Inaugural HaverPhilly Alumni Fellows Announced

The Center for Peace and Global Citizenship has named the first recipients of its HaverPhilly Alumni Fellowships. This new program, which places recent Bi-Co graduates in entry-level positions at Philadelphia-area mission-driven partner organizations, is an evolution of the Haverford House Fellows Program, which has done similar work since 2002. 

The inaugural HaverPhilly Alumni Fellows are Mercedes Davis '20, Deborah Ekwale BMC '21, and Valentina Zavala-Arbelaez '21. Davis, a sociology major, will work at the Philadelphia Legal Assistance. Ekwale, a public health major, will work at African Family Health Organization. And Zavala-Abrelaez, an anthropology major, will work at HIAS Pennsylvania.

These fellows will earn a living wage ($15/hour), not a stipend, and Haverford College employee benefits during their yearlong fellowship. Unlike the Haverford House Fellowship, there is not a residential component to the program, so fellows are free to select their own preferred living situation. Fellows will participate in a structured professional development series, learning about various approaches to change making, and developing their networks, including first and foremost Philly locals, including alumni. They will also partner with CPGC staff and academic programs, such as health studies, to strengthen community-engaged learning for Haverford students. 

“This past year was the 20th anniversary of CPGC, and that gave us the opportunity we needed to interrogate ways the program could better serve its social justice mission,” said CPGC Associate Director Janice Lion. “We had a lot to be proud of as far as the meaningful impact that more than 100 fellows have had with more than a dozen partner organizations over the years. We were able to bring together more than 150 stakeholders as part of a visioning process from which we emerged with a new model that attracted the strongest and most diverse applicant pool in 10 years. We are so excited to welcome our three new fellows as colleagues and to work in deep partnership with Philadelphians who collaborate with us to carry out the CPGC’s mission locally."

The HaverPhilly Alumni Fellows start their placements July 1. 

Read more about Fords who have won fellowships, scholarships, or grants.