Meet the Fellows

The Meriwether Lewis Institute for Citizen Leadership, currently in its eighth year at the University of Virginia, is a multi-year fellowship that prepares students for a lifetime of leadership at the University and beyond. The Institute brings together a diverse group of students for a 2.5-year immersive and rigorous leadership experience. In past years, each cohort of Lewis Fellows was comprised of 25 students selected in the fall of their second year from across the University. However, in recent years, the cohort has expanded to 30 students.

​Over the lifespan of the program, Lewis Fellows have held a vast array of leadership positions across Grounds including Student Member of the Board of Visitors, Chair of the Honor Committee, Co-Chair of Housing and Residence Life, President of the Black Student Alliance, President of the Inter-Fraternity Council, President of the Latinx Student Alliance, Executive Leadership in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, and more. The cohorts consistently represent all undergraduate schools across Grounds and multiple disciplines of study. While many fellows go on to be leaders of high-profile student organizations, many more go on to lead smaller or new endeavors, such as the Student Hip-Hop Organization or creating a student group for first-generation, low-income students. Selected for potential rather than position, these students learn the skills to make an impact locally at UVA and take them out into the world and back into their communities to make an impact wherever they land in their life after college.

The mission of MLI is to help develop diverse, compassionate, driven leaders and contributors to student-self governance who are prepared to take on the challenges they will face beyond UVA.

Yanni Aknine

Yanni Aknine

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Economics and Political & Social Thought
Mustafe Ali

Mustafe Ali

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Foreign Affairs
Toby Atwill

Toby Atwill

School:

Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

Major:
Public Policy and Leadership
Phillip Bonsu

Phillip Bonsu

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Global Public Health and Data Science
Charlotte Borthwick

Charlotte Borthwick

School:

McIntire School of Commerce

Major:
Commerce
Merritt Brazell

Merritt Brazell

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
English and Government
Mason Carter

Mason Carter

School:

McIntire School of Commerce

Major:
Commerce
Krisha Chichili

Krisha Chichili

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Computer Science; Global Security and Justice
Tanise Cole

Tanise Cole

School:

Nursing

Major:
Nursing
Colin Critchley

Colin Critchley

School:

McIntire School of Commerce

Major:
Commerce
Natasha D'cunha

Natasha D'cunha

School:

Engineering and Applied Sciences

Major:
Chemical Engineering with Data Analytics Concentration
Wyatt Dayhoff

Wyatt Dayhoff

School:

Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

Major:
Leadership & Public Policy, Foreign Affairs
David Dzul

David Dzul

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Neuroscience; Biochemistry
Jeanne Ehui

Jeanne Ehui

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Foreign Affairs
Tess Eluvathingal Muttikkal

Tess Eluvathingal Muttikkal

School:

Engineering and Applied Sciences

Major:
Biomedical Engineering
Lucas Fuller

Lucas Fuller

School:

Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy

Major:
Public Policy and Leadership
Ava Godfrey

Ava Godfrey

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Cognitive Science and Global Security and Justice
Diya Gupta

Diya Gupta

School:

McIntire School of Commerce

Major:
Global Environments & Sustainability; Commerce
Abba Kodiaga

Abba Kodiaga

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Global Public Health
Michael Lipton

Michael Lipton

School:

Engineering and Applied Sciences

Major:
Chemical Engineering
Jason McDowell

Jason McDowell

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
African and African American studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
Cavan Meade

Cavan Meade

School:

Engineering and Applied Sciences

Major:
Mechanical Engineering
Peter Mildrew

Peter Mildrew

School:

McIntire School of Commerce

Major:
Commerce (Marketing Concentration)
Adarsh Shah

Adarsh Shah

School:

McIntire School of Commerce

Major:
Commerce
Naldy Turcios

Naldy Turcios

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Global Security and Justice
Greylin Vallejos

Greylin Vallejos

School:

School of Education and Human Development

Major:
Youth and Social Innovation
Alan Watts

Alan Watts

School:

School of Architecture

Major:
Pre-Professional Architecture
Deanna Wilbourn

Deanna Wilbourn

School:

College of Arts & Sciences

Major:
Global Public Health