Meet the 13th Cohort of A'Lelia Bundles Community Scholars
The accomplished group includes an architect, a certified public accountant, a program manager, a lawyer, a technologist, and a creative strategist, all hailing from Upper Manhattan.
Columbia University welcomes its newest class of A’Lelia Bundles Community Scholars, who will work on a project or skill that relates to or benefits their community.
This is the 13th cohort of Bundles Scholars to join the University in a three-year affiliation that gives them the resources to expand their research, realize a project, and increase their knowledge through access to Columbia’s libraries, course auditing, and building a community with passionate individuals working on a wide variety of projects.
The scholars, chosen through a competitive application process, all hail from Upper Manhattan.
This year’s new scholars are:
Gail Addiss
Gail Addiss, an architect by training, has worked in building and landscape design since 1978 and has held public roles, including Supervising Architect for the NYPD for Mayor Dinkins’s Safe Streets Safe City Community Policing Program. She has also conducted community-based historical research in northern Manhattan, contributing to local park and heritage initiatives. Read her full biography here.
As a Bundles scholar, Addiss will bring more public awareness to the importance of Revolutionary War sites in shaping northern Manhattan’s public parks through walking tours, small exhibits, and, possibly, a public forum.
Miles Edwards
Miles Edwards is a licensed certified public accountant based in Harlem who assists artists, nonprofits, small businesses, and expats with complex tax issues. Outside of his professional life, he enjoys spending time at the New York Public Library, playing tennis, and practicing calligraphy. Read his full biography here.
As a Bundles Scholar, Edwards will research the history of financial institutions that serve the Harlem community to analyze the current landscape of financial services while developing solutions to address any gaps for both the general public and small business owners. He aims to develop culturally informed, community-based resources to increase financial literacy and promote economic advancement across the Harlem community.
Dan Gluck
Dan Gluck is a clean energy advocate and social entrepreneur dedicated to advancing sustainability and social impact. Raised in public housing in Queens and educated at Harvard and Georgetown, he has built a career spanning legal, environmental, and global community development work. Read his full biography here.
As a Bundles Scholar, Gluck will use his experience as the founder of Citizens to Replace Long Island Lighting Company (LILCO), to create a small multidisciplinary nonprofit volunteer community to explore small-scale nuclear fusion to retrofit fossil-fuel plants, aiming to cut emissions and combat climate change.
Gretchel Hill
Gretchel Hill is an inventor, creative technologist, and retired senior consultant whose career bridges health care, storytelling, and innovation. Her work in healthcare operations revealed widespread challenges women face in managing menstrual health and maintaining quality of life, particularly women of color. This realization, alongside her personal experiences, helped shape the way she approaches creating tools that uplift and protect women's health. Read her full biography here.
As a Bundles Scholar, Hill will tap into her UI/UX design and mobile app development background to create a wearable biosensor designed with women's safety, comfort, discretion, and sustainability at the forefront.
Kristina Maria Lopez
Kristina Maria Lopez is a creative strategist and mindfulness practitioner born and raised in Morningside Heights with a background in arts, wellness, and nonprofit sectors. She currently leads event marketing strategy at New York Road Runners and is also a certified meditation teacher and end-of-life doula. Read her full biography here.
As a Bundles Scholar, Lopez will produce a workshop series that investigates the psychological and spiritual toll of gentrification in New York City. Her project will take a close look at the direct impacts of gentrification, specifically on Black and Latina women—a demographic disproportionately affected by housing insecurity nationwide, often due to their roles as caregivers in the home.
Natasha Sutherland
Natasha Sutherland is the program manager of Teens P.A.C.T. (Positive Actions and Choices for Teens), a New York City youth leadership initiative under the Community Healthcare Network. With over 25 years’ experience in delivering sexuality education and advocating for adolescent reproductive health, she leads curriculum development, digital outreach, peer-education programs, and community partnerships. Read her full biography here.
As a Bundles scholar, Sutherland will produce the Menstrual Equity Project, an initiative designed to address gaps in menstrual health education, wellness, products, and resources available to New York City youth.
On October 28, the newest A’Lelia Bundles Community Scholars will come together with previous cohorts at Columbia to celebrate, connect, and introduce their inspiring projects.
You can learn more about the program and stay tuned for updates about the next application cycle here.