Six Columbia GS Students Named Columbia World Projects Social Impact Fellows

Following a successful inaugural cohort in 2022-2023, which included three GS students, Columbia World Projects (CWP) has announced the 2023-2024 class of Social Impact Fellows. Ten undergraduates have been selected for the competitive fellowship, including six GSers—Ara Bakhteyar ‘24GS, Humberto Romero Gonzalez ‘24GS, Ava Ann Kamdem ‘25GS, Sofia Ongele ‘24GS, Enrique Ortiz, and Emmanuel Wondimu ‘24GS. Additional recipients include Avery Leal Burke-Doyle ‘24CC, Alexandra Khodorova ‘25BC, Jonathan Navia ‘25SEAS, and Emine Taha ‘25CC. 

As Social Impact Fellows, these students will participate in a year-long program beginning this July with a fully funded summer session focused on building social impact knowledge and skills. The fellowship will continue into the academic year through networking with each other, CWP leaders, Obama Foundation Scholars, and other leaders in the field. Fellows will have access to mentorship guidance, and will complete the experience with a capstone project using a human-centered design approach. 

Selected for their commitment to social impact, and interest in pursuing long term leadership roles in that arena, meet the six 2023-2024 Columbia GS Social Impact Fellows:

Ara Bakhteyar ‘24GS

Ara Bakhteyar is a disability justice advocate and co-founder of Neurodivergent at Columbia, the first neurodivergent-dedicated student club at Columbia. An aspiring physician-scientist and biophysics major, Bakhteyar has previously been a SURF Fellow, and received a 2022-2023 Social Justice Mini-Grant in support of her work with Neurodivergent at Columbia. 

Humberto Romero Gonzalez ‘24GS

A research assistant in the Sociology Department at Columbia who is majoring in the same field, Humberto Romero Gonzalez is passionate about advancing equity and inclusion, particularly in the realm of mental health. Prior to coming to GS, Gonzalez worked as a clerk at the Mexican Consulate and is a proud graduate of Rockland Community College. 

Ava Ann Kamdem ‘25GS

Ava Ann Kamdem is a leading voice in the fight against human trafficking, using her own experiences as a survivor of trafficking to inform her advocacy. Kamdem has worked with federal agents to assist victim recovery, serving on the Human Trafficking Survivor Leadership Council of Texas, and advised numerous NGOs. At Columbia, she is majoring in psychology, and in her future work, is especially interested in harnessing workforce development programs to combat trafficking and assist in survivor support.

Sofia Ongele ‘24GS

A content creator and digital activist, Sofia Ongele is majoring in information science at Columbia. Ongele also serves as Digital Strategist for Gen-Z for Change, a collective focused on using social media to drive and inform civic engagement. As Digital Strategist, Ongele has created online tools on topics such as educational equity and climate change that have been used over one million times. 

Enrique Ortiz 

Enrique Ortiz is a professional musician and aspiring therapist who hopes to work with marginalized groups near the U.S.-Mexico border in his hometown of San Diego, California. At Columbia GS, Ortiz is majoring in psychology and is a Program in Academic Leadership and Service Scholarship (PALS) recipient. 

Emmanuel Wondimu ‘24GS

Prior to coming to GS, Emmanuel Wondimu worked with Cancer Research UK (CRUK), the world’s largest independent cancer research organization. At GS, Wondimu is majoring in anthropology and aims to gain a deeper understanding of the U.S. healthcare system while developing patient-centered treatment strategies.