Sophia Cáceres '26 (she/her)

Sophia Cáceres, from Atlanta, GA, is studying Religion and Spanish at Swarthmore. She believes that exposure to inclusive spaces creates a productive and safe environment for individuals of various backgrounds to learn, be heard, and provoke powerful, constructive change. Her IEFI project is entitled “Good Trouble and Good Eats,” which aims to use food and cooking as a medium to discuss how identity and belonging affects us emotionally as well as within our communities. You can find Sophia practicing self care when she’s listening to Vince Guaraldi Trio in her room, while drinking an espresso.

Myadaggarav "Mya" Chuluundorj '26 (she/her)

Mya (Myadaggarav) Chuluundorj, from Mongolia, is planning to major in Political Science. She believes in a Mongolian proverb “to change the world, begin from yourself,” which means in order to achieve a big goal first the person should start from the smallest actions. For her, those actions are to start from learning stories and backgrounds of people, understanding each other, creating a safe environment for everyone, and exploring the importance of diversity, which aligns with the values of DEI. Her project, as an Inclusive Excellence Fellow, “Inclusion at the Core: A Toolbox for SWAT Student Social Life” concentrates on developing a toolkit that will help enhance social life at Swarthmore and help to build a safe and inclusive community. For self-care, Mya loves to dance and clean while listening to music and singing along.

Zuri Eason '27 (she/her)

Zuri's intended major is English Literature. Zuri believes diversity and equity is important to building community and appreciating differences. She believes that embracing diverse perspectives and providing equitable opportunities fosters a culture where everyone feels valued and empowered. She is currently working on the “Next 50 Years at the BCC: Explorations for the Future”, which will work to share and celebrate the history of the Black Cultural Center. She is very interested in maintaining safe spaces for black students on campus and sharing stories from this community.  For self care, Zuri loves to read comics and dance!

Madeline "Joe" Fox '27

Madeline “Joe” Fox is from Seattle, WA. She is undecided in major, but is interested in many social studies and humanities topics, such as Peace and Conflict and Philosophy. Joe values DEI principles because she believes that everyone should feel they belong in any space they would like to be in. She is the fellow for the IEFI project “Voting and Inclusion at Swarthmore,” which will work to increase voter turnout for different student demographics that are sometimes underrepresented in turnout. For self care, Joe swims with the college, and draws maps of fantasy worlds.

Lena Habtu '26 (she/her)

Lena Habtu, of New York City, is studying Political Sociology and Arabic Studies. She’s currently working on the project “Writing Peer Leaders Emboldened for Inclusion: Progressively Reimagining DEI Training for Writing Associates,” and is interested in designing DEI training that tackles the root of social issues, not their symptoms. She also is passionate about creating spaces of mutual support and camaraderie for students of marginalized identities. In her spare time, she loves to go for walks in Crum Woods and sit by the creek!

Annie Hauze '27 (she/her)

Annie Hauze is a religion major from Pomfret, VT. She believes strongly in the power of art as a tool to highlight and celebrate difference and diversity in our community. In high school, she explored multiple DEI related projects as independent studies and through her social action club, and looks forward to exploring these topics in her project "Powering the Narrative Through Art". The "P9" project aims to provide the Swarthmore community with resources for discovering artists and art forms from diverse cultural backgrounds, and Annie hopes to expand the scope of the project to bring these resources also to high school students in the area. In her free time, Annie takes care of herself on long phone calls with her mom and her best friend.

Aashish Panta '26 (he/him)

Aashish Panta, from Kathmandu, Nepal, intends to major in Computer Science and Economics. Aashish believes that DEI principles enable individuals to realize their full potential and enhance collaboration within a community. He is currently managing the project “Inclusion at Work: Diversity in Careers” for the second year which supports career development of students coming from diverse backgrounds. For self care, Aashish loves to take a break from everything and fully devote himself to watching his favorite TV shows.

Bidhata Pathak '27 (she/her)

Bidhata Pathak, from Nepal, plans to study economics. Born and raised in Kathmandu, a melting pot of diverse cultures and now time and again ranked as the city with the worst air quality in the world, the title of the project she is working on, "Intersectional Sustainability", just makes sense to her. She aims to incorporate art and storytelling to convey messages about sustainability and its intersectionality. In her free time, Bidhata loves to read (currently fascinated by Toni Morrison's "Recitatif"), watch films (Hitchcock and Scorsese's works in particular), or just take a walk.

Natalie Pham '26 (she/her)

Natalie Pham is a prospective Biology major from Pearl City, Hawaii. She believes that DEI practices are rooted by meaningful connections between all parts of the community to foster a welcoming environment for improvement. Natalie is managing the "Radical Practice of Care Project", which hopes to promote sustainable mental health practices for the Swarthmore community, especially people involved in social justice work. For self care, Natalie likes to take coffee breaks and long walks in Crum Woods!

June Shin '25 (he/him)

June Shin is a junior from Los Angeles, California double majoring in Political Sociology and History. He is a strong advocate for social justice and considers DEI to be the foundational cornerstones for any social justice-related efforts. June is currently part of the "Power the Narrative Through the Art" project, which seeks to uplift voices from marginalized communities. Outside of working on his IEFI project, June can be seen listening to music for hours on end or ranting to his friends about everything he enjoyed/hated about the newest movie he watched.

Michael Ugwe '25 (he/him)

Michael Ugwe, from Nairobi, Kenya, is double majoring in Mathematics and Computer Science. He is also an artist who advocates for the use of different forms of art as community tools for communication, developing agency, and affecting positive change. Ugwe is committed to the collective efforts aimed at DEI in historically exclusive environments and believes that lasting progress within these environments can be achieved through nurturing a sense of community and belonging. 

Ugwe’s project is "Uncovering Swarthmore’s International Community," seeking to highlight international students’ experiences on campus and beyond through storytelling, art and narratives.

Apart from the project and the necessities of school life, Ugwe enjoys taking walks and photographs, painting while listening to Sudan Archives, dreaming up his future workshop, and rewatching Mad Men. Was it mentioned that he enjoys rewatching Mad Men?

Laura Wentzel '26 (she/her)

Laura Wentzel is an aspiring educator from Corning, New York who plans to major in biology. She believes that the principles of DEI connect directly with the Swarthmore motto of “Minding the Light” or seeking out the best in each person; and for her, this starts with being empathetic and open to new perspectives. Laura is currently the IEFI Fellow for “Redefining Wellness: The Spirituality Awakening Project”, which seeks to learn more about the campus climate around spirituality in order to encourage positive connections between spirituality and wellness. For self care, Laura enjoys reading, crafting, and walking in nature.