Woodbridge Fellowship

Established in 2005 by President Richard C. Levin, the Woodbridge Fellowship introduces recent Yale College graduates to the work and administration of Yale. The fellowship provides valuable professional experience for potential careers in higher education and non-profit organizations, particularly for recent graduates belonging to minority communities currently underrepresented in university administration. 

Fellowships are full-time paid positions in the offices of university leaders, who take active interest in fellows’ professional development. Fellows directly report to senior members of their offices and work with a variety of university staff, at all levels. Fellows most often combine day-to-day duties with responsibilities for specific projects that utilize their research abilities and other higher-level skills. Organizational and writing skills are particularly valuable, as is the ability to work well with multiple constituencies: staff of all kinds (clerical, technical, service, maintenance, managerial, and professional), faculty, alumni, and students.   

Fellows meet regularly together, including for lunchtime conversation with the president, provost,  secretary, and other university leaders. These conversations about roles and responsibilities, and the career paths that led people into academic administration, give fellows a broad understanding of many facets of working in higher education.

Profiles on current and past Woodbridge Fellows can be found below.

For prospective fellows

Applications for 2024-25 fellowship positions are closed.  Applications for 2025-2026 will open in early spring of 2025.

Questions about the fellowship or application process can be directed to Julia Hsieh .

Current Woodbridge Fellows

Ismihan Abdelkadir
Office of Educational Opportunity

Ismihan hails from McDonough, Georgia, and graduated from Yale College in 2024 with a degree in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. She is thrilled to join Yale’s Office of Educational Opportunity (OEO) as a Woodbridge Fellow. During her time at Yale, Ismihan was deeply committed to supporting and nurturing the FGLI (First-Generation, Low-Income) community. She served in various capacities, including working as a STEM Navigator and FGLI peer mentor with the OEO, as well as working as a peer mentor for the STARS I Program to help URM and FGLI students navigate STEM at Yale. She has also served as president of Yale’s QuestBridge Chapter and as a counselor and, recently, a residential director for the First-Year Scholars at Yale (FSY) Program. Additionally, Ismihan contributed to the broader New Haven community as the director of the Social Services Department at the HAVEN Free Clinic, where she helped provide resources and support to underserved and under-resourced populations. As a Woodbridge Fellow, Ismihan aims to further support Yale’s FGLI community, striving to make Yale an inclusive environment where all students, regardless of their background, feel empowered to thrive and succeed. In her free time, Ismihan enjoys reading fantasy novels, taking long walks to the Marsh Botanical Garden, and exploring the city’s cafes.

Leda Blaires Ciotti
MacMillan Center, Council on Latin American & Iberian Studies

Born and raised in eastern Paraguay, at the border with Brazil and Argentina, Leda serves as the current Woodbridge Fellow for the Council on Latin American & Iberian Studies. Leda is particularly interested in issues of migration, imperialism, colonialism, and neocolonialism in Latin America, as well as in the origins of liberation psychology in the continent. She recently graduated from Yale College earning a B.A. in Psychology with distinction and a certificate in Medieval Studies. Her primary interests in psychology include research in interpersonal relationships and social psychology and the social and cultural factors affecting mental health. For her senior essay in psychology, she examined discrimination in immigration policies through the lens of social psychological theories. In her medieval studies coursework, Leda focused on the cultural interactions between Jews, Muslims, and Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages, with a special emphasis on poetry and history. During her time as an undergraduate, Leda worked closely with CLAIS and the Office of International Affairs for over three years, serving as a student programming assistant. In these roles, she honed her communication and organizational skills, facilitated community engagement initiatives, and contributed to the planning and execution of events such as the Environmental Justice in the Amazon conference.

Vanessa Blas
Good Life Center

Vanessa Blas is the Woodbridge Fellow for the Good Life Center, where she oversees the daily operations and programming of Yale’s student wellness center while aiming to cultivate a campus culture that prioritizes students’ physical and mental health. She graduated from Yale College in 2022 with a B.A. in Anthropology and recently received an M.P.H. at the Yale School of Public Health. Her work as a student focused on advancing health equity in various communities, particularly in the areas of mental health among adolescents in American Samoa and Black maternal health in Waterbury, CT. She is also passionate about promoting wellness on campus through community-building and strengthening, as she was a Chief Aide and Graduate Affiliate for her undergraduate residential college Timothy Dwight (Áshe!). Vanessa enjoys cooking, running around New Haven, reading new books, binge-watching countless sitcoms, and spending time with her family and their new dog, Freya.

Delinah Hailey
Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life

Delinah (she/her) was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and she is the Woodbridge Fellow for the Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life. She graduated from Yale in 2024, receiving a B.A. in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration with a Concentration in Law & Politics. At OSVPUL, Delinah’s work includes coordinating Yale’s civic engagement efforts, supporting initiatives led by Belonging at Yale, leading the Woodbridge Fellowship cohort, and collaborating with partners across the university. As an undergraduate, Delinah was a Cultural Connections counselor for new students, and she served on the Board of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project. She also worked at the Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies as a research assistant, collecting data on racial bias in criminal sentencing. With a background in health equity, racial justice advocacy, and public defense work, Delinah cares deeply about community, and she is eager to support students and the broader Yale community through her work. In her free time, she enjoys exploring New Haven, finding new music for her ever-growing playlists, and dragging her friends along to play basketball.

Jennifer Melo
Office of New Haven Affairs

With roots in Stratford, Connecticut, Jennifer Melo (she/her) graduated from Yale College with a B.A. in Sociology and a certificate in Education Studies. Her deep commitment to community organizing for education access, youth leadership, and migrant empowerment has driven her to actively engage with New Haven through impactful work with organizations like the New Haven Public Schools Advocates, Unidad Latina en Acción, and Citywide Youth Coalition, as well as through legislative initiatives in Mayor Elicker’s Office. On campus, she was a part of the Yale Undergraduate Prison Project, where she worked on advocacy and service projects at the intersection of schools, courts, and government. Now, as a Woodbridge Fellow with the Office of New Haven Affairs (ONHA), Jennifer is eager to continue fostering meaningful connections between Yale and the city she loves. In her role, she focuses on community relations and communication, showcasing the dynamic partnerships between Yale and New Haven and sustaining her commitment to amplifying resident voices in the office’s city affairs. In her free time, Jennifer treasures the simple joys of early-morning coffee, strolling through New Haven with a playlist, cheering on Colombia’s national soccer teams, and spending quality time with her family and pets.

Lexa Pulido Rodriguez
Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration

Lexa (she/her) calls McAllen, Texas, her home. She recently graduated from Yale in 2024 with a B.A. in Ethnicity, Race, and Migration and an Advanced Language Certificate in Spanish. Now serving as the Woodbridge Fellow at RITM, Lexa is deeply committed to social justice and cultural expression. Her advocacy work includes preparing asylum applications at CARECEN SF and translating legal documents for Esperanza Attorneys at Law. As Co-President of ¡Oye! Spoken Word, she restored the vibrant poetry and performance community. Lexa supported her peers as a Peer Liaison for La Casa Cultural and Spanish Tutor for Yale’s Center for Language Study; she also studied Portuguese in Brazil and human rights in Nepal, Jordan, and Chile. In college, Lexa danced and choreographed with Sabrosura, and she continues to pursue her passion for dance today. In her free time, she enjoys capturing the world through her camera lens, making zines, and searching for the perfect chai latte.

Hamera Shabbir
Office of International Affairs, Communications

Originally from Patterson, California, Hamera Shabbir (she/her) is the current Woodbridge Fellow in Communications for the Office of International Affairs. She manages the office’s social media platforms and assists with research on international programming. She graduated from Yale College in 2024 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies, concentrating in Policy. Outside of the classroom, Hamera worked for Yale Planetary Solutions and as a Co-Head Aide for the Branford Head of College Office. She built on her passion for communication by serving as the Sports Editor for the Yale Daily News, interning for the Modesto Bee, and acting as Communications and Media Chair for the South Asian Society at Yale. In her free time, Hamera enjoys exploring the Northeast, concocting silly little drinks, and binge-watching shows from the pre-One Direction split era.

Oscar Sweeting
Office of Public Affairs and Communications

Oscar Sweeting is the Woodbridge Fellow for the Office of Public Affairs and Communications. At OPAC, Oscar works with the editorial and media relations teams to celebrate the fantastic people and places at Yale and share them with the wider world. Having been a Londoner all his life, Oscar left England to study English at Yale, graduating with a B.A. in 2024. Along the way, he got ink on his hands working for several campus publications, worked as a writing partner in the Poorvu Center, and served as a first-year counsellor for Hopper College.

Mariluz Tejeda Leon
Yale College Dean's Office, Student Engagement

Born and raised in East Salinas, CA, Mariluz (they/them) is Yale College Dean’s Office, Student Engagement 2023 Woodbridge Fellow. They graduated from Yale College in 2023 with a degree in History and a certificate from the Multidisciplinary Academic Program in Human Rights. They transferred to Yale in 2019 from Hartnell Community College. As a student at Yale, Mariluz wore many different hats: Lead Transfer Peer Advisor, Co-Moderator of Mecha, Lead Student Mentor of the Pedagogical Partners program, Senior Interviewer with Admissions, and the curator of Yale fashion content online. Mariluz hopes to use their time as a Woodbridge Fellow to support student wellbeing at Yale, particularly the development of new affinity programming. In their free time, Mariluz cranks 90s in Fortnite, looks for Tripp pants at the thrift store, and participates in local community events and groups.

Bryan Ventura
Office of International Affairs

Originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Bryan Ventura is one of two Woodbridge Fellows at the Office of International Affairs. He is responsible for managing media outreach and furthering strategic partnerships and initiatives between Yale and Africa. He graduated from Yale College in 2024 with a B.A. in Film & Media Studies. During his time at Yale, Bryan served as a Student Worker in Assistive Technology at the Office of Student Accessibility Services, as a Temporary Expert at the Center for Collaborative Arts & Media, and as a staff reporter at the Yale Daily News and Yale Herald. Outside the office, Bryan enjoys discovering new indie films and revisiting classic 80s albums.

Stephanie Wang
Schwarzman Center

Stephanie Wang (she/they) is the Woodbridge Fellow for Yale Schwarzman Center, where she works in the Marketing and Communications Team as the in-house graphic designer. In addition, they also manage the Center’s social media presence, curating content and engaging with the broader New Haven art community. She graduated from Yale in 2024 with a B.A. in both Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Art with a concentration in Graphic Design. During her time as an undergraduate student, she was a studio designer at the student-run group Design at Yale (DAY), where she worked on client-based and internal design projects. They aided in maintaining and curating the tropical plant selections at Marsh Botanical Garden and worked as a neuroscience research assistant at the medical school conducting mice surgeries. Stephanie’s multidisciplinary design work has been featured in various exhibitions at the Yale School of Art, including This Design is Very Human as part of the Spring 2023 Open Studios programming, as well as the undergraduate thesis shows The host will let you in soon and You Are Now The Host. Stephanie enjoys knitting or crocheting, testing out new cooking recipes, or powerlifting at Payne Whitney Gym.

Past Woodbridge Fellows

Yasmeen Abed, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life

Peyton Aiken, Yale Education Studies

Vanessa Blas, Good Life Center

Ryan Huynh, Center for the Study of Race, Indigeneity, and Transnational Migration

EJ Jarvis, Office of New Haven Affairs

Neha Middela, Office of International Affairs

Michael Min, Office of International Affairs, Communications

Ruby Park, Office of Public Affairs and Communications

Mariluz Tejeda Leon, Yale College Dean’s Office, Student Affairs

Seina Cho, Office of International Affairs, Communications & Research

Laurie Gomez, Schwarzman Center

Kevin Han, Office of Public Affairs and Communications

Christian Milian-Santiago, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life

Alex Rocha-Alvarez, Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Audrey Yeung, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning

Jackie Zhang, Good Life Center
 

Nadira Abdihali, Office of International Affairs

Allison Bensiger, Office of Public Affairs and Communications

Alec Bernal, Schwarzman Center

Abby Lee, Office of New Haven Affairs

Christian Milian-Santiago, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life

Xán Miñan, Chaplain’s Office

Alexa Vaghenas, Good Life Center

Nadira Abdihali, Office of International Affairs

Jorge Anaya, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning & Yale College Dean’s Office

Ruhi Manek, Schwarzman Center

Xán Miñan, Chaplain’s Office

Olivia Roth, Office of International Affairs

Alexa Vaghenas, Good Life Center

Jorge Anaya, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning & Yale College Dean’s Office

Valentina Guerrero, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for University Life

Kevin Kim, Chaplain’s Office

Stephanie Reynolds Ramos, Office of Public Affairs and Communications

Anita Norman, Office of Public Affairs and Communications,

Sabrina Rostkowski, Office of International Affairs

Lekha Tlhotlhalemaje, Office of International Affairs

Christian De Leon, Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Eilaf Elmileik, Office of International Affairs

Nic Harris, Office of Public Affairs and Communications

Saatchi Kalsi, Office of International Affairs

Kevin Kim, Chaplain’s Office

Madeline Lemberg, Office of General Counsel

José López, Center for Teaching and Learning & Yale College Dean’s Office

Katie McCleary, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life

Stephanie Reynolds Ramos, Office of Public Affairs and Communications

Emma Smith, Office of Sustainability

Mallory Isburg, Chaplain’s Office

Jacqueline Ly, Office of International Affairs

Ewurama Okai, Office of International Affairs

Steven Roets, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life

Keni Sabath, Office of General Counsel

Leah Salovey, Office of the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Karin Shedd, Office of Public Affairs & Communications

Kendall Teare, Office of Public Affairs & Communications

Renee Bollier, Office of International Affairs
Amanda Stephanie F. Farrell, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life
Beata Fiszer, Office of Sustainability
Dianne Lake, Office of International Affairs
Mustafa Malik, Chaplain’s Office
Esther Portyansky, Office of the General Counsel
Keni Sabath, Center for Teaching and Learning
Kyle Sevel, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life
Karin Shedd, Office of Public Affairs and Communications 
Christian Soler, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office

Román Castellanos-Monfil, Office of Public Affairs and Communications
Elena Gonzalez, Office of Development
Tiffany Ho, Office of International Affairs
Maxwell Knapp, Office of Sustainability
Christian Maxwell, Chaplain’s Office
Matthew Ribeiro, Office of the Deputy Vice President for Human Resources and Administration
Sara Samuel, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life

Ifeanyi Awachie, Office of International Affairs
Armando Ghinaglia, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life
Isadora Italia, Office of International Affairs
Ryan Laemel, Office of Sustainability
Christian Maxwell, Chaplain’s Office
Aubrey Renault, Office of International Students and Scholars
Wazhma Sadat, Jackson Institute for Global Affairs
Jack Zhao, Office of the Deputy Vice President for Human Resources and Administration

Marj Berman, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life
Abigail Braden, Chaplain’s Office
Leslie Bull, Office of International Affairs
Omar Dairanieh, Office of Public Affairs & Communications
Lily Lewis-McNeil, Office of Development
Ryan Mendias, Office of Digital Dissemination and Online Education
So Yoon Sim, Office of International Affairs
Christian Vazquez, Office of the Deputy Vice President for Human Resources and Administration

Aala Abdelgadir, Office of International Affairs
Katie Carmody, Association of Yale Alumni
David Demres, Yale-NUS College
Bezawit Getachew, Office of Administration
Brandon Levin, Office of the Vice President
Jennifer Mosby, West Campus Administration
Julia Myers, Office of Public Affairs & Communications
Umar Qadri, Office of the Chaplaincy
Emmanuel Quartey, Office of Public Affairs & Communications
Erin Schutte, Office of International Affairs
Chandrika Srivastava, Office of the Secretary and Vice President for Student Life

Sarika Arya, Office of International Affairs
David Demres, Yale-NUS College
Grace Fisher, Office of the Secretary
George Harris, Office of International Affairs
Faye Maison, Association of Yale Alumni
Ivy Onyeador, Office of the Chaplaincy

Adam Haliburton, Office of Federal Relations
Khadija Khan, Office of Administration
Neli Lazarova, Office of International Affairs

Erin Johnson, Office of the Secretary
Amy Jones, Office of the General Counsel
Neli Lazarova, Office of International Affairs

Fiza Ahmed, Office of International Affairs
Jamal Fulton, Office of Administration
Deeona Gaskin, Office of the General Counsel
Erin Johnson, Office of Public Affairs
Yuan Ren, Office of International Affairs
Clairelise Rodriguez, Office of Federal Relations
Altaf Saadi, Office of the Chaplaincy
Adam Scharfman, Office of International Affairs
Thuy Tran, Office of Development

Yusuf Samara, Office of International Students & Scholars and Office of International Affairs
Ricardo Sandoval, Office of New Haven and State Affairs
Iris Shih, Office of the University Printer
Erin Thomas, Office of the President and Office of the Secretary
Lauren Thompson, Office of the General Counsel
Luis Vasquez, Office of Public Affairs

Yusuf Samara, Office of International Students & Scholars and Office of International Affairs
Ricardo Sandoval, Office of New Haven and State Affairs
Lauren Thompson, Office of the Secretary

Lauren Thompson, Office of the Secretary