Laila Bomze
Majors – Communications: Rhetoric and Communications, and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies
"I am honored to be a part of the 2023 Browne Leadership Fellowship cohort. Throughout my life, and my time at Pitt, I have been able to serve the communities in which I live, learn, and work. I am excited to continue to grow my connection to Pittsburgh and the people outside of the university. My passion for service learning began at a young age and inspired my decision to take a gap year with Bina: The Jewish Movement For Social Change. While on my gap year in Israel, I volunteered in a school with children of refugees and asylum seekers from Sudan and Eritrea. I am delighted to be able to continue growing and learning through service work within the Pittsburgh community."
Zeinah Browne
Major: Pre-Pharmacy
"The single most significant impact that I have brought to the community was the creation and development of a social organization that I co-founded with 4 of my high school peers. The motivation for the development of this organization was the need for a platform in the greater Pittsburgh area for youth of color who wanted to express themselves through their art and activism.
I am honored for the opportunity to be selected as a Browne Leadership Fellow this year! As a Pittsburgh native who is invested in the community, I am very excited to enhance my community engagement skillset and have an impact in the community through the fellowship. Outside of STEM, social justice and civic engagement have always been my passion."
Lily Crowner
Major: Psychology
Minors: Social Work and Sociology
"I am incredibly grateful as well as excited for the opportunity to serve as a Browne Leadership Fellow! Growing up in a small town allowed me to truly understand the importance of a sense of community, and as Pittsburgh has transformed into my new home, I am excited to give back and contribute to this community. I look forward to being able to bring my passion for activism and service to our cohort as well as gain hands-on experience and knowledge from other individuals making positive contributions in our community. I hope to be able to take my new knowledge, relationships, and skills into my future endeavors and give back to the community that has provided me with immense personal and academic growth."
Raafay Khan
Majors: Economics, Political Science
"I've always called myself a native Pittsburgher, but in truth, being raised in a well-off suburb meant I had very few opportunities to interact with the heart of the city growing up. Now, as a first-year student at Pitt, I'm excited to get the chance to put my background in civic action to good use by engaging with Pittsburgh communities at a personal level. I'm incredibly grateful to be a Browne fellow, for the learning experience I know that this program will provide, and for the opportunity to help my city and its people in a meaningful manner!"
Madelynn Lederer
Majors: Political Science and Public & Professional Writing
Minor: Creative Writing
Certificate: Leadership and TV & Broadcast Arts
"In my experiences in public service so far, I have realized the importance of engaging with the actual human experience behind the policies we put in place. Through the Browne Fellowship, I hope to expand my understanding of what it means to serve a community responsibly and learn more about the work Pittsburgh leaders are doing to address our most pervasive social problems."
Annemarie Nguyen
Majors: Neuroscience and Psychology with a Certificate in Conceptual Foundations of Medicine
“I am incredibly honored to be recognized as a Browne Leadership Fellow where I can collaborate with a talented and wonderful cohort! I believe that when we fully immerse ourselves into the communities we are a part of, it contributes to who we are as individuals and as members of society. I hope that by listening to the voices of our local leaders and learning what it means to be a part of a community, I can bring about positive and tangible change, give back to the local neighborhoods that helped me become the person I am today, and continue my passion in health advocacy through education and service. I am beyond excited to put my best foot forward in this meaningful experience!”
Jimmy Rekowski
Major: Chemistry – Bioscience Option
"I am grateful and excited to be given the opportunity with the Browne Leadership Fellows program to engage with likeminded students and serve a community important to me. Growing up in the Pittsburgh area, it is important to me to make a difference in the community that has given me so much, and I look forward to making this happen. With the goal of a career in healthcare, I hope to be able to make a difference in areas important to me such as healthcare disparities or special needs awareness and advocation. No matter the area, I know that I can make a positive impact. Through the entire fellowship, I hope to grow as a learner, a listener, and as a person."
Vidya Surti
Majors: English, Anthropology
Minors: Chemistry
Certificate: Global Health
"I am humbled and honored to be a Browne Leadership Fellow. As someone with a disability, investing time in community initiative and well-being serves as a mechanism for personal growth and positive impact. Some areas of interest include disability advocacy and accessibility, community health, and housing justice which I hope to foster through discussion and collaboration with the cohort and my community partner. As a fellow, I hope to continue to develop skills to invest further in Pittsburgh's vibrant local community within the frame of social work."
Sam Tarolli they/them
Major: Urban Studies
Minor: LGBT and Critical Gender Studies
"Hello! My name is Sam, I am from the Cleveland area and I came to Pittsburgh to continue growing as an advocate and student, and learn in a new city to gain a fresh perspective. As a queer and trans student my passion falls with helping those within my community gain access to necessary resources and connect with other queer people around them. Along with LGBT+ advocacy, I fight for accessible and inclusive reproductive healthcare. Although these are my special interests, I am excited to have the opportunity to explore areas of social justice that I have not had the chance to explore previously.
I am so excited to be a Browne Leadership Fellow for 2023! The Browne Leadership Fellows Program is an embodiment of what I am striving for throughout my academic and professional career. I want to create meaningful change within my community and the communities around me. The Browne Leadership Fellows Program will be a crucial step in allowing me to harness and build leadership and teamwork skills to help me create this change. I am very excited to explore and learn more about Pittsburgh, its neighborhoods, and the community organizations and leaders that have changed and created the Pittsburgh we see today."