George Van Amson Fellows Bring Their Skills to New York’s Frontline Social Justice Work

Over the summer, Community Impact at Columbia University’s George Van Amson (GVA) Fellowship supported three Columbia College and Barnard College students in their work with local nonprofits providing aid for survivors of gender-based violence and advocacy for people incarcerated in federal prisons in New York City.

For 18 years, Community Impact has managed the fellowship program, which enables undergraduate students to engage in professional, but unpaid, internships with NYC-based nonprofit organizations. Fellows become part of a larger community committed to social justice, civic engagement, and experiential learning and receive a $5,000 stipend and summer housing.

On Friday, Sept. 26, more than 50 people gathered to celebrate and learn about that work from the fellows themselves, including program namesake George Van Amson (CC’74), Columbia University Trustee Emeritus. 

Meet the Fellows

Eva Kasal (CC’28) worked with Sanctuary for Families, a leading service provider and advocate for survivors of gender-based violence in the city, leading art empowerment sessions at the Sarah Burke House shelter and working in the After School Program, where she also volunteers during the school year. 

“Each workshop was thoughtfully planned weeks in advance in order to form substantive activities so that along with new art techniques, there were also life lessons about things like healthy coping and communication,” Kasal said. 

Ethan Thacker (CC’28) worked with The Remedy Project, a nonprofit that organizes college students to advocate for incarcerated people facing violations of their civil and human rights, where he served on the advocacy letters and referrals team. 

“In reality, I had the opportunity to do so much more,” Thacker said. “In addition to writing advocacy letters, I aided in looking into the future at a shift in institutional vision, spearheaded a new initiative to write participatory defense letters for our members at Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, and helped ideate ways to bridge the gap between ARC and campaigns teams.”

Annie Zhan (BC’26) worked with Womankind, a nonprofit that provides support and services for survivors of gender-based violence, where she created a bimonthly advocacy newsletter and a master spreadsheet of elected officials. 

“Throughout this internship, I learned that service is indeed a lifelong commitment,” Zhan said. “Every day, there are new challenges and issues to face. However, I loved the space that Womankind fostered, as it brought together such diverse people from different life stories and experiences, yet we are all committed to the same mission of providing support to survivors. ... It only advanced my desire to pursue a career in public interest.”