2008 Brandeis Segal Fellows

During the first quarter of 2008, a competitive process produced a unique and select inaugural class of six Brandeis students to serve as the first Brandeis Segal Fellows.  These outstanding young people will serve this summer in internships created with the help of Founders Tom Glynn, Ted Kennedy, Sue Lehmann, Peter Murray, and Mora Segal.  They will each have the support of a Founder who has volunteered to serve as their “coach.” Founders-Coaches include Melissa Green, Robby Jones, Sarah McGinley-Smith, Chris Murphy, Charlie Rose, and Laura Gassner Otting. The brief bios that follow introduce these citizen leaders of the future.

  

• Jess Kent’s scholarship and activities on campus focus on Interfaith Dialogue.  She recently appeared on Good Morning America to talk about how faith inspires community. As a freshman, Jess founded a campus-wide interfaith dialogue series that last year sponsored forty events attended by up to 140 students.  She also serves as Chair of the University Board of Student Conduct and as a teaching assistant for the Women’s and Gender Studies Department (where Jess mentors her classmates in mini service-learning projects).  Jess’s internship is at the Center for Progressive Leadership, in Washington, D.C. Click here to view Jess's Brandeis Segal Fellow Summer Internship Report.
  

 

• Margaret Levy, who is pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Heller School, teaches at the Family Learning Center at one of the town of Brookline Housing Authority developments. She works at the Center with grade school children of immigrant families, teaching them about the political process and the importance of civic participation.  Margaret has worked in the offices of both a congressman and a state senator – in the latter she identified the need and created a mentor role to college interns.  She also serves on the organizing committee of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.  Her placement is at Jobs for the Future in Boston, MA. Click here to view Margaret's Brandeis Segal Fellow Summer Internship Report.

 

• Victoria Roomet is a Martin Luther King, Jr. scholar.  At Brandeis, she founded the We Have a Dream Today! Club, which brings together recipients of this scholarship with residents of the greater Waltham area through public service activities.  The club provides leadership training based on the values of Martin Luther King, Jr.; its projects include an initiative for students to learn how to become interfaith peacemakers.  Victoria also served on the development committee of Relay for Life, an overnight walk to support the American Cancer Society, helping Brandeis to contribute more than double its fundraising goal in the first year.  Her internship is with College Summit, in Washington, D.C. Click here to view Victoria's Brandeis Segal Fellow Summer Internship Report.
  

 

• Jordan Rothman’s seemingly boundless energy and commitment are evident from his active  participation in twenty-three clubs on campus (nine of which he serves as an officer), including Varsity Track, the Model United Nations, the debate team and the campus Literary Magazine.  He is particularly proud of his recent success in starting a marching band on campus and being the author of the first ever fight song at Brandeis!  Jordan spent two summers teaching in inner-city schools as an AmeriCorps volunteer.  As a member of his home town’s Environmental Commission, Jordan initiated action to engage youth in the community’s environmental problems.  His placement is at Teach For America in New York City, NY. Click here to view Jordan's Brandeis Segal Fellow Summer Internship Report.

 

• Jonah Seligman, working closely with alumni from Brandeis’s founding years, has spearheaded the revival of a former university speakers program which matches the ideals of the university and the interests of the student body.  Called “Gen Ed Now,” the program hosts renowned leaders who discuss their experiences and leadership.  He also serves both as a tutor and Big Brother in Waltham and has organized biweekly participation by Brandeis students in a local soup kitchen. As a Segal Fellow, Jonah is eager to focus on the policy aspects of social change. His placement is in the Office of Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA), in Washington, D.C. Click here to read Jonah's Brandeis Segal Fellow Summer Internship Report.
  

 

• Katharine Tull entered the Master of Public Policy program at the Heller School with an interest in policy research.  Her particular focus is helping community and advocacy organizations, as well as government offices and private sector interest groups, to achieve practical and meaningful solutions to health care issues.  She brings to bear extensive experience and skills developed over six years in increasingly responsible positions at the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology.  Her placement is at the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum in Waltham, MA. Click here to read Katharine's Brandeis Segal Fellow Summer Internship Report.