Meet Our Fellows

2019 Fellow/Young Philanthropist Holiday Party

The Philanthropy Connection has provided Fellowships for women between the ages of 21 and 35 since its founding. The Fellowship has welcomed young woman interested in becoming part of the women’s collective giving movement and who are motivated to help The Philanthropy Connection redefine what it means to be a philanthropist – anyone who donates their time, talents, and/or treasures in an effort to improve the lives of others. We welcome you to meet the eight women selected to be 2023-2025 TPC Fellows.

2023-2025

Yasmine Anderson is 23 years old, from Indianapolis, Indiana, and working in Population Health at Boston Medical Center. She also serves full-time as CEO of Black Women in Charge Inc. working to democratize autonomy over one’s wellness and education from a human rights perspective. She has a passion for innovative philanthropy and building sustainable pipelines for minority thought-leaders to support their communities. Yasmine has been with TPC for 1.5 years serving on grant review committees and co-hosting events to boost young philanthropist involvement.

 

 

Carol Li currently works in operations at 424 Capital, a private equity firm that invests in mission-driven companies in the healthcare and renewable energy space. Carol is passionate about food equity and recently served on the Board at Backyard Growers, a nonprofit that empowers community members to grow their own food. Carol graduated from Gordon College with a degree in Communications and studied Marketing at Emerson College.

 

Samantha Lovewell is your typical New Englander and lifelong Massachusetts resident. Contributing to her community and mission driven efforts have always been part of Sam’s core values and she’s enjoyed several opportunities to help make a difference. Having started out working at her hometown’s local farm, to managing programs within the Parks and Recreation department, to singing the National Anthem for official events – a passion for development and relationship building was instilled.
She began her career as a music/theater educator and then pursued a MS in Arts Admin & Fundraising management at BU which launched her work into the nonprofit space. Working through antiquated technology solutions and having to “do more with less”, Sam realized there was an opportunity to help bring modern systems into this industry. She currently serves as a Customer Success Manager at OpenGov, the leader in modern government cloud software, who is on a mission to power more effective and accountable government.
You’ll often find Samantha hiking or skiing a mountain, testing out a new recipe, or spending quality time with her family and friends via sharing a great meal, seeing a show, or sitting around the campfire. After a short break in her volunteering efforts, Sam is thrilled to have joined TPC’s community as a Fellow.

 

Medjine Lucien is a passionate youth advocate. Most of her youth development work has been focused on ensuring that young people are engaged in out-of-school time programming by addressing barriers to equity in afterschool programming. Her passion for student engagement in OST derives from the lack of access she experienced as a child in Miami, Florida. She strives to create opportunities for youth to take power in decision making that affect their lives and learning.

She currently works at Waltham Partnership for Youth, a nonprofit that collaborates with youth, families, and partner organizations to address long-standing systemic inequities while building a community of belonging and opportunity for Waltham youth.

Medjine attended Hamilton College as a Posse Foundation scholar where she studied World Politics with a focus on Poverty and Development in African nations.

 

Georgia McKee originally pursued a bachelor’s degree in primatology and osteoarchaeology, with the intention of working in anthropological research; in doing so, she found that what she really enjoyed about both of these fields was telling anyone who would listen fun facts about monkeys and bones. This enjoyment developed into a keen interest in understanding how storytelling can be used as a tool for developing strong relationships and communities, ultimately leading her to pursue a career in the cultural heritage sector. Now a museum professional by trade, Georgia has spent the last six years working and studying across the US and Canada, exploring how equitable access to informal education centers can help lessen academic disparity and inspire learners to take more active roles in their communities.

After receiving her Master of Museum Studies degree from the University of Toronto in 2021, Georgia returned to her hometown of Cambridge, MA, to work at the Museum of Science managing access-based programs and initiatives. Most recently, she has jumped into the fundraising realm, where she engages companies in philanthropic giving opportunities and facilitates membership-based access for their communities. When she’s not pondering new ways to mitigate barriers to STEM, Georgia can usually be found in the Natural Mysteries exhibit or watching the lightning show. When she’s not at the museum, Georgia is an avid reader, gamer, gym-goer, and karaoke enthusiast.

 

Emily Moss is passionate about ensuring equitable access to opportunity for people and communities. She is currently pursuing an MBA and Master in City Planning at MIT with a focus on affordable housing and local economic development. While at MIT, Emily has been awarded a Rappaport Public Policy Fellowship to work in the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion as well as a Priscilla King Gray Public Service Fellowship to work with the Cambridge Housing Authority. Prior to graduate school, Emily worked for the Massachusetts state government providing policy analysis and operational support for public housing, and at the Brookings Institution researching economic policy and inequality. Emily is dedicated to grounding her policy interests in service. She has regularly volunteered in homeless shelters and currently serves on the Innbassador Council at the Pine Street Inn in Boston. She is also a board member of The Sunflower Initiative, a nonprofit scholarship foundation for students who choose to attend a women’s college. Emily holds a BA from Wellesley College with honors in economics and political science, where she was named a Truman Scholar. Outside of her professional endeavors, Emily is a certified pilates instructor and enjoys supporting the arts in Boston.

 

Jessica Nguyen is a dedicated advocate for social justice within the realms of philanthropy and media. Currently serving as the Senior Program Associate of the Racial Equity in Journalism (REJ) Fund at Borealis Philanthropy, Jessica plays a crucial role in strengthening the capacity and sustainability of cutting-edge news organizations led by and for people of color. Her work aims to foster civic engagement in the communities these organizations serve. In addition to her professional role, Jessica is an active volunteer, serving as a grant reviewer at multiple local funds, including the Boston Women’s Fund, New England Grassroots Fund, and the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture. Building on her commitment to redistribute wealth to communities of color, Jessica established the Project Voice Fund (https://bit.ly/ProjectVoiceFund) in 2021, supporting emerging Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI)-led narrative changemakers using media and community platforms to uplift voices within the AAPI community, particularly during the challenges presented by COVID-19 and beyond. Beyond her professional pursuits, Jessica Nguyen is a creative writer exploring the intricacies of her identity as a 2nd generation Vietnamese American and child of refugee immigrant parents. Her debut book of poems, “softly, I speak,” was published by Louisiana Literature Press in 2020 as part of their chapbook series.

 

Dr. Ciyadh Wells is a multi-talented musician who not only considers herself an artist, but also an activist and scholar. With a passion for promoting diversity and inclusivity in the arts, she firmly believes that access to artistic experiences of all kinds is crucial for a healthy society. Ciyadh strives to leverage the power of music to ignite transformative change and to foster community. Currently, she is the Executive Director at Castle of our Skins. In addition to her many talents, Ciyadh is also an avid language learning enthusiast and reader.

 

 

Click here to view our Alumnae TPC Fellows