Fellow Bios
Nava Rafati Nava Rafati is a Masters of Social Work candidate at Columbia University, with a focus on families, youth, and children’s services in the Advanced Clinical Practice concentration. She has extensive work and volunteer experience with immigrant and refugee populations, and is keenly interested in social justice and international social work practice. Nava holds a BA in Modern Middle East Studies from Yale University, and is fluent in Arabic, Persian and Hebrew.
Christopher B. Gray I'm a UK civil servant with a background in welfare and education policy and delivery. In previous roles I have: advised the UK Prime Minister on welfare policy and response to the Grenfell Tower fire; led on UK higher and technical education policy and funding at the UK Treasury; and managed a Jobcentre (social security and employment advice office) of 60 staff. I'm currently studying a Masters in Public Administration at Columbia in New York. My aim is to return to the UK with a deeper understanding of community development and urban policy, using lessons from US cities like Washington DC's experiences to help tackle the social challenges we share.
Artisha Naidu: Artisha Naidu is an incoming Government and Public Sector Consultant with Deloitte LLC. She has an extensive background in energy, environmental sustainability, and urban policy. She has worked for organizations such as the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research and Sustainable San Mateo County to advance equitable policies in marginalized communities. In her spare time, Artisha is in the process of launching the Girls’ Leadership Apprenticeship and Mentorship (GLAM) Program, which provides workforce development to high school girls in Ward 8 of DC. In her spare time, she tutors youth from disadvantaged communities and is a Community Outreach Coordinator for IMPACT Now. Artisha holds a Master’s in Public Administration from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science in Community and Regional Development from the University of California, Davis.
Ravneet Kaur: Ravneet Kaur is a Master of Public Policy Candidate at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy in Washington, D.C. She is eager to take on challenges and employ problem solving to develop innovative policy solutions for equitable development in historically marginalized communities. Ravneet particularly enjoys leveraging data to reflect trends and solutions to create lasting and impactful change. Prior to graduate school, she worked for three years in consulting and switched to the non-profit sector in her last year to focus on financial literacy programs for refugees and asylees in Northern California. In the upcoming school year, she plans to explore and research the intersections of US welfare policy and immigrants in her master's thesis.
Louie Al-Hashimi:"A Pittsburgh native, Louie Al-Hashimi graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Economics and minor in Political Science. His student affairs involvement as a Resident Assistant and leader with the Muslim Student Association spurred his interest in public service. After graduating, Louie moved to the greater Washington D.C. area where he coordinated recreational activities for youth, families, and seniors at a Fairfax County community center. While working at the center for two years, he also served as a remote team member of LaunchGood, a crowdfunding startup based in Detroit that helps Muslims worldwide raise funds for charitable and creative projects. Louie continued to work in local civil service over the next few years as a Medicaid and SNAP caseworker for Fairfax County and later as an organizational development intern with Arlington County’s Department of Environmental Services. Over the last two year, Louis has pursued his Master’s in Public Administration at George Mason University while conducting research on Medicaid expansion at state and local levels, diversity and inclusion, an non-profit management.
Deborah Euzebio Passionate about equitable education, policy, and advocacy, Deborah Euzebio is a TFA Alum (Baltimore Corps ‘15). As a Maryland native, Deborah currently teaches 4th Grade Social Studies and Science at Patterson Park Public Charter School in Baltimore City but will be transitioning into a new role as a finalist for the TFA Capitol Hill Fellowship, Class of 2020. During her time as a teacher, she created civics-minded lessons to encourage her students to know about the issues in their community and advocate for better resources. She also created the group, “The Girl’s Room,” which focused on teaching her students about identity, self-confidence, and friendship. As soon as she entered the corps, Deborah was passionate about connecting her experience in the classroom to inform on and create educational policies that were geared with students, teachers, and families in mind. As someone who understands the importance of policy and advocacy, Deborah worked as a fellow with Strong Schools Maryland. During her time her there, she assisted with and planned rallies to downtown Annapolis, attended hearings, creating email campaigns, and organized with her co-workers to help with the passing of HB1300, the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Deborah’s hope is that she can be the connection between everyday life in the classroom and education policies; she hopes to use her voice and experience to create an equitable future for all.
Jasmine Carrasco: A decorated veteran of the U.S. Air Force and minority small business owner of The Branch Consulting, LLC. A senior-level professional with 11+ years of managerial experience as a Logistician in the military, Global Trainer for a non-profit and Social Entrepreneur of Y.ENGAGE. Having trained thousands of young people in community problem solving skills, advocacy and public policy, Jasmine possesses a passion and expertise for youth development and youth civic engagement. Her commitment lies in making great contributions to her family, community and organization. With core values of faith, purpose, and authenticity, she is motivated by interests of corporate social responsibility and creating a social impact. Jasmine recently graduated from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business with an Executive Masters in Leadership. She received a BS in Workforce Education and Development from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Jasmine grew up in Pascagoula, MS and lived in Albuquerque, NM before moving to the DMV. Her passport claims 14 countries, with South Africa next on the list. If ever in need of a salsa dance partner, she is sure to join you on the dance floor.
Jessica BowmanCurrently a rising 3L at Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon, Jessica is passionate about creating local and national policy changes that will secure equitable education and health care for all. Prior to entering law school, Jessica worked in pediatric asthma and neurodegenerative research at the University of California, San Francisco. Her experience in the medical field let to observations of the systemic economic and environmental disparities that exacerbate many health issues and led her to pursue a law degree with a focus on policy reform. As a first-generation college student, she also hopes to use her experience and degree to advocate for policies that create more equitable educational opportunities. During law school Jessica has interned with the Oregon Medical-Legal Partnership and Youth, Rights, and Justice, a non-profit juvenile public defense firm.
Veronique Ehamo: As a Ph.D. candidate at the University of London, Royal Holloway, Veronique specializes in politics, international relations, and philosophy. Veronique holds a master's degree from Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs and is currently serving on the New York State Young Democrats Policy Committee. Veronique has worked for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (INCB)’s opioids project which is the only current international effort solely dedicated to developing partnerships with governments, international agencies, and the private sector to identify and interdict illicit manufacturers, distributors, and vendors of synthetic opioids. She has also contributed to global initiatives through her work with UN Women, The International Criminal Court, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Columbia University Middle Eastern South Asian and African Studies, and Columbia University Weatherhead East Asian Institute.
Staff Bios
Camille Seymour Passionate about education, racial equity, and policy, Camille Seymour is a TFA Alum (Greater Tulsa ‘16). Camille currently teaches Special Education at Wheatley Education Campus in Northeast, Washington, DC. Prior to teaching in DC, Camille worked as an educator and community advocate in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her classroom experience in Oklahoma inspired her to work with Stand for Children, a national non-profit, where she served as a community campaign organizer during the 2018 Oklahoma Teacher Walkout. Additionally, while teaching, Camille established a student mentor group at her school called Girls Only!, in which she mentored young girls of color around self-esteem and confidence. More recently, Camille participated in ULF-DC as a fellow where she had the opportunity to work with Council Member Trayon White on issues related to adverse community experiences and trauma on Ward 8 residents. She hopes to utilize her interests in policy, advocacy, and education, as well as her cultural identity as an African-American woman and educator as an alternative voice in the urban education arena. Camille is pursuing her Master’s in Education Policy and Leadership at American University.