2026 Undergraduate Fellows
Welcoming the 2026 Cohort of Public Service Fellows
Twenty-five undergraduates have been selected as the newest cohort of Moynihan Public Service Fellows. Chosen for their academic excellence, commitment to public service, and dedication to constructive dialogue across lines of difference, they join an intellectual community that brings together undergraduates, graduate students, distinguished practitioners, and senior scholars. Each Fellow will receive up to $20,000 in support over two years. Congratulations and welcome to our new Moynihan Fellows!
By the Numbers
25
Public Service Fellows
Selected from a competitive applicant pool, this year's cohort brings together students from across CCNY's schools and disciplines.
15
Academic Majors and Minors
Representing the breadth of inquiry that enriches the Moynihan Center’s intellectual community.
3 .7
Cumulative GPA
Fellows combine academic excellence with a commitment to service.
Building a Representative Public Sector
The Moynihan Center develops civic leaders who reflect the communities they serve. Drawing from City College’s extraordinary student body, our fellows represent a cross-section of New York City’s neighborhoods, languages, and lived experiences—creating a direct pipeline connecting the city’s most talented university students to leadership positions in public service.
What draws me to public service is the opportunity to work at the intersection of systems and people, understanding how power operates and using it to design institutions that prioritize dignity, access, and long-term equity.
Zeinab Bah
Civil Engineering
The Moynihan Center feels like a community where my interest in public service can grow through honest conversation, mentorship, and learning alongside others who care deeply about their communities.
Anisha Parvez
Biomedical Sciences
Public service is not just about writing laws; it's about ensuring people can actually benefit from them.
Mayesha Fahmida
Computer Science
For many immigrant communities, policy feels disconnected from daily life. Public service is about closing that gap.
Faiza Aziz
Political Science
I approach policy discussions by asking how theory operates once it meets reality—whose voices are amplified, whose are absent, and what consequences follow.
Destiny Medrano
Psychology
Affordability is shaped not only by developers, but by policies created by local governments. I see architecture as a bridge between resilience policy and housing affordability.
Nicholas Balbuena
Architecture
Representing the 5 Boroughs & Beyond
Fellows bring perspectives from across New York City’s diverse neighborhoods, creating a mosaic of experiences that enriches their understanding of urban challenges and opportunities. This geographic diversity strengthens Fellows’ capacity to develop policy solutions that serve New York City and the communities beyond it.
Cultivating Tomorrow’s Civic Leaders
The Moynihan Public Service Fellowship supports exceptional undergraduates pursuing careers in public service through a two-year program of cohort-based seminars, mentorship, and fully funded internships with New York City government agencies and public-service-oriented nonprofits. Since 2023, the program has supported nearly 100 Fellows, who have completed internships with more than 50 organizations. From seminar rooms to City Hall, Fellows develop the analytical rigor, professional competencies, and capacity for open dialogue that public service leadership demands.
A simple openness to alternative definitions of a problem and a willingness to concede the possibility of events taking a variety of courses. This ought to be the preeminent mode of liberalism.
Daniel Patrick Moynihan