Fellowships

Muhammad Bilal Wali is a junior in the School for Ethics and Global Leadership. He is from Silver Spring, Maryland, but currently, living in D.C. in a boarding school. Besides his academics, Muhammad is involved in a lot of extracurriculars such as MUN, Debate, and Minority Scholars program in his homeschool. He is multi-lingual; he can speak Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, and English very fluently, and is currently learning American Sign Language and Dari. The philosophy of his life is to restore peace, educate people, and strengthen democracy in the whole globe. Some fun facts about him are that he loves to drink different types of tea, his favorite one is dragon well. The second fun fact about him is that he has a written plan for the coming 20 years. 

Maya Britto is a junior at Montgomery Blair High School. She lives in Burtonsville, MD. She is semi-fluent in Spanish and has a basic understanding of Hindi and Tamil. Her personal mission for the future is to use her passion for the sciences and communication to help others and spread awareness about ongoing humanitarian crises. Maya is currently a staff writer for Silver Chips Online, Blair’s award-winning online newspaper, and an Editor-in-Chief of the Initiative for Humanitarian Awareness, a publication focused on informing the public about the global refugee crisis. She is also a member of her school’s debate team. To date she has spent about 11 years studying Bharatanatyam an Indian classical dance form. Her favorite things include music, dance, poetry, painting, quality time with friends, ice cream (strictly vanilla), and good bad jokes. She is always eager to meet new people, learn new perspectives, and form meaningful relationships with those who may not share my lifestyle or interests. 

Callin Burke is a senior at St. Paul’s School for Girls. Her hometown is Towson, but she loves traveling and exploring new areas. She plans to major in biology and minor in business and economics when she goes to college, along with pursuing a pre-med concentration. On top of her involvement in the Youth Diplomats Program, she participates in her school’s Green Key Society (ambassador and tour program) as co-president, is vice president of Community Service Organization, a Peer Mentor, the Engineering Club president, Cross Country and Track captain, and treasurer to the Student Investment Board. A fun fact about her is that she can create the best tasting gluten-free recipes, has run the Baltimore Half Marathon as a 16-year-old, and loves anything with coffee in it. She is passionate about problem solving and excited about a future in medicine for finding ways to deliver health solutions.  

Selim Demirkan is a sophomore at River Hill High School in Clarksville, MD. He is from Ellicott City, MD however, he was born in Dallas, TX and spent most of his early years in Belmont, MA. He is bilingual in English and Turkish, and has mid/low intermediate fluency in Spanish, which he plans on improving further. He recently started wrestling which he enjoys greatly, it gives him the balance of being studious and physically active while being part of a team. He also enjoys chatting about things like cars and things he can get hands on with, like cooking. He loves to experiment with cooking. Selim’s personal mission is to open himself and others' views to a more logical and analytical viewpoint that can carry us to a better and more conscious future.  One of his more personal goals is to increase his overall social skills to build better connections with the world around him.

Madison Diaz is a junior at Baltimore City College completing her first year in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program. Her mission is to live by her own policies, sleep with a clear conscience, and consistently explore her innovative side to help make differences within her community – whether big or small. She was born in Holyoke, Massachusetts and raised in West Springfield, Massachusetts, but moved to Baltimore, Maryland in 2016. Both of her parents are Puerto Rican and speak Spanish. She is mostly fluent in Spanish but tend to speak more Spanglish. In addition to Youth Diplomats, she is also involved in the recycling club at her school, she is a student ambassador, she studies black literature (specifically Shakespeare), strengthens her English literacy skills through a program at Notre Dame, and is currently working on a magazine alongside two other teens in Baltimore that focuses on combating generational trauma. A fun fact about Madison is that she cannot sleep without a nightlight; total darkness scares her. Also, she is not the biggest fan of flowers because they always die on her super quickly. She is devoted to making a difference in them lives of people by listening deeply to their stories and relying on my creativity to not only promote 

Their cause or help them become better versions of themselves, but to also equip them with the ability to inspire others to reach for success. 

Taniyah Driggins is a junior at Carver Vocational Technical High School. She is from Harlem, New York, but currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland. She is semi-fluent in Russian, Spanish, Japanese, German, and French. Aside from her participation in WTCI, she attends the international club at her school and is currently working on forming a creative writing club with her teachers. A fun fact about Taniyah is that she learned how to count in German before she learned to count in English! Also, she loves red velvet cake and enjoys cooking and baking from scratch. She is driven by having an open mind and wanting to explore the world around her. She loves learning about the rich cultures of the world and meeting different people. Taniyah wants to see the world from new perspectives and become one with those around her. 

Daniel Espinoza is a junior at Montgomery Blair High School involved in the STEM magnet program. He was born and raised in Rockville, MD, and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Currently, he is on a club soccer team, his school’s robotics team as well as their anatomy club, and is on his way to becoming an eagle scout for his Boy Scout troop. Some fun facts about Daniel are that he can form a clover with his tongue, he makes the best udon noodle soup, and he recently learned how to make apple roses. Since he was young, Daniel was always volunteering because he has always enjoyed helping others and putting smiles on their faces. He has strived to make a difference in his community and will use that experience to positively affect the world.

Jada Flowe is a sophomore at Edgewood High School enrolled in the International Baccalaureate Program. She lives in Aberdeen, Maryland. As a youth leader she is an active member of three non-profit organizations. In addition, she has organized community fundraisers, one of which earned her recognition by the Harford County Council and a nomination for the 2021 Harford’s Most Beautiful People Award. Many people would be surprised to know that Jada has an interest in golf and is taking lessons in preparation for her high school’s 2022 golf team tryouts. Additionally, she is an avid traveler and was able to earn a full elective credit in global studies for a project she completed during a trip to Europe. She has had a nearly life-long love for music and started playing the piano at a very age. Jada’s personal mission statement reflects her belief in being kind. Her mission is to demonstrate kindness by being adaptable in any situation and acceptance of differing beliefs while remaining true to her own.

Noura Habona is a junior at Winston Churchill High School. She is very passionate about criminal justice reform, international relations, helping others and overall, just being a voice for the voiceless in any way that she can. Some extracurriculars she partakes in include, being president of the UNICEF chapter at her school, Model UN, and volunteering in her community. Some of Noura’s hobbies include spending time with family and friends outdoors, baking, long boarding, reading, and watching Netflix. She is super excited to be a part of WTCI and can't wait to learn and grow with everyone! 

Lorelai M. Jenkins is a junior at Montgomery Blair Highschool in Maryland. She is from a lot of different places in the United States; born in California, raised in Nebraska, visited Georgia and Minnesota frequently, and finally ended up in Maryland where she has been for the past ten years. She is currently enrolled in the communication arts program at her school which is a rigorous course of study centered around English, writing, and the arts. Her extracurriculars include participating in Amnesty International, Geography study, and art. She has taken three years of Spanish and two years of Chinese; however she is only really able to understand some Spanish. Fun fact, usually people ask; cat or dog, and she doesn’t know why people keep asking because she can’t choose between their cute furry faces. Cats and dogs, she says. Another fun fact, every once and a while she finds a subject that she immerses herself in until she knows everything about it topically. In the past Lorelai studied fingerprint types and statistics, the geographical location of every country, and currently yoga and world history. Lastly, she collects earrings. As of now she has 68 pairs! Her mission statement is probably something along the lines of, “I am present and driven by my persistence to create happiness in myself for the future and everyday happiness among my peers.” 

Hasham Ali Khan, is a senior at Watkins Mill High School. He lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland, and has lived here since moving from Rawalakot, Azad Kashmir in 2009. He plans to major in medicine with a minor in political studies. He is fully fluent in Urdu and English, semi-fluent in Arabic and Spanish, and can speak Hindi, Punjabi, & Pahari. He is the current president of his school’s Minority Scholars Program as well as his Class Council. He is co-president of the Montgomery County Muslim Student Association, and the student leader for the Montgomery County Green New Deal Internship. A few fun facts about Hasham are that he is a certified black belt in mixed martial arts, he writes poetry in his spare time, and he loves going to the gym. All of these components make up who he is, and he wishes to contribute to constructing a more equitable and accessible world for all of humanity. That is his personal mission, whether it comes through medicine, politics, or any other way he can give back. Hasham is inspired by the valiant people he descends from and hopes to make a name for Azad Kashmir on the international stage. 

Edward Kim is a junior at Clarksburg High School. He plans on majoring in cellular biology. He was born in Maryland but moved to California briefly. After his brief sojourn in California, he moved to Clarksburg, Maryland. Edward regularly plays tennis with his father and made the Clarksburg High School Boys’ Varsity Tennis Team his freshman and sophomore years and became team captain sophomore year. He is also a tutor and officer of the Montgomery County Tutoring Project; he has been part of the project for one year and regularly tutors students in mathematics. Furthermore, he is the president and founder of the Clarksburg High School Veteran Support Club. Beginning operations in 2020, the CHS Veteran Support Club has raised 320 dollars, sent letters of holiday greetings and gratitude, and organized dozens of hygienic/COVID-19 care packages for local veterans. The club is currently in the midst of organizing events for Veterans Day and the holidays. Edward is proficient in Korean and Spanish, but native speakers will definitely be able to identify his American accent. One interesting fact about him is that he goes by “Egg” when he’s around his close friends. A second interesting fact about him is that he is an avid fan of LEGO. He first started collecting LEGO City sets when he was in 2nd grade and then to LEGO Star Wars in 5th grade. He has accumulated an expansive collection of LEGO sets and often visits his basement to see what new creations he can come up with this time. A third interesting fact about him is that he is an avid fan of United States military history, tradition, and music. He was first introduced when he saw the famous photo of the Marines raising the national colors atop Mt. Suribachi. Ever since then, he has devoted himself to understanding the many instances of the United States military’s outstanding and unwavering courage, rich military tradition, and inspiring music. His objective is to understand the role and position of the United States in the world and learn the perspectives of his fellow Americans and foreigners on American involvement in global affairs.

Sai Gayathri Kurup is a junior at the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute with the Ingenuity Project, an advanced STEM program for Baltimore City schools. She is passionate about serving others through health and medicine. She takes part in several related activities, including doing research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, being a member of the Johns Hopkins OB/GYN Youth Advisory Board, and volunteering with the American Red Cross. She is originally from Kerala, India, and moved to the United States in 2011. Sai speaks both Malayalam, her native language, and English fluently. A fun fact about her is that she sings in a choir and plays the piano; she loves classical music! Sai also loves to experiment with cooking and baking. She wants to gain a thorough understanding of people and cultures across the world to overcome cross-cultural barriers in medicine and serve everyone in her community. 

Nate Lee is a sophomore attending Damascus High School. He currently lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland. He is the vice-president for the class of 2024 at my high school and is somewhat proficient in French. Alongside participating in the 2022 Youth Diplomats program, Nate has deep interests involving economics, investing, and computer science and enjoys physical activities like weight training and hiking. Every day he works towards bettering my chances at achieving my goal of becoming an economic specialist. I love extremely spicy foods like buffalo wings or dukbokki, a Korean dish. In the future he hopes to deepen his understanding of how things operate and function while bringing positive development to those in need.

Clea Le Borgne is a junior at the French International School. She is French but was born in D.C. and has lived in Maryland for most of her life, with a brief 3-year stint in the Philippines at age three. She is fully fluent in French as it is her maternal tongue and has a moderate understanding of Spanish. In addition to Youth Diplomats, Clea is the president of my high school knitting club, plays varsity soccer, and is a black belt in taekwondo. A fun fact about her is that she was in the Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. She has also recently solved a 10,000-piece puzzle. She strives to further her understanding of the world around her and meet people from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.

Uchechi Mba is a junior at Century High School in Sykesville, Maryland and she is on the path of legal services, participating in the criminal justice program. She is from Carroll County, Maryland. She is a member of the Maryland State Legislature Subcommittee, the United States Center for Safesport Youth Advisory Board and serves as the parliamentarian of the Carroll County Student Government Association. In her free time, she enjoys playing volleyball and writing, which has won her Maryland Scholastic Poetry Awards. Additionally, she is proficient in Spanish. Interesting and weird facts about her are that she possesses a strong disdain for apples, avocados, and most fruits, she loves watching Criminal Minds and she doesn’t like drinking soda. Uchechi’s mission is to inspire and lead meaningful change within her community, through multiple prisms of action. 

Kristijana Naum is a junior at Eastern Tech High School, where she is enrolled in the Law and Public Policy Magnet Program. She is co-treasurer of her school’s Amnesty International club, a tutor and mentor for the National Honor Society and a member of the Immigrant Student Association and Future Business Leaders of America. She is motivated by her goals of gaining a well-rounded perspective on the world and providing meaningful support and insight to others. She was born in Macedonia and is fluent in Macedonian. She moved to the Baltimore area with her family when she was four years old. Some fun facts about her are that she is left-handed, does not have a middle name and loves watching Gilmore Girls.

Manjeet Nirula is a junior at Paint Branch High School in Silver Spring, MD. His family is from India, but he was born and raised here in Silver Spring. He is the president of the South Asian Student Association at his school and participates in other clubs as well such as It’s Academic. He plays varsity baseball and golf for his school. Outside of school, he likes photography, playing video games and cooking as well as baking. He has a basic understanding of Hindi and hopes to learn more. He hopes to go into computer science in college and maybe some engineering. He has gone to the Scripps National Spelling Bee twice in sixth and seventh grade, his favorite football team is, has, and will be the Pittsburgh Steelers and one day he hopes to learn to be a pilot and maybe have his own plane. Manjeet’s personal mission statement is a quote from one of my role models, Stan Lee, “You know, I guess one person can make a difference.”

Mofehintoluwa Okegbenro (Tolu for short) is a senior at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, Maryland. After graduating, she plans to attend a 4-year university and pursue a major in international relations. During her free time, Tolu enjoys listening to music and watching YouTube vlogs. She also enjoys playing tennis with her friends during the springtime. Through her educational experience thus far, she has become proficient in Spanish and has completed four levels. Outside of the Youth Diplomats program, she is the class president at her school and a newsletter reporter/writer at Nvolve Inc. Some fun facts about Tolu are that she is obsessed with ice cream (she loves any variety of vanilla ice cream), she is a member of the show choir at her school, and she loves children. Her personal mission statement is to expand her knowledge of global society, environment, and politics and how she can begin to make an impact at a young age. She also hopes to incorporate the experience and connections that she build through this program in her future goals and projects.

Sumiya Rahaman is a junior at Westminster High School in Carroll County, MD. She is originally from Dhaka, Bangladesh and immigrated to the United States when she was 9. She is fluent in Bangla and has some basic knowledge of Spanish. In addition to being part of the Albrecht Fellows cohort, she is also involved in the Maryland Youth Advisory Council, National History Day competition, and advocating for education equity. A fun fact about her is that she enjoys spending time with her baby sister. She loves going out in the cloudy and rainy weather! Sumiya’s passion for advocacy stems from her love of meeting new people and being inspired by the perspectives they bring. She aims to continue education advocacy beyond her local efforts to reach out and influence the lives of young people around the world. 

Tehle Ross is a junior at Baltimore City College. She is from Baltimore, although she recently spent her sophomore year abroad living in Bologna, Italy. During her time in Italy, she developed Italian language fluency and continued to improve her French language skills. This experience broadened her perspective of the world and other cultures. Currently, Tehle serves as a member of the Baltimore City Public Schools CEO’s Youth Leadership Advisory Council and the Under Armour Student-Athlete Leadership Council (she is on her high school’s Varsity girls’ soccer team). She is passionate about connecting with others across cultural bounds for a common good and giving back to her community. One of her favorite hobbies is baking, and her favorite dessert to make is cinnamon buns. Additionally, she likes to combine her interests in debating and acting by serving the role of a witness on her school’s Mock Trial team. 

Dylan Safai is a senior at Thomas S. Wooton High School, and he is from Potomac, Maryland. He intends to major in neuroscience and minor in political science once he goes to college. In his free time, he is an avid reader, soccer player, track athlete, and fisherman. He is class president at his school, founder of his own nonprofit, MUN delegate, and captain of the XC team. Dylan is fluent in English and Farsi and recently earned the Maryland Seal of Literacy for Spanish. Some fun facts about him are that he loves skydiving, he has an eBay business where he buys and sells antiques, and he loves gardening. He is dedicated to helping others, and greatly enjoys expanding his horizons to learn about new concepts and ideas.

Krassimira Trainor: Krassimira Trainor is a sophomore in high school at the Bryn Mawr School for Girls. Outside of school, she has been dancing for approximately eleven years at the Peabody Preparatory Institute of Johns Hopkins. She was born in Baltimore and has lived here since. Her mother is originally from Bulgaria, and they return to see family every year. She feels a part of Bulgarian culture and speaks Bulgarian. Krassimira loves to travel and values the new experiences and viewpoints from seeing different parts of the world. Along with Bulgarian, she is proficient in French, and interested in all Francophone cultures. She is a chocoholic, and believes that food is a social gateway to understanding any group or culture. 

Nabeela Wali is a junior at James Hubert Blake High school. She plans to major in sciences. She is from Afghanistan, but now lives in Montgomery County, Maryland. She is very fluent in Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, English, and is currently learning American Sign language. She is president of the Women Empowerment Club at her school.?Nabeela volunteers 5 days a week, four days in a school and one day in the White Oak Healthcare Medical Center. A fun fact about her is that she likes to read non-fiction books and likes to sketch. At WTCI, she wants to meet people of different backgrounds, color, and race?to?learn about them and want to learn about their experiences. Nabeela wants to help and educate every girl and woman around the world on how to raise their voice. 

Samantha Warfel (Sammie for short) is a junior at Hereford High School in northern Baltimore County. She has lived in the Baltimore County region her whole life and is very fond of her hometown childhood experience. She has loved learning Spanish throughout her secondary school experience and plans to earn the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy in the spring. In addition to her interests in foreign affairs and international relations, she is heavily involved in regional and statewide student councils, serving as the president of the Baltimore County Student Councils. Further, Samantha takes part in volunteering on local political campaigns, is a part of Girl Up at my school, and is passionate about peer tutoring initiatives, and student research. Two fun facts about her are that she can always be found striking up a conversation with someone new and she is completely fascinated with Versailles (and all of the controversial history with which it is associated) and hopes to visit someday soon. She is driven by her peers who have taught her the critical value in integrity, thoughtful curiosity, and taking ownership of one’s own actions, ideas, and mistakes. Samantha firmly believes that these traits are defining characteristics of her generation, and that they will propel them to become future change-makers, and world leaders. 

Marissa Yancone is a senior at Edgewood High School in Harford County Maryland. She is a member of the International Baccalaureate magnet program at Edgewood. Some of her extracurricular activities include president of her school’s Feminist club and Social Studies Honor Society, a member of National Honor Society, and a member of the soccer team. One fun fact about Marisa is she just recently learned how to snap; it took her awhile to learn! She is driven by the idea of working together to solve world issues and keeping an open-minded perspective.

Yunling Ying (Yini for short) is a junior at Centennial High School in Howard County. She is from Shanghai, China, and has lived in Ellicott City since she was 2. She is fluent in Chinese and has a basic understanding of Spanish from studying the language in school. In addition to her program participation at WTCI, she participates in a youth leaders’ program with Hopeworks outside of school, where she serves as a community engagement liaison and receives training to recognize harmful interpersonal interactions in my community. In school, Yunling has created her own club called the Clothing Collective which focuses on supporting sustainable fashion choices and creating a safe school community for self-expression. She is also involved in FBLA, Speech and Debate, Dance and Spanish Honors Society, and all the Dance teams my school has to offer. A few fun facts about her: she is ambidextrous (coloring and writing with two hands comes in handy), she makes clothes as a coping mechanism, and she cannot stand silence. Yunling’s personal mission, is to always remain true to herself and encourage others to do the same. Her favorite catch-all phrase is that no one can make you feel anything if you don't let them. On the opposite side of the spectrum, keeping an open mind and allowing other people to influence your perspectives is an important part of growing as a human being. Finding the balance between maintaining individuality and being open-minded is what she strives to achieve.