2012 Sorensen Fellows

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(L-R): Robyn spector, mangaliso mohammed, rachael Koehler, karia sekumbo, andrea verdeja, and Jesse hart

Jesse Hart '14, from Worthington, Ohio, performs in the improvisational comedy group Bad Grammer and is a member of Brandeis Students for Justice in Palestine. During his four years in Mock Trial, he received both the Outstanding Witness Award and the Outstanding Attorney Award. In Ohio, he worked to successfully defeat Senate Bill 5 (a law that would weaken workers’ rights). This summer Jesse will intern in Derry/Londonderry, Northern Ireland at The Playhouse, a community theatre that focuses on giving a voice to the marginalized sectors of society. Connecting his interests in the arts and social justice, he will work with the Theatre of Witness Programme, in which people perform their own stories to bear witness to the issues of suffering and redemption.

Rachael Koehler '13, from Pennsauken, New Jersey, is double majoring in Psychology and Religious Coexistence. She is a community advisor for first year residents, an Undergraduate Department Representative for Religious Studies, and chair for Relay for Life, raising funds for the American Cancer Society. This summer she will work with Beyond Skin in Belfast, Northern Ireland, which works to promote racial and religious coexistence through multicultural arts and media. As an intern, Rachael will be planning her own coexistence festival as well as bringing people of different religions together in dialogue by producing a religious understanding radio show.

Mangaliso Mohammed '13, from Mbabane, Swaziland, is majoring in Environmental Studies and Economics with a minor in Legal Studies. Having lived in a developing country for a significant part of his life, Mangaliso is particularly interested in the sustainable development of informal communities such as slums in the urban areas of his home country. In summer 2011 he worked as an intern for the Municipal Council of Mbabane focusing on waste management and pollution control in the urban areas surrounding the country’s capital. For his upcoming internship, also with the Municipal Council of Mbabane, Mangaliso will be working on finding suitable renewable, energy sources for low-income households to alleviate poverty as well as reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in the urban informal areas.

Karia Sekumbo ’14, is majoring in Economics and International and Global Studies with a minor in Legal Studies. Although he is originally from Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, he has lived in several different countries including Botswana, Swaziland, Uganda, and now the United States. He is the current president of the Brandeis International Journal, a campus publication dedicated to discussing international relations and global affairs. During the summer, he will be an intern with Opportunity International, a microfinance organization in Tanzania. He hopes to gain a more concrete understanding of the workings of microfinance and its important role in global poverty alleviation and the reduction of gender inequality in communities.

Robyn Spector '13 is majoring in Business and American Studies, with a minor in Journalism. Elected photography editor for the student newspaper The Justice in her first year at Brandeis, Robyn now serves as an associate editor on the newspaper's executive board. In addition, she is one of the Journalism Undergraduate Department Representatives and has photographed campus events for the Office of Admissions, the Office of the Arts, and the Ethics Center. Born and raised in New York City, she has studied at the International Center for Photography, Maine Media Workshops, and has been featured in National Geographic and the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan’s exhibition “ImagiNation: Young Photographers Engage the World.” For her Sorensen internship, Robyn will be photographing and reporting at The New Times, the central English-language newspaper in Kigali, Rwanda. Through the lens of a photojournalist, she hopes to examine journalism ethics in a developing country and further understand the roots and intricacies of Rwanda’s history ingrained in its society today.

Andrea Verdeja '14 was born in Japan to Cuban and Spanish parents, and was afterwards raised in the Dominican Republic. She is majoring in Politics and Sociology, with a minor in International and Global Studies. She is currently the president of the International Club at Brandeis and assistant captain of the sailing team. Last summer she interned at the Jesuit Service for Refugees and Immigrants, working in both the Dominican Republic and in Haiti. She was an advocate for the legal rights of Haitian immigrants and their children, many of whom are arbitrarily being deprived of their legitimate nationality by Dominican government officials. For the upcoming summer she will be working with Paidia International Development in Bethlehem, a local NGO that is helping to create sustainable Palestinian communities by empowering youth through ethical leadership.