We are pleased to announce our 2018-19 Hart Fellows.
Since 1995, the Hart Fellows Program has placed recent Duke graduates with partner organizations around the world for intensive, 10-month community-based projects. Hart Fellows conduct research projects in collaboration with their host organizations, while simultaneously developing their own understanding of ethical leadership as they encounter the social and political complexities of their field work.
Three people were selected for Hart Fellowships this year, two seniors and one 2017 graduate from Duke. Selections were based upon the leadership skills and creativity of the applicants, as well as their dedication to service.
Sanjeev Dasgupta will spend his fellowship year in Bangkok, Thailand, where he will partner with the Issara Institute, an organization dedicated to tackling issues of human trafficking and forced labor. While at Duke, Sanjeev interned at the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Belgrade, Serbia, at the Poverty Unit of the UN Development Programme in New Delhi, India, and at the Statelessness Section of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, Switzerland. Originally from New Delhi, India, Sanjeev will graduate from Duke in May with a major in Political Science and a focus on Peace and Conflict.
Michaela Stith will spend her fellowship year working with the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat in Norway, conducting a research project about the policy perspectives of indigenous people affected by climate change. While at Duke, Michaela’s passions drew her back to her home state of Alaska to work on social and climate justice issues in the Arctic. She helped launch two job skills training programs in Anchorage, Alaska, and she studied Arctic climate change in Iceland and Greenland. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Michaela will graduate from Duke in May with a major in Environmental Science and Policy and a minor in Marine Conservation.
Andrew Tan-Delli Cicchi will spend his fellowship year in Hong Kong, where he will conduct research on the rights of migrant domestic workers. At Duke, Andrew’s interests in the politics of domestic welfare, and also in gender and sexuality led to a range of independent projects. His work included a narrative and mapping history of Durham gentrification, a multimedia documentary on teenage parents in New Zealand, and a feature story about drag queens in Durham. Originally from Wellington, New Zealand, Andrew graduated from Duke in December, 2017 with a major in Global Cultural Studies and a certificate in Documentary Studies.