Congratulations to our Summer Innovation Fellows and Congressional Summer Interns!
Summer Innovation Fellows
It is often said that “necessity is the mother of invention.” The National Summer Learning Association believes summer learning programs provide a unique and flexible opportunity for leaders to try out and measure the effectiveness of new ideas and strategies, creative partnerships and policies before scaling. The severity and enormity of the societal challenges we are facing in America requires entrepreneurial leaders pursuing innovative solutions. Congratulations to:
Bianca Love
Bianca Love is an internationally recognized musician, producer, teacher and entrepreneur. Born and raised in New Orleans, she realizes the racial inequalities in the education system and daily life that plagues the city and is seeking to establish a music program for underprivileged youth. Through instrumental/music production coaching and songwriting, she strives to help these youth express themselves and find release through music.
Dennis Mabasa
Dennis Mabasa is an eco-educator and program manager from Kalibo, Philippines, currently working as the Assistant Manager of Youth Engagement at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. Through his 9 years of experience in youth workforce development, instructional design, and community engagement, he has built a proven track record of managing and evaluating high quality internships and educational programs and developing strong and inclusive communities. Dennis is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and he joyfully includes his culture, identity and values into his work.
Howard Forbes
Howard Forbes is a native to the island of St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. He has always had a passion for furthering his quest for science and earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) in 2010 and a Masters degree in Marine and Environmental Science also from UVI in 2014. In the same year, he took on his current role as the St. Thomas Coordinator for the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service where he coordinates several programs that engage V.I. youth and the larger community in learning more about marine and environmental science as well as leading a combination of both waste reduction and glass recycling programs. Howard enjoys being able to give back to his community whilst working to inspire other Virgin Islanders to become better environmental stewards.
Congressional Summer Interns
By empowering the next generation of passionate young leaders to kick-start their careers in public service, we get one step closer to creating a Congress that is truly reflective of the beautiful diversity in America. NSLA proudly partnered with College to Congress to bring more students to Congress! College to Congress is a nonprofit organization that creates pathways for students to intern in Congress who otherwise could not afford to do so. Congratulations to:
George Castillo
George Castillo is an alumni of Summerbridge – San Francisco summer program. He is a graduate of Allegheny College where he majored in International Studies and French. He has a strong interest in immigration policy, national security/ foreign affairs, and economic justice. George plans to attend law school and would like to work in the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs as a Legal Aide.
Elaine Ansah
Elaine Ansah is an alumni of Delaware College Scholars. She is a senior at the University of Delaware majoring in Political Science & Government with minors in History and Africana Studies. A successful career for her would include updating legislation that has adversely affected minorities, teaching a new generation of change-makers how to make their voices heard, and producing results that will help minorities across the nation.
Jacques Thompson
Jacques Thompson is a sophomore at the University of Pennsylvania and an alumni of the MERIT Health Leadership Academy program. He considers himself to be a changemaker, interested in police reform, education reform, and health equity. As a long term goal, he would like to pursue a career as a senator, representing his home state of Maryland.
Reine Duevi
Reine Duevi is an alumni of the NJ LEEP program. She is a junior at Rutgers University majoring in Political Science. Her dream job is to be a future Supreme Court Justice and is interested in voting rights, the 19th amendment, and immigration laws. She would eventually like to establish herself as an expert of affairs in Chile, Argentina, and West Africa.
