out and swimming.

Isaidy Medina was born in the Dominican Republic and now resides in Queens, NY. She attended All City Leadership Academy in Brooklyn and participated in Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program in the summer of 2020. She will now be attending Yale University in the fall with interests in History, Political Science, and Literature. Isaidy enjoys reading and watching episodes of her favorite show "New Girl" in her free time.
 

Marlen Mendieta-Camaron is Mexican American and is a resident of Brooklyn in New York City. She participated in Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program in 2020 and graduated from Midwood High School in 2021. This coming fall, Marlen will be attending Macalester College where she intends to major in International Relations and Latin American Studies. Outside of school she enjoys running, biking, and reading.
 

Bragye Payano is a Dominican who was born and raised in New York City's West Harlem neighborhood. She graduated from Maxine Greene High School in 2021 and attended Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program in 2020. Bragye will begin her studies at City College in the fall, with intentions to major in Engineering and minor in Spanish. She spends her free time doing art and listening to music.
 

Muzamil Razak is a resident of the Bronx. He participated in Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program in 2020 and graduated from Democracy Prep Charter High School in 2021. This fall, Muzamil currently attends SUNY Plattsburgh where he majors in Finance and Economics. He aspires to be an Investment banker with an interest in Mergers and Acquisitions.
 

Christopher Robles was born in Indiana but his hometown is Freehold, NJ. He moved to New York City in 2012. He participated in Columbia University’s Freedom & Citizenship Program in 2019 and graduated from Humanities Preparatory Academy in 2020. This fall, Christopher will go to his second year of college at Stella and Charles Guttman Community College, where he is pursuing his major in Human Service. He’s been playing League of Legends for eight years and it is one of his favorite games.
 

Emma Swift is from Red Hill, Pennsylvania. She attended Ursinus College's Freedom, Citizenship, and Equality seminar in 2019. She graduated from Upper Perkiomen High School in 2020. She is currently entering her sophomore year at Columbia University. Emma enjoys playing the flute, reading, and hanging with friends.
 

​Kenya Twyman was born and raised in Bronx, NY, and now attends Franklin and Marshall College. She is a Democracy Prep Charter alumna and wishes to pursue a career in Veterinary Science. She loves to travel and hopes to live in South Korea one day for a change in culture. Kenya loves to play softball and volleyball for fun, but she is a strong team player and very competitive when it comes to winning. If you have any great recipes, please share them with Kenya.
 

Afsana Asha is of a South Asian descent, raised in New York City. She participated in Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program in 2017 and graduated from Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics in 2018. Afsana is currently a rising junior at Fordham University majoring in Natural Science. She enjoys reading books by Najwa Zebian and visiting cozy coffee shops.

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Ash Carrington is a resident in New Haven, Connecticut. She participated in Yale University's Citizens Thinkers Writers program and is now a student at the University of Connecticut, where she is double majoring in English and History. In her free time she enjoys reading and listening to various comedy podcasts.

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Asmaa Hassanin is from Egypt and now lives in Manhattan, New York City. She participated in Columbia University's Freedom and Citizenship program in 2019 and graduated from Maxine Greene High School in 2020. This fall, she will be attending St. John's University majoring in pharmacy. She enjoys writing feminist short stories.

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Bintou Kane was born and raised in Harlem and attended Frederick Douglass Academy 1 high school. She graduated from Columbia’s Freedom and Citizenship program in 2018 after gaining fundamental knowledge needed to succeed in her college journey. She is now a junior (class of 2022) at Binghamton University ready to start her nursing clinical. She enjoys watching mystery movies and babysitting because she loves kids.

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Dylen Marcelle is from New York City and specifically the Bronx. He participated in Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program in 2019 and graduated from Democracy Prep Charter High School in 2020. In Fall 2020, Dylen began attending Boston College where he intends to major in Political Science. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball and hanging out with friends.

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Favio Inahuazo has lived in New Haven all his life and graduated from Metropolitan Business Academy in 2020. He participated in Yale University's Citizens, Thinkers, Writers program. This fall, he will be attending University of Connecticut and major in Actuarial Science. In his free time, he enjoys playing volleyball and running.

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Henry J. Seyue is a third year Political Science & Economics major From New Haven, Connecticut. He attended high school at Metropolitan Business Academy, where he graduated in 2018. Upon graduating from high school, Henry matriculated at Benedict College where he served as a Legislative Lead for Save the Children Action Network, as well as being a Dean’s List student, and the school’s first Frederick Douglass Global Fellow. Henry now attends the University of Connecticut, where he has since become an assistant Editor for the UConn Political Review, interned in the D.C. office of Senator Richard Blumenthal, and is currently pursuing his Master of Public Policy along with his Bachelor of Science.

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Johanna Perez is an American Mexican resident of New Haven, Connecticut. In the summer of 2019, Johanna participated in Yale University’s Citizens Thinkers Writers program and later graduated from Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School in 2020. She will follow her education at Tufts University this fall to major in Psychology and Ceramics. When she doesn’t spend her time playing squash at Squash Haven, she draws and finds other creative things to do in her spare time.

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Karen Wu is an 18-year-old who has lived in New York City her whole life. She participated in Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program and graduated from Dominican Academy in 2020. This fall, Karen will be attending Hobart & William Smith Colleges where she intends to major in Chemistry (and potentially something else). She enjoys eating poké and looking at the current trends on Twitter, but she doesn't have any social media.

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Khadija Hussain grew up in New Haven, Connecticut, where she participated in the inaugural class of Yale University's Citizens, Writers, Thinkers program in 2016. She graduated from Wilbur Cross High School in 2017, and now attends Barnard College, where she studies history. In her free time, she enjoys running along the Hudson and learning the guitar.

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Maosuf was born in Ghana and moved with his family to the U.S when he was 10 years old. He is an alumnus of the class of 2019 Freedom & Citizenship program at Columbia University and recently graduated from Democracy Prep Charter High School in Harlem. This fall, he will be heading up to Massachusetts to attend Boston College where he intends to major in Computer Science. During his leisure time, he likes to watch episodes of ‘Ramy’ on Hulu and Hasan Minhaj’s ‘The Patriot Act’ on Netflix.

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Kuniya V. Asobayire is a first generation Ghanaian-American and lives in New Haven, Connecticut. She participated in the Citizen, Thinker, Writer program at Yale University during the summer of 2019. Kuniya graduated from James Hillhouse High School in 2020 and will be attending New York University as an anticipated International Relations major. She enjoys debate, cooking, and cheerleading.

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Nicholas Unger (usually just going by Nick) has lived in Seymour, Connecticut, for as long as he can remember. He is an alumni of Yale University's 2017 Citizens, Thinkers, Writers program, graduating from ESUMS (the Engineering and Science University Magnet School) in New Haven in 2018. After a year at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Nick is transferring to the Rochester Institute of Technology to major in Game Design and Development, hoping to pursue opportunities in the humanities along the way. When he has the time, he loves to spend it with video games, movies, or a great book.

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Rafael Escoto was born in the Dominican Republic and currently resides in Washington Heights. He attended Columbia University's Freedom and Citizenship program in 2019 and graduated Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School in 2020. He will now be entering St. Lawrence University. Rafael has been a musician for over seven years and hopes to bring his talents to his campus.

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Ramon Pimentel was born and raised in Queens. He currently attends the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where he majors in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Environmental Policy Planning and Law. In his many adventures in the forest, he once encountered a young black bear 20 feet from him.

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Rosalía Minyety was born in the Dominican Republic and moved to New York City in 2015. She graduated from Frank McCourt High School in June 2020 and is now a first year student at Columbia University majoring in Biomedical Engineering. Her interest in STEM and literature allows her to create essential connections between the sciences and humanities.

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Samantha Hernandez is originally from the Dominican Republic, but was raised in the Bronx, NY. She participated in Columbia University’s Freedom & Citizenship program in 2018 and graduated from Democracy Prep Charter High School in 2019. This spring, Samantha finished her freshman year at Dartmouth College where she intends to major in Sociology and minor in Philosophy. She enjoys going biking and having picnics in The Central Park in the summer.

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Sharon Garcia grew up in a small town in Honduras. She moved to New York City in 2016 and currently lives in the Bronx. She went to Liberty High School Academy for Newcomers. In her junior year, she participated in Columbia University's Freedom and Citizenship program. This fall, Sharon will go to her second year of college at The City College of New York, where she is pursuing her major in biology. She plays soccer with the club South Bronx United. In her free time, she loves to paint and make crafts.

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Simone Henderson is resident of West Haven, Connecticut. She has participated in programs such as Yale Arts and Humanities and Yale Citizens Thinkers Writers. She is a 2020 Graduate from High School in the Community, and will be attending Roger Williams University in the Fall. She enjoys painting, writing poetry, and singing in her spare time.

In 2021, Simone published an op-ed in Diverse Issues in Higher Education reflecting on love and fear in Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, and Ta-Nehisi Coates' works that she read as a Fellow. 

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Tabara Sy is a Senegalese-American college student studying Africana Studies, Politics and Journalism. A native New Yorker, currently residing in Harlem, she attends New York University as a rising undergraduate junior. Tabara is an Alumna of Columbia University's Freedom & Citizenship program in 2017 and graduated Central Park East High School in 2018. Aside from being a student, Tabara began modeling in 2019.

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Jessica Lee is the Executive Director of the Freedom and Citizenship Program in the Center for American Studies at Columbia University. Previously, Jessica taught in Columbia's Department of the Core Curriculum while earning her doctorate in United States history. This summer she directed the Teagle Humanities Fellowship.

Angela Xia is a doctoral student in religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to graduate school she earned a B.A. in American Studies from Columbia University, where she taught in the Freedom and Citizenship Summer Program.
 

Angie Neslin graduated from Columbia College in 2016 with degrees in Hispanic Studies and American Studies. After having the time of her life as a teaching fellow in the Freedom and Citizenship program '15-'16, she decided to continue working as an educator at Fundación Abriendo Camino in the Dominican Republic. She currently coordinates an urban gardening program/Green Brigade for activist kids, runs a Youth Parliament, facilitates lively conversations for English language learners from around the globe, and is living her dream of playing guitar in a rock-fusión band.

Benji de la Piedra is an oral historian and writer, working on a book about the African American journalist Herbert Denton, Jr. Benji lives in Little Rock, Arkansas (Denton's hometown), and is an affiliate of Central Arkansas Library System (Little Rock's public library), through which he founded and directs the Herbert Denton Community History Project. He received his B.A. in American Studies in 2014 and M.A. in Oral History in 2016, both from Columbia University. Benji worked as a TA for Freedom & Citizenship in 2013-2014, and as an assistant graduate coordinator for F&C in 2014-2015 and 2015-2016. He teaches an oral history course in the Public History M.A. program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, and teaches community-based oral history workshops around the United States on a regular basis.

Stephanie Almeida Nevin is a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at Yale University whose research and teaching interests are in political theory, the philosophy of education, and the history of political thought. In 2016, Stephanie co-founded the Citizens Thinkers Writers program for students in the New Haven public schools. She holds a B.A. in politics and English from Pomona College and was previously a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Lisbon, Portugal.

Yanette Rosario was born and raised in the South Bronx, New York to Dominican parents. She attended Columbia University and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a concentration in Ethnicity and Race. Before applying to graduate school, she took a gap year to be a Teacher Assistant for a Reading Specialist in a charter school within her community, primarily working with students who had reading disabilities and came up with different interventions to address their needs. She is currently in graduate school at Teachers College.

Zachary Roberts is a lecturer in the Core Curriculum at Columbia University. He holds a BA degree from Bowdoin College and a PhD from Columbia University in English and Comparative Literature. His research and teaching interests include nineteenth and twentieth century American literature, intellectual history, and the visual arts.