For three and a half years, I’ve worked with inspiring Santa Clara University students through the Miller Center Lewis Family Fellowship. Each cohort brings new perspectives and a drive to make a difference. Their momentum keeps building.
This year, we selected 14 fellows from a highly competitive group of applicants. What sets them apart isn’t just their academic achievements, but their sense of purpose. These students are eager to use what they’re learning to tackle real-world challenges.
This summer, our fellows will partner with social enterprises addressing critical issues worldwide. In Paraguay, Mexico, Kenya, and Rwanda, students will work alongside organizations addressing challenges of access, opportunity, and sustainable development within their communities.
This year, in Paraguay, we will pilot a collaboration with Santa Clara’s School of Engineering, enabling engineering students to work on their senior capstone project through our fellowship. Civil Engineering majors Kaya Hoshi and Wilson Mondress will partner with Fundación Paraguaya on water waste solutions for local communities. Also working with Fundación Paraguaya, Leana Cameron, majoring in Environmental Studies, and Leslie Duran Hinojosa, double-majoring in Ethnic Studies and Gender & Sexuality Studies, will conduct research to advance the organization’s mission to eliminate poverty.
In Mexico, Communication major Seyifunmi Egbokwu and Environmental Studies major Kenzie Hill will support Grupo PROMESA in advancing recycling and environmental stewardship in local schools and communities. Camille Follante, Political Science and Gender & Sexuality Studies, and Emilia Moretti, Political Science, will work with Rutopía to help grow community-based tourism initiatives that generate sustainable livelihoods while preserving cultural and environmental heritage.
In Rwanda and Kenya, Economics major JD Buscher and Bioengineering major Ajani Huchard will work with eWaka to help expand access to affordable, eco-friendly electric bikes and motorcycles and strengthen last-mile distribution systems. Bijan Bozorg-Chami, Finance major, and Shreya Murti, Political Science major, will partner with Inkomoko to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in accelerating growth, creating jobs, and building more resilient local economies. And Economics major Joseph Morgan and Ryan Quinn, Business Management major, will collaborate with Jibu, working alongside locally owned franchisees who deliver safe drinking water and essential goods to communities.
Hands-on learning like this really matters. Harvard Business Impact notes that students develop stronger skills when they work on real-world problems, especially in challenging situations where solutions aren’t obvious. Across each placement, fellows will take on those challenges alongside social enterprise leaders—gaining hands-on experience while helping advance solutions shaped by and for the communities they serve.
To our 2026 Miller Center Fellows: Step forward boldly! The world is waiting for the difference you will make.
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Photo:
Top row, left to right: Wilson Mondress, Ryan Quinn, Joseph Morgan, JD Buscher, Seyifunmi Egbokwu, Bijan Bozorg-Chami, Ajani Huchard
Bottom row, left to right: Leslie Duran Hinojosa, Kenzie Hill, Camille Follante, Emilia Moretti, Shreya Murti, Leslie Duran Hinojosa, Kaya Hoshi
