Announcing the Class of 2012:
Ryan Adams (Toronto, Canada) – Adams earned an international baccalaureate diploma from Upper Canada College before completing his bachelor’s in English literature at Queens University. He spent a year working in wildlife management and community conservation with the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Northern Kenya and has interned with the Clinton Foundation and the Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research.
Ashley Bachelder (Athol, Mass.) – A graduate of Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in psychology, Bachelder recently served in AmeriCorps coordinating a family literacy program at the Americana Community Center in Louisville, Ken. She has spent three summers volunteering as a computer literacy teacher in New Castle, South Africa, and helped teach English as a second language at the Somali Development Center of New Hampshire.
Taylor Ballinger (Richmond, Ken.) – A graduate of Berea College with a degree in speech communication, Ballinger served in Teach for America Greater New Orleans, where he taught special education for three years at a Reserve, La., high school. His volunteer experience includes working with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts with the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana and working with a non-profit dedicated to rebuilding the Louisiana wetlands.
Shenan Boit (Fayetteville, Ark.) – A graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., where she studied political science and environmental studies, Boit has worked as the director of a children’s athletic club. She completed two years of service in the Peace Corps, teaching computer and health education and coaching soccer on a small island in Fiji. She recently worked as a teacher and soccer coach in Kenya.
Heath Carelock (New Carrollton, Md.) – A graduate of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science, Carelock has worked as a U.S. National Park Ranger at the LBJ National Historical Park in Johnson City, Texas. He has taught history and character development at a Maryland high school and taught English as a second language at a Maryland community college. He’s also traveled abroad to teach English in Vietnam, the Palestinian West Bank, Iraq and the Dominican Republic.
Kate Cawvey (Oxford, Ohio) – Cawvey is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in international development and race relations. During college, she studied in the School for International Training in Uganda and the Development Studies International Honors Program in Mexico, India, New Zealand and Canada. She has worked as a community organizer in Binghamton, N.Y., and as a community outreach worker in Newport, Ken. Her volunteer work includes working with an after-school program for elementary and high school students.
Dustin Choate (Tulsa, Okla.) – Choate is a graduate of Wheaton College (Ill.) where he majored in sociology and economics. During college, he spent six months in Kampala, Uganda, living with a host family and studying property disputes for two non-government organizations. Most recently, he’s worked in political consulting and public affairs with The Markham Group in Little Rock.
Greg Cooper (Kansas City, Mo.) – A graduate of Hendrix College with a degree in social justice, Cooper has worked to promote social justice with the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, where he researched legislation and public policy for grassroots advocates. He worked as a disaster relief intern with Global Hope Network International in Geneva, Switzerland, and has led youth service projects related to indigenous rights and immigration.
Fernando Cutz (Coral Springs, Fla.) – Cutz is a graduate of Washington University where he majored in international studies and political science and minored in psychology. He has interned with the U.S. State Department at the U.S. Embassy in Portugal and with the public defenders office in Broward County, Fla. He founded a student diversity initiative at Washington University and cofounded United for Undergraduate Socio-Economic Diversity (U-FUSED), a national campus diversity initiative.
Alana Gattis Bell (Fort Smith, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas with a bachelor’s in education, Bell has taught in military dependent schools at Camp Lejeune, a U.S. Marine Corps base in Jacksonville, N.C. She’s also taught in elementary and middle schools in Fort Smith and Greenville, S.C., and worked as a financial services assistant for SunTrust Bank. She has volunteered with Meals on Wheels, the Cub Scouts and Habitat for Humanity, among other organizations.
Nicky Hamilton (Johannesburg, South Africa) – Hamilton earned a degree in psychology and was named a Bishop Tutu Scholar at Sewanee: The University of the South, Tenn. She has worked as assistant to the CEO of an investment group aimed at empowering women and has eight years of experience working in higher education student affairs, international student services and admissions. Her service experience includes helping coordinate an outreach program for Hispanic students and working with the Rwandan Presidential Scholars Consortium.
Moksheda Thapa Hekel (Okhaldhunga, Nepal) – Hekel completed a degree in English and economics at People Campus in Kathmandu before earning a scholarship from the U.S. State Department Fulbright Commission in Nepal to complete her bachelor’s in international studies at Central College in Pella, Iowa. She has worked as an editorial assistant with the UN Mission in Nepal and has worked with the International Organization for Migration to help Bhutanese refugees resettle in the United States.
Tabitha Lee (Dermott, Ark.) – A kinesiology graduate from the University of Arkansas, Lee is pursuing the concurrent JD/MPS program with the Clinton School and the UALR Bowen School of Law. She recently worked as a primary school English teacher for the French Ministry of Education in Besancon, France. Her volunteer work includes serving on the Little Rock Racial and Cultural Diversity Commission and the UALR Student Bar Association.
Andy Lewis (Maitland, Fla.) – A graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in journalism, Lewis recently worked as a high school English teacher in New Orleans. Previously, he taught middle school English in Gretna, La., where he was named Teacher of the Year in 2009. He’s an alum of the Teach for America corps and worked with Rock the Vote during the 2004 presidential election.
Spencer Lucker (Little Rock, Ark.) – Lucker attended the University of Arkansas where he studied international relations, European studies and Spanish. He served as an intern with the Ombudsman and Communications Department in the office of Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe. He has spent the past 12 years volunteering with CARTI and CARTI Kids as a lifeguard and chaperone for an annual summer trip for pediatric cancer patients and survivors.
Nate Looney (Jonesboro, Ark.) – A concurrent JD/MPS student with the Clinton School and UALR Bowen School of Law, Looney majored in political science with a minor in economics at the University of Arkansas where he served as student body president and secretary. While student body president, Looney managed a budget of $250,000 and worked with leaders across Arkansas to advocate for higher education issues.
Molly McGowan (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Davidson College with a degree in history, McGowan spent a semester studying abroad at Universidad Andres Bello in Santiago, Chile. She also studied for a summer at Cambridge University. A concurrent JD/MPS student with the Clinton School and UALR Bowen School of Law, she worked for two years as executive assistant to Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln in Washington, D.C.
Dixon McReynolds (Cleveland, Ohio) – A graduate of The Evergreen State College (TESC) in Olympia, Wash., with a degree in political science, McReynolds is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, having served more than 20 years. He has served as an intern and legislative aide in the Washington State Senate and is a member of the TESC Board of Trustees. He currently works for the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs and has served two terms with AmeriCorps, working with the homeless is Las Vegas and Tacoma, Wash.
Jasmine Medley (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn., with a major in religious studies and minor in French, Medley has spent her summers helping promote economic development as an intern with the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce. She currently serves as a recruitment project leader and elementary school tutor for City Year Little Rock/North Little Rock.
Andrew Morgan (Spokane, Wash.) – Morgan is a graduate of Western Washington University where he studied environmental studies and geography. He has taught in Japan with a teacher exchange program and served in AmeriCorps with the Washington Reading Corps. He has also volunteered as teacher and coach for a school in Kaduna, Nigeria, and worked with a refugee assistance program in Spokane.
Shamim Okolloh (Nairobi, Kenya) – Okolloh is a graduate of Spelman College with a degree in environmental science. She has researched air pollution for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and served as an intern for the UN Environmental Program Ministerial Conference on the Environment. Her volunteer work includes working with the March of Dimes and Boreholes, an organization that provides safe drinking water and sanitation to rural communities.
Heidi Patterson (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Patterson is a graduate of the University of Utah where she earned her bachelor’s in art teaching. She has taught art at a Salt Lake City elementary school for the past year and previously served as an America Reads tutor and site team leader for two years at another elementary school. She’s served in AmeriCorps and as a big sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah and volunteered with Volunteers for America at the Center for Women and Children.
Marc Peters (Laurel, Md.) – A graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in public policy and journalism, Peters is a Truman Scholar. He has worked as a field organizer for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party; as a chapter coordinator for a national mental health advocacy nonprofit; and as national student blog director for the Obama presidential campaign. His service experience includes working as a teacher and counselor with the Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps in New Orleans.
Alyssa Provencio (Derby, Kan.) – Provencio is a graduate of Kansas State University where she majored in hotel and restaurant management. She has served with Teach for America in Phoenix, Az., and has worked as volunteer coordinator and resource development associate for a Phoenix area youth center. Most recently, she’s served in AmeriCorps with Rebuilding Together New Orleans, an organization leading post-Katrina revitalization by renovating and rebuilding storm-damaged homes for low-income homeowners.
Derrick Rainey (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in music performance, Rainey recently dedicated two years to service as a member of City Year Little Rock/North Little Rock. He has worked as a student mentor and paraprofessional for the Little Rock School District and is currently a member and corresponding secretary of the Pi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Through his work with the school district, City Year and other organizations, he has volunteered more than 4,000 hours.
Jessica Rice (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of the University of Arkansas with degrees in international relations and Spanish, Rice recently served as an English language and culture teaching assistant in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. In college, she served on the executive board of the campus’ chapter of Habitat for Humanity and volunteered at area homeless shelters. She also supervised canoeing activities at an annual festival celebrating American Indian heritage.
Acadia Roher (Little Rock, Ark.) – Roher graduated with a degree in environmental policy from Barnard College of Columbia University, where she served as the college’s first sustainability intern and cofounded a student group to promote environmental sustainability on campus. She has worked as a research assistant at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory and has worked in environmental campaign planning with the Sierra Student Coalition, an affiliate of the national Sierra Club.
Jared Rowell (Hermosa Beach, Calif.) – A graduate of New York University with a degree in political science, Rowell’s experience includes working in the motion picture talent department of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA), one of the top talent agencies in Hollywood. He’s also served as an assistant to the curator of a Harlem, N.Y., museum, and worked with an entertainment law firm. While at CAA, he coordinated the firm’s volunteer and community outreach activities.
Anatoliy Shatkovskyy (Cherkasy, Ukraine) – A graduate of the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) with a degree in international studies and a minor in French, Shatkovskyy has interned in Washington, D.C., with New York Congressman Gary Ackerman and Arkansas Congressman Vic Snyder. He has worked as a resident assistant in the UCA Honors College and served as president of the UCA Young Democrats and the UCA Model UN.
Erin Stock (Overland Park, Kan.) – Stock is a graduate of Northwestern University where she studied journalism and anthropology. She’s worked for the past four years as a reporter covering immigration and courts for the Birmingham News, Alabama’s largest daily newspaper. At Northwestern, she worked with other journalism students to investigate possible wrongful murder convictions with the Medill Innocence Project. After college, she volunteered with children at an orphanage in Quito, Ecuador.
Hilary Trudell (Knoxville, Tenn.) – Trudell is a graduate of the College of Charleston with a degree in theater and French. She worked in theater programming at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., before joining AmeriCorps where she administered projects in the areas of education, disaster relief and unmet human needs. She currently serves as an AmeriCorps member at Habitat for Humanity International.
Stephanie Ryan Williams (Little Rock, Ark.) – A graduate of Hendrix College with a major in psychology and a minor in Africana studies, Williams enters the concurrent MPH/MPS program with the Clinton School and the UAMS Boozman College of Public Health. She has worked as a point of service coordinator for UAMS and as a multicultural programming assistant for Hendrix. She has served with Teach for America and helped construct an after-school program facility in Tambo-de-Mora, Peru.
Responses