2017 Summer Fellows

The Boston University (BU) Initiative on Cities is proud to share the 2017 class of Summer Fellows. Chosen from a group of competitive BU graduate and undergraduate students, the 2017 Summer Fellows will closely with local governments on projects that demonstrate a commitment to urban leadership.

Omolara “Lara” Adekeye – Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity, City of Boston

Lara is a rising junior majoring in African American Studies and Political Science. Lara is our first intern in the Boston Mayor’s Office of Resilience and Racial Equity. She will be working under the direction of Chief Resilience Officer, Dr. Atyia Martin.

Taylor Cain – Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics, City of Boston

Taylor is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology. Her dissertation focuses on reactions to different types of change in two gentrifying Boston neighborhoods as well as the methods formerly under-invested neighborhoods use to resist gentrification. Taylor will spend the summer working with Boston Mayor Martin Walsh’s Office of New Urban Mechanics.

Yi Ding – Mayor’s Innovation Department, City of Providence

Yi is a Masters candidate in City Planning graduating in May 2017. Yi has both professional and academic experience in urban transportation work from her hometown of Beijing and will use her skills this summer in Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza’s Innovation Department.

Maya Terhune – New Economy Manchester, City of Manchester, England, United Kingdom

Maya is a rising senior studying Economics and Mathematics with a minor in Political Science. Maya will spend her summer in England with New Economy Manchester, where she will assist in the transition of Manchester’s economics team from New Economy to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.