Announcing the 2011-12 Brandeis-India Initiative Fellows

from left: Sarah Janes MA '12, Jessica Christian '13, William Lodge '13, Nusrath Yusuf '13, David Wilkerson '12, Chenyu "Terry" Li '14, Daniel Tassone '13. Not pictured: Melissa Donze '12.

The Brandeis-India Initiative is excited to announce its eight inaugural 2011-12 student Fellows.

The program, launched this year with support from Indian parents and friends, seeks to raise the number of students pursuing study and work in India. It also hopes to match student passions for social projects with the interest of India alumni and partners, and build mentoring and other relationships. As part of a regular summer internship or study abroad program, students will create an academic or community-based project which can be shared with the Brandeis-India communities.

The selected students include seven undergraduates and one graduate student. They each will receive $1,000 for the support of their project, which many students are combining with other University-funded programs.

Jessica Christian ’13 is a Health: Science, Society, and Policy/Women’s and Gender Studies double major and a Science POSSE scholar. With support of summer Science POSSE funding, she will be interning in Bangalore with an NGO, called “MILANA,” which works on supporting women living with HIV/AIDS. This internship emerged from a documentary she viewed in a Brandeis class and her involvement in the student organization Girl Effect. For her India Fellows project, she hopes to connect with alumni in Bangalore as well as bring the experience back through video-blogging and photography.

Melissa Donze ’12 is a International and Global Studies/Politics double major who is currently studying abroad in London. She’ll also be interning with MILANA, along with Jessica, with support of World of Work (WOW) funding. Her India Fellows project will also focus on connecting with Indian alumni on HIV/AIDS and global health issues, and coming back to Brandeis to host panel discussions as part of the student global AIDS campaign.

Sarah Janes MA ’12 is a graduate student in the Sustainable International Development Program at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management. Sarah will be conducting her second-year practicum from October 2011 – March 2012 in Assam, a rural state in northeast India bordering Bhutan and Bangladesh. She will working with Fertile Ground, which promotes sustainable agricultural practices in farming communities. For her project, she hopes to set up Skype conversations with Brandeis classes and also produce a short documentary for viewing at Brandeis.

Chenyu “Terry” Li ’14 is a first-year international student from China. He’ll be based in Dharamshala, a hill station known for its large Tibetan community. He’ll be with “Love Volunteers,” an NGO that places college students from around the world in Dharamshala classrooms to help elementary schools with basic computer, math, and language skills.

William Lodge ’13 is an English major and South Asian Studies minor who is planning to study abroad in spring 2012 in New Delhi, studying culture and literature. His program has a community service option, which he is hoping to turn into his India Fellows project. He’ll be aiming to volunteer with a school of music and performing arts.

Daniel Tassone ’13 is a Psychology major who is planning to study abroad in spring 2012 in Pune, studying contemporary Indian culture and public health. As part of his program and his India Fellows project, he’ll be seeking an internship in a psychology dept or research project.

David Wilkerson ’12 is an Anthropology major/pre-med and South Asian Studies minor who will be in Bangalore with “YUVA for SEWA”, an organization that works on hospital visits and doctor support. He’ll be keeping a journal and doing photography, and hopes to work this into a presentation for his Fellows project.

Nusrath Yusuf ’13 is a Neuroscience/Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies double major who will be interning in New Delhi as a Louis D. Brandeis Social Justice WOW Fellow with Operation ASHA, which aims to prevent and eliminate TB. For her India Fellows project, she hopes to work with our new Delhi Alumni Chapter to raise awareness of global health issues, as well as present at the EL Symposium and other venues when back at Brandeis.