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Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows' Capstone Projects

A highlight of the Leadership Fellows experience is learning how to take a personal passion and turn it into a blueprint for action in the form of a Capstone Project, culminating in a final presentation at the conclusion of the program. Watch the presentations from alumni of the program.

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Class of 2019

Composting and Community Resilience

Miranda Dotson

American University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Service in Sports

Bobby Isbell

St. Olaf College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Art For Our Sake

Eliza Lafferty

Georgetown University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Indigenizing the News: Elevating Native Voices and Educating Non-Native Allies

Meghanlata Gupta

Yale University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Let’s Talk it Out: Fostering Civil Discourse at Middlebury and Beyond

Porter Bowman

Middlebury College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Providing Panthers Resources: A Collaborative Approach to Mental Advocacy in a University Setting

Emily Schulze

Drury University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Caring for Carolina: Creating Mental Health Resources for Resident Advisors

Caroline Carpenter

University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

An Examination of Intellectual Diversity at the Woodrow Wilson School

Shafaq Khan

Princeton University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

The Marginalized View: Changing the Popular Narrative

Ty Eddington

Union College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Stella: Stargazing as a Grounding Experience

John Martin Weed

University of Alabama
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

RISE: Registration is Student Empowerment

Liam Elkind

Yale University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

The Seed of Freedom: Founding an Educational Nonprofit in Winona, MS

Mitchell Palmertree

University of Mississippi
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Sooner Civics: Promoting Civic Education and Engagement at the University of Oklahoma

Derek Bixler

University of Oklahoma
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Axis Baseline: Developing UChicago Volunteers for Special Needs Classrooms in Chicago Public Schools

Sofia Barnett

University of Chicago
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2019

Class of 2018

Pitt Plays

Emma O’Brien

East Carolina University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

CAP and GOWN: Creating College Graduates

Clay Martinson

University of Alabama
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Donations for Citations at the Beach

Steph Argent

California State University Long Beach
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Yale Votes: The 2018 Election and Beyond

Jordan Cozby

Yale University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

We Are Not OKKKAY

Summer Asad

Depauw University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Agree to Disagree: Bridging the Divide in Columbia’s Campus Discourse

Belle Harris

Columbia University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Her Future is Bright: Creating Curious and Confident Girls in Monmouth, IL

Hadley Smithhisler

Monmouth College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Got Skills? A Skills Center in Whitman County

Matthew Winchell

Washington State University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

The Future is Female: Empowering Missouri Women to Run for Public Office

Amanda Morrison

Temple University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Please Touch the Art: Rethinking Art and Accessibility at the Allen Memorial Art Museum

Katie Lucey

Oberlin College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Student Civic Engagement in Raleigh, NC

Adam Schmidt

North Carolina State University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

In The Know: Keeping Clemson Students Informed

Zach Pate

Clemson University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Fostering Altruism at Mount Holyoke College

Avery Allen

Mount Holyoke College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Hogs to the Trough: Raising the Usage of the University of Arkansas Food Pantry

William Neely

University of Arkansas
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Resource Roadmap: Taking Aim at Opportunity Access at Harvard

Ben Sorkin

Harvard University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Soul of the South: Promoting a New Narrative Through Art

Liza Boyer

University of Mississippi
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2018

Class of 2017

Preemie Parcels: Supporting NICU Families

Rebekah Parris

University of South Carolina
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Power in the Pen: Writing Center as an Empowering Institution

Kameron Dunbar

Oberlin College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Operation Constitution: Historians for Youth Civic Engagement

Shannon Fischer

The College of William & Mary
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Experience Vanderbilt: Eliminating Barriers to Extracurricular Activities

Richard Hamrick

Vanderbilt University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Let’s Talk Suicide: Proposing Legislation to Equip Teachers with Suicide Intervention Strategies

Dorothy Jiang

Brown University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Not Just Her Problem: Creating Male Allies to Combat Sexual Assault

Katie Mars

Elon University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Store it, Save it, Sell it: Small-Scale Grain Storage in Sassier, Haiti

Michael Morette

Franklin & Marshall College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Cutting to the Core of Sustainable Youth Leadership Programs

Margo Mullins

Wofford College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Community Design Playbook: Best-Practice Principles of Urban Planning

Cole Porter

Mercer University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Profits from Poverty: Gentrification in the Chocolate City

Leondre Ramsay

Howard University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Pass the Plate: Addressing Food Insecurity Through Decreased Food Waste

Olivia Reszczynski

Duke University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Fitness On and Off the Field: Encouraging Mental Wellness Among Student Athletes

Evelyn Roberts

Yale University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

People for the Period: Increasing Accessibility to Menstrual Hygiene Products

Savannah Rogers

Washington State University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Si se Puede! Increasing Access to Secondary Education Among Latinx Youth

Samuel Vilchez Santiago

Princeton University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Badgers Against Human Trafficking: Increasing Awareness and Advocating Against Modern Day Slavery

Ron Steinhoff

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2017

Class of 2016

Youth Mental Hygiene: Encouraging Lifelong Self-Care

Emerson Wells

Brown University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

 

From Obscurity to Clarity: A Plan to Increase Access to Higher Education in Nashville’s Coptic Community

Erinie Yousief

Sarah Lawrence College
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Marion Leadership Academy: Inspiring Black Belt Youth

Tyler Portanova

University of Alabama
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Lead Counsel: Bridging the Civil Legal Gap with Pro-Bono Assistance

Phoebe Lockhart

University of Nebraska
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Sew Simple: Teaching Sewing Skills Through a Mentorship Program

Claire Lee

Purdue University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Companions of Fire: Protecting and Empowering Apostates and Blasphemers in Islamic Countries

Zachary Lien

University of Idaho
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Tap into Water: Community Empowerment through Water

Morgan King

West Virginia University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

I Need a Job: Improving Economic Assistance for Former Child Soldiers

Jonathan Kaufmann

American University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Reducing Sexual Assault on College Campuses: It’s on Cougs

Garrett Kalt

Washington State University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Learning through Leadership: A Curriculum for George Washington Carver National Monument

Ashley Burns

Missouri Southern State University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Book Accessibility: Waco Up & Read

Janessa Blythe

Baylor University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

The Bligen Family Foundation: The Future of Fatherhood

Kyle Bligen

Mercer University
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

It Takes a Village: Providing Higher Education Empowerment in Prince George’s County

Andrea Barnes

University of North Carolina
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016

Sex Education isn’t Awkward: Improving Penn Health Initiative

Shelby Barlow

University of Pennsylvania
Mount Vernon Leadership Fellows, class of 2016