This summer, I joined a cohort of researchers, artists, and community leaders by partaking in OBI’s annual Summer Fellowship Program at UC Berkeley. Since the program’s inaugural year in 2013, each cohort’s fellows develop research skills through deep engagement with OBI frameworks, methodologies, and contemporary social justice issues.
As a current student at UC Berkeley, I first applied to the fellowship with a minimal understanding of what 14 weeks of independent research would entail. I envisioned my summer as an exploration of digital strategy that mostly comprised silent days of scrolling through data.
I was wrong.
Anjali Pajjuri, Strategic Communications Summer Fellow
As I wrap up my summer with OBI’s communications team doing an audience research and engagement strategies project—an enriching summer colored by insightful conversations, new practices, and yes, data—I find that I’m leaving OBI with a renewed commitment to something that I have always valued: the power of connection.
Despite being entirely virtual, I collaborated daily with other practitioners and belonging-builders who want to contribute to a world in which we all belong. From interviewing OBI staff members about their goals for audience engagement to editing a blog about Beyoncé and Radical Imagination, the projects I had the privilege of working on didn’t just expand my viewpoints—they were active exercises in bridging work that showed me what it means to build lasting connections across cultures, communities, and belief systems.
Far from the silent summer I envisioned, the last 14 weeks have served as a constant source of inspiration, and I’m truly looking forward to applying the skills I’ve gained in research and community-building to my life post-fellowship.
Curious to see if the fellowship had the same effect on others in my cohort, I asked five fellows how the program impacted their beliefs, purposes, and futures.
What drew you to want to work with OBI?
Anahy Dominguez (she/her), Arts and Culture Strategy team fellow: The idea of an institute dedicated to doing good felt rare and exciting. It spoke to the kind of future I hope to help build: one rooted in care, creativity, and real change.
As someone passionate about both art and social impact, OBI felt like a space where these two passions could finally meet. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, but I’m grateful to have found a community of people who also believe in giving the impossible a chance.
Ella Armstrong (they/she), Gender Authoritarianism with the Democracy and Belonging Forum fellow: In this time when I, like so many others, am feeling disenchanted with electoral politics, I saw OBI as a concrete path towards the kind of social and political change I seek to enact. I was particularly drawn to the Gender Authoritarianism project because anti-gender discourse has, in recent years, taken off as a tool of right-wing galvanization.
With political actors in North America and across Europe using gender politics to further their anti-immigrant, anti-feminism, anti-trans, and anti-LGBTQ+ agendas, our current political moment sees a complex and insidious form of authoritarianism that we must combat on all fronts.
What’s something impactful that you’re taking with you after this fellowship?
Dylan Cleverly (he/him), Radical Imagination as a Tool for Belonging fellow: I was reminded how vital relationship-building is, especially when synthesizing and communicating input from a brilliant collective. I started working with OBI as I was wrapping up my undergraduate thesis—a long period of solo writing—so returning to collaborative work was a highlight of the program.
During the fellowship I was encouraged to explore a range of my passions—art, design, and urban planning as tools for belonging—and those intersections in a structured, research-oriented capacity, while allowing me the freedom to work with an interdisciplinary approach.
Inshira Bediako (she/her), Social Housing Research fellow: Engaging with people of different backgrounds while formulating and holding fast to my own beliefs and values. Through my work, I've stepped outside of my comfort zone and learned about different thought processes and viewpoints, which has only made me a better researcher and scholar.
Huda Abdelnur (she/her): The importance of bridging as a pathway to creating belonging.
Bridging invites us to connect with others across differences in ways that are meaningful, constructive, and rooted in the intention to hear and affirm each other's humanity. I plan to carry this practice into spaces where division and polarization exist, even when it feels challenging, because bridging can be a powerful tool to build understanding and connection.
Would you encourage others to do a fellowship and contribute to OBI’s works and research?
Bediako: Absolutely, the staff here are wonderful and so smart, and the network you build is invaluable.
Cleverly: Beyond the fantastic mentorship between fellows and program coordinators, weekly workshops provided opportunities to hear about a breadth of critical work taking place under OBI. The summer fellows became a source of hope for me in a grim political landscape, and I’m grateful to be a member of an institution that attracts driven activists, academics, and creatives.
Armstrong: Not only have I grown immensely as a researcher, a collaborator, and a thinker, but I’ve also connected with a vast network of people working toward a collective goal in various sectors. I've gotten the chance to see a broad spectrum of the shapes that this work towards equity and belonging can take, and I've become more equipped to envision my own path as a result.
Abdelnur: The fellowship offers a welcoming environment for both academic and personal growth. You'll also have access to valuable resources and connect with inspiring individuals who are committed to building a more inclusive and just society.
Domiguez: During my time here, I saw how many different ways there are to contribute to different communities, whether through data and research with the Equity Metrics team, or connecting art with impact on the Arts & Cultural Strategy team. There’s truly something for everyone, even in spaces that feel outside someone’s comfort zone.
This experience helped me reflect on the kind of person I want to be as I continue my education and pursue a career in mental health. I’ve learned that creating change also means caring for myself (rest, reflection, and healing are part of the work too!). OBI reminded me that what I bring to the table has value and to show up with purpose is already a step toward the world I want to contribute to. This is a great place to grow, explore, and discover how a person’s skills can support something bigger than themselves.
