Khushi Patel

Khushi Patel (she/her) will receive dual degrees in public health and international and public affairs. Born and raised in southeast Michigan, she is the daughter of Gujarati immigrants. Patel grew up working and living in small motels. These early experiences exposed her to the financial hardships and systemic poverty faced by many of her neighbors, inspiring her mission: connecting financial and social capital to low-wealth communities. Patel’s journey reflects her commitment to this mission. 

During her first summer, she interned at the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Bureau of Global Health. She co-authored a research paper on delivery methods for antiretroviral medication for HIV-positive patients in Uganda. In her second summer, Patel interned at Calvert Impact, an impact investing firm. She assisted in developing a nationwide strategy for the $14 Billion National Clean Investment Fund competition sponsored by the Inflation Reduction Act. She also researched deployment partners and created webinar materials for the external relations team. Later that year, the firm secured $6.97 billion to deliver national clean energy projects across the U.S. Last summer, Patel interned with the Oakland County Department of Health, serving under the Deputy County Executive for Health and Human Services. She advocated for establishing a mental health and wellness task force at the children’s detention center.

Patel also dedicates her time to meaningful volunteer work. She is a member of A2-Ethics, where she facilitates after-school discussions on ethical issues for high school students and leads outreach efforts to engage underserved schools through the equity committee she founded. Additionally, she serves as director of programming for the Joyce Ivy Foundation, the Midwest’s largest organization focused on empowering young girls.

Patel has been recognized as a Rhodes Scholar finalist, an Obama Scholar through the Voyager Scholarship program and a Michael and Susan Dell Foundation Scholar. 

Nia Sampson

Nia Sampson (she/her) is a senior graduating with an A.B. in English and literary arts. She was a Bonner Fellow, Guiliano Global Fellow and a former John Hay Library Research Fellow. She found community and joy through being a gender and sexuality peer counselor in her sophomore and senior year, and has worked at the John D. Rockefeller Library for all four years at Brown. 

As a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow,  she completed an English honors thesis on young adult novels, the Bildungsroman and Black girls’ bodily vulnerability. She also completed an honors thesis in literary arts, which culminated in a novel. With her love for literature, she was an arts and culture writer for the Black Star Journal and an editor for XO magazine. Additionally, in her sophomore year she led a five-week creative workshop in the Sarah Doyle Center for LGBTQIA+ students of color.

As someone interested in multiple perspectives, she also participated in the Tougaloo-Brown exchange program, studying in Mississippi for a semester. In January 2025, she was able to visit Barbados and lead a creative writing workshop for Black girls ages 11-18 through an organization called I Am A Girl.