Associate Spotlights of the Week

Senior Associate: Nik Nevrekar

Where do you come from?
My current hometown is Houston, TX, and I go to school at Cornell in Ithaca, NY--but that’s not to say that I am a Texan or a New Yorker (and who could be? polar opposites….).

Actually, throughout my I have lived for more than a year in CA, NJ, RI, AZ, VA, TX, and NY, so I come from all over the place. If I had to choose, I would say my favorite place was North Kingstown, RI—I lived through the core years of my childhood there and loved it.

Why did you choose UELIP?
Traveling between so many regions in the U.S., I gained an appreciation for the way some communities hold education as the highest priority. I don’t know where I would be today if I had not received instruction from the great teachers who worked at my high school.

I chose UELIP as a way to give back and show my thanks. The youth in DC have been overlooked for generations, and I want to be on the battlefield to help change that.

If aliens landed in front of you and offered you any position on their planet, what would you be?
I would be an astronaut. I imagine that the aliens have a technologically-advanced space program, and I would want to visit Earth every once in a while.

Name one interesting fact about yourself.
Before high school, I rocked a bowl-cut/“mushroom” hairdo.

What would I find your refrigerator right now?
Several bags of all-in-one salad kits, Newman’s Own Lemonade, Ocean Spray Cran-Apple juice and milk (for my cereal/oatmeal).

What was the last book you read?
I read Rethinking the New Deal Court by Barry Cushman, a book about the legal course of American economic regulation during FDR administration and the surprising resilience of Supreme Court in resisting political pressure.

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
If I had a superpower, I would want to be able to breathe underwater. I am not a great swimmer, so I figure that superpower would help out a lot when I’m in the pool.

Junior Associate: Rebecca Scaife

Where do you come from?I’m a southern girl. I am from Memphis, Tennessee. I’ve lived there most of my life. I was born in Oakland California though—most people don’t know that about me. I am a rising senior at Harvard. Go Crimsons!

Why did you choose UELIP?
I went to public school in Memphis. I was shocked by the disparities I saw firsthand by going to school in this environment. I really felt that I should make a difference.

I went to a summer program in DC at the School of Public Service and I saw that I could make a change. I started a mentoring program pairing high-performing upper classmen with underclassmen in high school. Through that experience I saw that I could make a difference.

If aliens landed in front of you and offered you any position on their planet, what would you want?
I would be a super star or a super star’s manager. I’d want to be the manager so I won’t have to deal with paparazzi, and could just be behind the scenes. If I could I would be a Lady GaGa inspired super star- see Lady GaGa’s song Fame!

I want to be a super star for the glamour, but also so I would have the power to change the world.

Name one interesting fact about yourself.
I was asked to be in a CNN documentary about poverty and education.

What would I find your refrigerator right now?
A bunch of random frozen food because I can’t cook.

What was the last book you read?
To tell you the truth, I hate reading… but the last book I opened was “Whatever It Takes”.

If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be?
Can I be Susan Cheng? :)