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Fellows
2023-2024
Griselda Chavez
Griselda Chavez
Dartmouth College (2025)
Griselda Chavez (she/her) is an undergrad at Dartmouth College majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Latin American, Latino, and Caribbean Studies. Throughout her undergrad experience, Griselda has done agroforestry research, worked at Dartmouth's Center for Social Impact, served as a blogger for People, Places, Pines, interned at the U.S. Capitol, and more. Her interest in social entrepreneurship stems from interning in several different sectors and recognizing that the needs of her community were not being met or were not being led by people in the respective communities. Since then, she took a Social Entrepreneurship course with the Dartmouth Magnuson Center that helped her further understand the dynamics of systems, and is excited to continue this work with The Ripple Center! Through the program, she hopes to learn how to create a vision and plan that best serves the needs of undocumented immigrants, oppressed groups of climate change, or students seeking higher education. In her free time, Griselda loves to read all types of stories and cook meals that remind her of home.
Mahogany Donaldson
University of Missouri - Columbia, May 2024
Hi, My name is Mahogany, I am a Saint Louis native currently pursuing my Masters in Public Health from the University of Missouri - Columbia (Mizzou). In December of 2022 I graduated with my Bachelors of Health Science- with an emphasis in Leadership & Policy, along with minors in Leadership & Public Service and Public Health. I have a deep passion for health equity and reproductive justice, and aspire to one day work at the intersection of Public Health and Public Policy. Additionally I have held positions in Congress as an intern for Congresswoman Cori Bush, for Planned Parenthood as an Education & Advocacy Fellow, and I have helped tutor children ages 4-18 under three different organizations in the Saint Louis region. In my free time I love to travel, listen to r&b, watch true crime shows/documentaries, cuddle with my dog, and hang with my family and friends. I am eager to see what these nine months at The Ripple Center will look like for me.
Mahogany Donaldson
Nicholas LaBelle
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, 2021
Chief Business Development Officer, NYP LLC.
Nicholas LaBelle is a recent graduate of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, who double majored with a B.S. in Business Analytics & Information Technology and a B.A. in Economics. He is a proud Eagle Scout and an alumnus of the United States Senate Youth Scholarship Program. While at Rutgers, Nicholas served as Rutgers’ Student Body President (2020-21) advocating for 40,000 undergraduate students and managing multi-million dollar budgets wherein he, among other initiatives: established the nation’s first COVID-19 relief fund (before the U.S. Congress); facilitated divesting the University’s endowment from fossil fuels; expanded economic opportunity for New Brunswick residents introducing micro-mobility solutions; and implemented a program that subsidized off-campus residents to switch to 100% renewable energy consumption. During his time as a student, Nicholas was asked to run for the New Jersey State Assembly in Legislative District 23. Nicholas is one of the youngest candidates to run in state history. He and his team performed better for the party than any past candidates in the district map’s lifetime. Nicholas now serves on the Executive Board for the Hunterdon County Democrats. For the past several years, Nicholas has served in a C-suite capacity at a $30 million+ horticultural/agricultural manufacturing firm. In his personal life, Nicholas is grateful for his parents and three siblings, enjoys hiking, and has a passion for local history.
Nicholas LaBelle
Erin Lee
Erin Lee
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill C/O 2022
Erin Lee (she/hers) is a recent graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned degrees in Global Studies and Peace, War, & Defense. At UNC, she was a campus leader through her involvement in Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Asian-interest sorority, Model United Nations, Honors Carolina, and the Multicultural Greek Council. Her passion for community development pushed Erin to advocate for affordable housing and create service-learning opportunities at the Marian Cheek Jackson Center as a junior fellow for over 300 students and community members. Erin is a 2022 Fellow in Venture for America (VFA), which is a two-year fellowship that connects recent graduates with the resources to become start-up leaders. She currently works at City Kitch as an Operations Manager to create delightful experiences for chefs and foodies. Outside of work, Erin enjoys hot yoga, traveling, and finding delicious food wherever she goes. She can’t wait to join the Ripple Fellowship!
Ishva Mehta
Rutgers University '25
Ishva is an undergraduate student at Rutgers University, studying economics. She is the founder of Write & Co (writenco.org), a platform that hosts free English-learning toolkits kits and read-alouds for non-English speaking elementary school children. She has previously interned at Girl Scouts of the USA, iCivics, and the National Center for Children in Poverty--these experiences further deepened her passion for education and economic development. Her personal mission in life is to empower others through her work and experiences, and she believes that her success is directly proportional to the number of lives that she touches for the better. In the long run, she aspires to travel to all 50 US states and visit as many of the 63 US national parks. Feel free to connect with her at linkedin.com/in/ishvapm to inquire about her work, spark change, or just chat!
Ishva Mehta
Cate Navarrete
Cate Navarrete
Emory University, 2026
Cate Navarrete is a 19-year-old second-generation Cuban-American studying Business Administration and Sociology at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Cate is the Founder and Executive Director of Body Positive Alliance, a student-led non-profit organization advocating for the acceptance and representation of all bodies regardless of physical ability, size, gender, race, or appearance. Cate also hosts “Generation Body Positive,” a podcast in which she speaks with different activists, influencers, and friends about their own experiences with identity, diet culture, body image, and more to amplify and empower diverse voices. Since beginning her public advocacy in 2020, Cate has appeared on the Emmy-nominated series "Nick News" and Facebook Watch series "Here for It" with social media star Avani Gregg, namely. Additionally, Cate spent two years conducting research in the Applied Psychology Program for Eating and Appearance Research lab at Northeastern University, and last Fall, she was nominated to serve on One Georgia’s Disability Council to support the Abrams gubernatorial campaign. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, writing, and spending time with her friends and family.
Holly Price
University of Michigan, 2021
Engineering Specifications Program Analyst, General Motors [Contract Employee by RCO Engineering]
Holly graduated from the University of Michigan in 2021 with a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing & Literature. While at Michigan, she taught writing and art to kids in Detroit through a non-profit, Seven Mile, where she realized her passion for education. Her writing focused on empowerment and agency, and she’s a firm believer that every single person, child or adult, can reach their full potential through literacy and education. Now, she works at General Motors as a program analyst and is seeing more and more how creativity, education, and technology go hand in hand and will transform the world. Today, Holly is focused on writing a graphic novel (despite never focusing on visual art before) about an elderly man finding his purpose again after his wife’s death, along with his two Pomeranian sidekicks. While not writing or reading, she spends her time with friends and family, traveling, playing dodgeball on a weekly league, and training for a half marathon.
Holly Price
Peter Simpson
Peter Simpson
Brown University; Class of 2020
Science & Research Analyst at Abt Associates
Peter Simpson is a recent graduate of Brown University with a dual bachelor of arts in History and Africana Studies. His undergraduate international exchange experience in South Africa highly motivated his pursuit of graduate studies in International Educational Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. During his studies, he gained a number of skills in research, evaluation and data analysis; and focused on the intersection between higher education, global development, and education-to-employment pathways. Peter continues to hone these interests as a science and research analyst on Abt Associates’ housing and capacity building (HAB) team under their social and economic policy (SEP) division. Through his Ripple Center Fellowship, Peter looks forward to mitigating issues including inadequate access to high-quality education and subsequent gainful employment through a strategic, intentional and consultative approach. Combining his interests in research and education, with innovative insights to deepening workforce development pathways to create the conditions necessary for learners to succeed and adapt to the future of work epitomizes the Center’s mission to create a better world for people and the planet. Outside of work, Peter enjoys running, reading, drinking tea, and spending time with his friends and family.
Zach Steward
UMass Amherst, 2023
Hello! My name is Zach, and I'm a senior Afro-American Studies & Legal Studies double major at UMass Amherst. I'm also pursuing a Master's in Public Policy at the university. I'm queer, I have disabilities, and I'm Jamaican & African-American. I hope to go into DEI work in some capacity in the future, not entirely sure what kind though. I listen to music, read, watch tv, hangout with friends, write poetry, and more. I love food, Marvel & DC, and anime as well (any recommendations welcome)! I'm excited to get to know the members of my cohort and to see what ideas we come up with.
Zach Steward
Vance Wood
Vance Wood
Johns Hopkins University '21
Vance (he/him) is a Franco-Americain entrepreneur with a software development education from Johns Hopkins University and more than 3 years of experience at software & IoT technology startups. As a New Yorker, Vance loves walking and exploring new places. Through Venture for America he traveled to 13 mid-sized American cities learning about the entrepreneurial ecosystems there. He also worked at the Baltimore City Government, leveraging technology to correct inefficiencies. He’s an excellent team builder from his time at Adrich, VFA and as the Captain of the JHU NCAA Fencing.
He’s an expert in solving problems, from marketing to operations, and led a team of six engineers at his last company. His experience with board & C-suite interaction, successfully pitching to investors and closing sales make him an extremely well rounded entrepreneur, though he’s hoping to be more focused in the coming years.
During his time with the Ripple Fellowship, he will be working on a mycoremediation project called ShroomSpills. Vance is moving to Austin where he will continue working at innovative tech companies, trying to impact our world for the better!