Birmingham-Southern College Announces 2020 Class of Hess Fellows

For Immediate Release
Jun. 30, 2020

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Hess Center for Leadership and Service at Birmingham-Southern College has announced its 2020 class of Hess Fellows. The Hess Fellows Internship Program connects students with nonprofit advocacy and anti-poverty organizations for an eight-week summer internship. Students involved in advocacy-focused internships extend organizational capacity by conducting research, facilitating coalitions among constituencies, or organizing lobbying or other advocacy efforts. Students involved in anti-poverty-focused internships examine the multiple dimensions of poverty and support projects and programs that strengthen impoverished communities across the country; anti-poverty internships are facilitated by the Shepherd Higher Education Consortium on Poverty (SHECP).

For summer 2020, all Hess Fellow Internships are being offered as remote experiences, with students participating through our SHECP partnership. In addition to working remotely for 25 hours per week with a nonprofit agency, Hess Fellows are also participating in an online academic program designed by SHECP. Students reflect on and read about the theme “The Geography of Poverty,” meet weekly with cohort members from other institutions to discuss their experiences, and are completing written research projects about the regions served by their agencies.

Alexandra Coberly (’21), Advocacy Fellow, history major and human rights and conflict studies minor; Greater Birmingham Ministries in Birmingham, Ala.

Jackie Lamars (’21), Anti-Poverty Fellow, race and gender studies major; Susquehanna Legal Aid and Education for Adults and Youth in Williamsport, Pa.

Leo Rossi (’22), Advocacy Fellow, economics and media and film studies major;Conservation Alabama in Mobile, Ala.

Camp Shelor (’21), Advocacy Fellow, music major and psychology minor; Bread for the World – Church Relations Office in Washington, D.C.

Divya Sriram (’22), Advocacy Fellow, biology major and chemistry minor; Collat Jewish Family Services in Birmingham, Ala.

Noah Todd (’21), Anti-Poverty Fellow, religion major; Hopeworks ‘N Camden in Camden, N.J.

The dedication and generosity of the following donors makes the Hess Fellows program possible: Ralph and Susan Doughton, Ronne and Donald Hess, the Independent Presbyterian Church Foundation, Gayle and Pat Pelham, Dan Young and family, and other private donors.

About Birmingham-Southern College:

Birmingham-Southern College is a four-year, private liberal arts institution in Birmingham, Ala., founded in 1856 and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It enrolls about 1,200 students from more than 30 states and 16 foreign countries. Learn more online at www.bsc.edu.