Public research takes time and focus. It is also capable of fostering positive community change, which is one compelling reason why it should be a prominent part of academic research. That’s one of the takeaways from Esther Ishimwe’s experience as a Social Impact Fellow with New America. Working with Ivy Love, senior adviser in the Center on Education & Labor, Ishimwe examined the intricacies involved in producing socially-engaged research, from data collection to publication. Then she partnered with Love on public-facing projects focused on topics like food insecurity among college students, as well as housing insecurity among student parents. Ishimwe’s work is featured on New America’s education policy blog, EdCentral. 

“My experience as a GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellow was illuminating. I learned that the research that drives social impact is a thorough process that takes time and effort. It has higher stakes and the ability to drive new social change. As someone who aims to work in architectural education, this experience helped me realize that my skill set is transferable and it broadened my options for post-grad work.” – Esther Ishimwe, GS, ARC

The Center on Education & Labor at New America (CELNA) has hosted six GradFUTURES fellows to date, spanning fields from architecture and Slavic studies to social psychology. This disciplinary diversity has been an asset, Love says.

“Regardless of how closely related our fellows’ programs of study at Princeton are to higher education and labor issues, they have contributed meaningfully to a range of projects. We’ve consistently been able to rely on them to get up to speed and take on new tasks, and we are so grateful to have had such bright emerging scholars as part of our team.” – Ivy Love, Senior Advisor, Center on Education & Labor, New America

Student-Produced Public Research at New America

• Esther Ishimwe, GS, ARC: Leading the Way: Colleges Championing Access to Housing for Parents (with Ivy Love); Growing Solutions to Food Insecurity on College Campuses
   
• Leon Mait, GS, PSY: Just Trying to Fight for Yourself": What We Still Need to Know about Affirmative Action Bans' Impact on Student Well-Being; To Support Student Parents, Colleges Need to Know Who they Are
   
• Megan Baumhammer, HIS: Fostering Adult Student Success during COVID: 3 Key Takeaways for College Leaders (with Mauriell H. Amechi of New America)
   
• Ariana Natalie Myers *22 (HIS): 4 Ways College Leaders can Support Students with Disabilities as COVID Still Rages (with Mauriell H. Amechi)
   
• Rebekah Haigh, GS, REL: Six Years and No College Degree; Travel-based Learning at Community College

Our Fellowship Partner

New America is dedicated to renewing the promise of America by continuing the quest to realize our nation's highest ideals, honestly confronting the challenges caused by rapid technological and social change, and seizing the opportunities those changes create. Since 1999, New America has nurtured a new generation of policy experts and public intellectuals. Today we are a community of innovative problem-solvers, combining our core expertise in researching, reporting and analysis with new areas of coding, data science, and human-centered design to experiment and innovate nationally and globally.

Learn More About GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships

GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships are bespoke opportunities for Princeton graduate students with nonprofit organizations that have partnered with the Graduate School. Host organizations work closely with the Graduate School to determine the learning outcomes and professional development goals for these immersive experiences. Each fellowship is custom-designed, allowing graduate students to apply discipline-specific skills, gain interdisciplinary project team experience, and receive one-on-one mentoring while contributing to the social impact mission of the organization.