Penn IUR Welcomes 2021-22 Fellows in Urban Leadership

Penn IUR welcomes its fourth 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.

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. To learn more about the program, visit the program page on the Penn IUR website.

2021-22 Penn IUR Fellows in Urban Leadership

Dennis Gallo is a senior from Managua, Nicaragua in the College of Arts Sciences concentrating in Political Science and minoring in Urban Real Estate and Development. At Penn, his academic interests lie in urban development and real estate projects that consider both political and social issues. On campus, Dennis is the President of Wharton Latino and is a member of the Wharton Real Estate Club. This summer, Dennis joined Blackstone in their real estate practice.  

Sylvia Garrett is a junior pursuing a major in political science, minor in English, and a certificate in Spanish Language.  Sylvia currently works as an intern in Congressman Ted Lieu's Los Angeles District Office. She previously worked as a policy fellow in the City of Los Angeles Department of Civil + Human Rights and Equity and as a COVID-19 response equity intern in the Mayor’s Office. Sylvia tutors local middle school youth and currently serves as an executive board member of UPenn’s West Philadelphia Tutoring Project.  

Adam Goudjil is a junior from Staten Island, NY majoring in Urban Studies and minoring in Urban Education Policy. As a member of the Netter Center for Community Partnerships’ Student Advisory Board, he has supported capacity-building efforts to expand ABCS courses. He participated in Penn IUR’s Undergraduate Urban Research Colloquium, where he researched the impact philanthropies have on revitalizing small legacy cities. This summer, he was a research intern at the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits & Philanthropy. 

Aisha Irshad is a junior in a Dual Degree Program studying Economics and Political Science in Wharton and the College. She grew up in Brooklyn, NY where she saw rising inequity in housing, education, and health departments in an urban setting firsthand. This summer, she worked at a think tank focused on international social equity and policy issues. She also interned at Habitat for Humanity in Argentina where she observed and worked on housing market issues in local communities. On campus, she is secretary of SCUE and co-chair of the Wharton FGLI Board. 

Alexander Massaro is a senior from Monroe, Connecticut majoring in Economics and minoring in Mathematics and Statistics. This summer he is interning at Sculptor Capital Management and previously conducted research on the intersections of public health and global economics at the Perelman School of Medicine. His interests include the implementation of machine learning, econometrics, and data science to drive informed decision making in the public policy process. He is involved in the West Philadelphia Tutoring Project and the Undergraduate Economics Society on campus. 

Benjamin Moss-Horwitz is a junior from Northampton, Massachusetts studying urban studies and music. His research focuses on developing new models of community music and social welfare in cities. At Penn, Ben is involved in the Civic Scholars program, the Music and Social Change Program, the Marian Anderson Solo Performance Program, the Songwriters Collective, Penn Justice Democrats, and Penn Chavurah. He is currently working to build a community music studio at a local high school as part of Penn's Program for Public Service.  

Vedik Navale is a senior in the Vagelos Dual-Degree Program in Life Sciences and Management, where he studies Finance in the Wharton School and Neuroscience in the School of Arts and Sciences. He is originally from the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in Arizona.  He is interested in the intersections of healthcare, technology, and smart cities. Last summer, he worked for a life science real estate investment firm that fosters scientific innovation. At Penn, he does research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and volunteers at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.  

David Navarro is junior originally from Monterrey, Mexico majoring in economics at Wharton with a minor in urban real estate. He co-founded the Hispanic Capital Group; a student run non-profit hedge fund which aims to increase the representation of Hispanics in the financial services industry. He has strong interest in urban policy and education opportunities and taught financial literacy in local public schools via the Financial Literacy Community Project.  

Daniel Ruiz de la Concha is a senior majoring in International Relations and Urban Studies and minoring in Latin American and Latino Studies. Daniel hopes to use his knowledge of urban planning and international diplomacy to help foster education and the protection of the rights in Mexico, where he grew up. Last year he worked for the Organization of American States, which promotes diplomacy, security, prosperity, and human rights in the Americas.  

Thomas Statchen is a junior from Stonington, Connecticut studying Bioengineering and Urban Studies. This summer, he worked as Interim Assistant Director of Mobile Care at Sayre Health Center, running a mobile care unit that provides primary care, behavioral health services and COVID vaccination to people experiencing housing or food insecurity. Last summer, he worked on a Community Health Needs Assessment of the Cobbs Creek neighborhood in West Philadelphia.  

Jenna Schulman is a junior from Washington, D.C.  pursuing a dual major in Urban Studies and Health and Societies with a minor in French. This summer she worked as an intern in the Netter Center’s Penn Program for Public Service investigating food equity in West Philadelphia and developing practical solutions to urban food problems. Last summer, she worked for The Advocates for Human Rights tracking the impact of COVID-19 and stay-at-home measures on women’s and children’s health globally.  

Ethan Schwartz is current junior in the college of arts and sciences majoring in Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) with minors in Architecture and Urban Real Estate and Development.  Growing up in New York City influenced his sociological interests at the intersection of political science, economics, urban studies, and real estate. Ethan is member of undergraduate real estate and architecture clubs and is a member of the Penn club lacrosse team.   

Joseph Squillaro is studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) with minors in Urban Studies and Classical Studies in the School of Arts and Sciences. Joseph’s interest in the historical development of cities has led to a focus on the the digitally connected “smart city” phenomenon. At Penn, Joseph’s exposure to mapping Philadelphia’s municipal services led to a renewed interest in IoT sensors and big data and how to create a more connected and efficient city while weighing privacy and security concerns. 

Natasha Tagliaferri is a senior from London concentrating in Finance and Real Estate in Wharton with a minor in Italian. In high school, she won the St Paul’s Girls School Ethel Moor Prize for a project to halt the local council from demolishing the Sutton Dwellings, a local social housing estate with 700 homes. She has interned with Patron Capital, focusing on their social impact fund to house vulnerable homeless women.