Go to Coro Homepage
 






 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 

Characterized by a shared commitment to public service, these Fellows have distinct ethnic and socio-economic perspectives, and unique interests. They have lived across the country and around the world, committed themselves to different causes and worked towards the resolution of issues facing our society today. The following is a summary of the experience they bring to Coro.

 

 

Travis Adkins, Nashville, TN
B.A., Fisk University, 1999

Travis has spent the past five years working with youth. As a counselor both at the Andrew Jackson Boys and Girls Club and at the Charles Davis Foundation, Travis worked with young men and women from the Nashville community to bring about positive change in their lives. He graduated from Fisk University with a major in history, and a minor in sociology. At Fisk Travis participated in the Student Government Association. In the Teacher Education Club, Travis tutored and mentored young people between the ages of 6-16. Travis' career goals include becoming a professor of history and starting a non-profit organization.

 
Kate Black, Bethesda, MD
B.A., The University of Michigan, 1998

Kate recently completed a post-graduate fellowship at The Women's Center in Washington, D.C., a non-profit agency providing support to women and families. Her experiences there included leadership development, community outreach, corporate, public, and international partnerships, and fundraising. At the University of Michigan, Kate was a research assistant in the clinical psychology department, a tutor at an inner-city elementary school, and a counselor at a domestic violence shelter. She studied politics, culture, and development in Oaxaca, Mexico, working extensively with a grassroots indigenous women's organization. Kate enjoys creative writing and has participated in workshops and summer writing programs.
 
Randy M. Bunnao, Lawndale, CA
B.A., University of California, Santa Cruz, 1998

Randy recently worked as a pre-graduate school counselor with the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). During college, he was involved in several recruitment efforts to expose under-represented high school students to the University, worked on theater projects as vehicles of social empowerment both as an actor and playwright, and through a confidential testing program he is a state certified HIV test counselor. During his senior year he presented an individualized research project at the Pacific Sociological Association's annual meeting. He is a recipient of the Public Policy and International Affairs fellowship program.
 
Leora Eisenstadt, White Plains, NY
B.A., Yale University, 1999
Leora Eisenstadt graduated cum laude with a B.A. in History, with a focus in women's and religious history. She completed a thesis on the role of the female in the religion of first generation Italian Americans. Leora incorporates both traditional religious and secular outlooks into her life, finding a place for her religion among her feminist, multicultural, and political values and interests. In the future, Leora plans to work in the public interest sector. She enjoys modern dance, both as an observer and as a participant, is an avid reader, and loves to travel.
 
Jeff Fahrenkrog, St. Louis, MO
B.A., Wake Forest University, 1998

Jeff spent the last year working as a Business Development Associate for the city of St. Louis' economic development agency. In addition to working with city business owners, banks, and government entities, he brought greater collaboration among several of the agency's departments which led to the recovery of many delinquent tax-subsidized federal loans. Jeff also spent summers working for the Mayor of the City of St. Louis and interning for a lobbying organization in Washington, D.C. At Wake Forest University, Jeff was involved in Big Brothers of America and co-hosted a weekly radio music program.
 
Jay Kommers, Bozeman, MT
B.S., Montana State University, 1999
While studying through the Honors Program at Montana State University, Jay worked as a teaching fellow and research assistant in the Economics Department. He actively participated in several state and local political campaigns, and established a student political organization on campus. Jay also enjoyed serving his community as a volunteer firefighter at a local fire department for two and a half years. Most recently, Jay was working for the Political Economy Research Center in Bozeman, Montana, where he researched state and federal environmental policies. In his spare time Jay enjoys hiking, skiing and writing.
 
Arielle Rittvo, New Orleans, LA
B.A., Columbia University, 1999
At Columbia, Arielle directed the Funding and Special Events divisions of a student-organized non-profit dealing with conflict-resolution issues and served 1800 public school students. Additionally she conducted research on national educational initiatives. In Washington, D.C., she worked for the educational advocacy department of a major lobbying firm and was a Senate intern. She was an academic administrator for Summerbridge, a nationwide enrichment program serving inner-city students. Arielle interned at the Allison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education and at Food for Friends, an assistance program for homebound AIDS patients. In 1997 she cycled the 300-mile Boston-New York AIDS ride..
 
Amanda Sapir, Kingston, MA
B.A., Mount Holyoke College, 1999

As Active Coalition for Campus Equality founder, protest negotiator, and student government President, Amanda helped secure student voting power in college planning, brought national attention to lower income students' concerns, reversed cuts to programs for older students, secured the hiring of a Muslim spiritual advisor and two new cultural centers and involved Massachusetts student governments in national political movements. Locally, at Girls Inc., she served as a softball coach. Internationally, she studied sustainable agriculture in Benin. Amanda has also presented workshops on affirmative action, white privilege, institutional racism, and institutionalizing inclusion. She is the 1995 Voice of Democracy National Champion.
 
Zuhairah Scott, Los Angeles, CA
B.A., University of California, Los Angeles, 1999

Zuhairah graduated magna cum laude from UCLA with a degree in Political Science and Public Policy. While at UCLA, she was actively involved in the African Student Union. She founded the First Annual African Student's high school conference, which provides college preparatory information and cultural workshops to over 500 youth. She was the USAC Academic Affairs Commissioner, sitting on the admissions committee and working to pressure the university to increase racial diversity within the University of California system. She is a recipient of the Public Policy and International Affairs fellowship program and received the Outstanding Senior Award from UCLA.
 
Joseph Wilbeck, Glendale, NY
B.A., Queens College, 1999
Prior to Coro Joseph worked as a consultant to the Women's Bureau in the U.S. Department of Labor, coordinating the preliminary development of a family care initiative. In 1998 Joseph was a New York State Assembly intern. At Queens College, Joseph served as a health marshall, representing the city's Department of Health and coordinating on-campus programs to educate students on public and personal health issues. As counselor for the Peer Advisement program, Joseph recruited, trained and supervised new advisors. He was elected as a student representative to the Undergraduate Scholastic Standards Committee. Joseph enjoys basketball, tennis, and weight lifting.
 
Andy Wilson, Forest Hills, NY
B.A., Vassar College, 1992

Andy recently helped found the Dominican-American Professional Alliance (DAPA), a nonprofit network facilitating involvement of young professionals in service of Upper Manhattan's predominantly Dominican community. His volunteer activities also include membership development for the National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions (NFCDCU), serving on the Steering Committee of political leadership organization, and participation in New York's last Senate campaign, highlighting his interest and activity in economic development and political advocacy. He has worked for a foreign bank in regulatory relations and community reinvestment. Prior to Vassar, he served as President of his community college in Northern California..
 
Dora Yung, Seattle, WA
B.A., Pomona College, 1999

During high school, Dora founded and coordinated an intergenerational program, bringing together children and senior citizens. In college, she founded a student committee aimed at addressing diversity within the school curriculum. Also at Pomona College, Dora served and then led a selective residential mentor psrogram for first year students. Her self-designed major of Human Health and Social Behavior combined the fields of anthropology, biology, psychology, and sociology. During her studies, Dora spent a semester abroad in China studying Traditional Chinese Medicine.