Penn IUR Welcomes 2020-21 Fellows in Urban Leadership

This fall, Penn IUR will welcome its third cohort into the Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership program. First announced in April 2018, the program provides an exceptional group of Penn undergraduates with the unique opportunity to engage with established urban leaders in Philadelphia and beyond. Through these experiences, students gain insight into the role of visionary leadership in ensuring that urbanization is both equitable and sustainable.

In September, the program will launch with a speaking event featuring Michael Nutter, former Mayor of Philadelphia, and will continue each month with leaders from a variety of disciplines and sectors.

Over the course of the year, these interactions with innovators will help the Fellows develop an understanding of the critical connections between the public, private, and nonprofit spheres and prepare them to make meaningful contributions as future leaders in an increasingly urban world.

2020-21 Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership

Ayina Anyachebelu is a rising junior in the Huntsman Program studying business and international studies in Wharton and the College. Having grown up in Lagos, Nigeria, she has always been fascinated by cities and urban and economic development. During her freshman year, she researched social urbanism and inclusion in Colombia. As a Perry World House fellow, she recommended policies for more effective use of remittances in the Philippines. Last spring, she studied abroad in Sevilla, Spain, where she researched the effect of tourism on city life.

Alejandra Cabrales is a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Urban Studies. She grew up in Los Angeles where her interest in city planning and public transportation was first sparked. She aspires to be a transportation planner and contribute towards the creation of more equitable and accessible cities. At Penn, Ale has been involved in Penn for Immigrant Rights, Mujeres Empoderadas, Civic Scholars, and the Penn Women’s Center.

Anna Duan is a rising junior from Washington, D.C., and Shenzhen, China, studying Urban Studies with a minor in Legal Studies and History. This summer, she researched transportation equity issues in Chicago at the Metropolitan Planning Council. In addition, she worked on research about accessibility to senior centers by public transit in Philadelphia. Last summer, she worked as an assistant instructor at the Agatston Urban Nutrition Initiative. From these experiences, Anna brings a desire to explore asset-based community development and to influence policy with research.

Hoyt Gong is a rising senior in the Vagelos Dual-Degree Program in Life Sciences and Management, where he studies Healthcare Management and Statistics in the Wharton School and Computational Biology in the School of Arts and Sciences. He has worked for a health-focused NGO as a community nurse in Los Angeles, and the American Red Cross National Youth Council. He is focused on epidemiology and urban healthcare, and last year he worked with Philadelphia Health and Human Services on a project about the social determinants of health.

Javion Joyner is a rising junior studying Business Economics & Public Policy and Real Estate at the Wharton School with a minor in Urban Real Estate & Development. He spent the past two summers working in management consulting, including on a master plan proposal for climate resiliency infrastructure and a public sector restructuring project. On campus, he is Director of Black Wharton Consulting, a group that provides pro bono consulting services to minority-owned businesses in Philadelphia, and is Co-Chair of the Wharton Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Group.

Meredith Mayes is a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a major in Economics, with minors in Urban Education and Consumer Psychology. She grew up just outside of Philadelphia in Montgomery County. While at Penn, Meredith has worked with Community Schools and Student Partnerships (CSSP) and the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project (WPPT) as a teacher’s helper, tutor, and mentor, and serves as co-chair of the holiday toy drive for Penn’s Newman Center.

Brandon Nguyen is a rising senior from Toronto, Canada, studying Political Science at the College and Business Economics & Public Policy at Wharton. He has conducted research on renewable energy policy in the UK, multilateral governance in the Norwegian arctic, and urban environmental racism in Toronto. He is a Wharton Research Scholar and a Kleinman Undergraduate Fellow, and is involved with Penn International Impact Consulting, the Student Advisory Group for the Environment, the Wharton Junior-Senior Advisory Board, and the Turner Social Impact Society.

Sinan Onukar is a rising senior at the Wharton School, studying Finance and Business Analytics. He was born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, where he launched an award-winning initiative to integrate refugees into urban life through grassroots businesses. Last summer, he worked with the Real Estate and Power & Utilities groups at Morgan Stanley's Investment Banking Division. Through his real estate classes and impact investing work, he became aware of the many urban challenges in both the US and emerging markets. He hopes to become an investor to help build the sustainable and inclusive cities of the future.

Georgia Ray is a rising senior majoring in Urban Studies and Cognitive Science and minoring in Environmental Studies and Philosophy. She is a proud native of Denver, Colorado. While interning with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission she investigated how other cities use data to track climate change. Georgia has also interned with the Argentina Ministry of Education and the Public Interest Law Center. As part of the Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium last year Georgia looked at the public perception of green stormwater infrastructure.

Cindy Reyes is a rising senior studying Political Science and is pursuing a Master's in Social Policy from the School of Social Policy & Practice. She is interested in the intersection of law, policy, and civic engagement to address housing insecurity, employment, and social welfare issues. Last summer, Cindy interned at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights in Washington, DC, under their Public Policy Project, where she produced policy briefs and supported national coalition-building. This summer, she supported donor organizing and community-led grant making at the Bread & Roses Community Fund.

Zack Rovner is a rising senior studying Economics and minoring in Mathematics and Statistics. He became interested in urban studies after participating in the Penn Undergraduate Research and Mentorship Program (PURM) with urban economics professor Holger Sieg after his freshman year. On campus, Zack is involved in the Daily Pennsylvanian and the Undergraduate Wharton Sports Business Club. He also started a chapter of Consult Your Community, where he hopes to assist women- and minority-owned small businesses in the West Philadelphia community.

Victoria Sansone is a rising junior at the Wharton School studying Finance and Social Impact and minoring in Urban Studies. This past summer, Victoria worked on establishing an investment fund for the city of Philadelphia with 17 Asset Management in New York City and Permit Capital Advisors in Philadelphia. She also worked with the Women's Community Revitalization Project (WCRP) in Philadelphia on real estate finance for their development properties. Victoria is on the board of Wharton Impact Investing Partners and MUSE Social Impact.

Sakshi Sehgal is a rising senior from Atlanta, Georgia, in the College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a BA/MA in Philosophy on the pre-medical track. As a first-generation, low-income student herself, she is heavily involved with Penn First, Penn Undergraduate Health Council, and Global Women Empowerment on campus. With interests in medical ethics and social determinants of health, her long-term ambitions include working in both medicine and health policy and addressing healthcare access disparities, particularly in urban areas, with hopes to improve overall community health.

Mira Shetty is a rising senior from Ann Arbor, Michigan, studying Political Science with a minor in Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. She is interested in the intersection of racial, gender, class, and environmental justice issues and hopes to pursue a career in law in order to combat inequality through policy and community organizing. Mira also cares about improving food access and health equity, which she has been involved in through urban farming in West Philadelphia and volunteering at Service Link. On campus, she is involved in the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity, Spice Collective, and Civic House.

Joseph Squillaro is a rising senior studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in the School of Arts and Sciences. Joseph’s interest in the historical development of cities has led to a focus on the future of cities, especially the emergence of the digitally connected “smart city” phenomenon. At Penn, Joseph’s exposure to mapping Philadelphia’s municipal services led to a renewed interest in IoT (Internet of Things) sensors and big data in order to create a more connected and healthy (post-COVID-19) city while weighing privacy and security concerns.

Yihan Yin is a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences pursuing a major in Architecture and a minor in Statistics. Yihan is from Changchun, China, and is actively involved in many extracurricular activities on campus, particularly those that promote Chinese culture. Yihan has a strong passion for urban design, and she is interested in the impact of architecture on housing policy and urban development in China and the United States. In the past year, Yihan been working as a research assistant for Dr. Zhongjie Lin on urban design and city planning, investigating the emergence of “ghost cities.”