Celebrating 10 years of the RESULTS Fellowship
2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the RESULTS Organizing and Advocacy Fellowship. This innovative program brings emerging leaders between age 20-35 together. Through the “fellowship,” they grow their advocacy skills and impact on issues of poverty, social justice, and equity.
Since 2014, annual cohorts of Fellows have cultivated their advocacy and organizing skills in a community of practice. They meet both virtually and in person. Fellows write to the media and meet with their congressional offices. They also participate in local RESULTS volunteer groups and reach out to their communities.
The highlight of the fellowship is the annual Leadership Conference in Washington, D.C. In early May, Fellows gathered from all over the country for the 2024 conference. First, Fellows received in-depth training and lobby prep from RESULTS staff. Excited and nervous, volunteers fanned across Capitol Hill for lobby day. In just one day, the Fellows held 60 meetings with their congressional offices. This was nearly double the meetings held in 2023. They educated members of Congress on many poverty issues. The issues ranged from protecting U.S. nutrition programs from cuts to increasing support for lifesaving global vaccines.
Once a cohort of Fellows “graduates,” they continue to amplify the impact of their time together. Many go on to professional or volunteer roles in Congress, the United Nations, local government, and more.
To celebrate these 10 years of the fellowship, we caught up with 10 Fellows and alumni. They spoke about what the RESULTS Fellowship means to them.
Yve Francois, Stamford, CT (2024 Cohort)
“I came to RESULTS because I was frustrated and tired of the inertia in our political system. I wanted to find really good ways to move past inertia and have tangible ways of engaging with people and folks across our political lines and focus on things that we have in common. It’s been really pivotal for myself as a young advocate for understanding that I can create change and I do have a voice.”
Diane Karloff, St. Louis, MO (2024 Cohort)
“I’ve learned for the first time that members of Congress care very much that their constituents reach out to them and how impactful the voices of constituents are in their decision-making. It’s the first time I’ve ever interacted with my members of Congress.”
Aaron Carrillo, El Paso, TX (2018-2019 Cohort)
“The fellowship for me was the ability to utilize my voice and find the power in it. The fellowship gave me the tools and the expertise to really grow within myself what I believe in and what I fight for.”
Jacoby Gonzales, Tulsa, OK (2024 Cohort)
“The fellowship has been a really helpful deep dive on advocacy skills. I’ve learned how to approach conversations with senators and representatives, look at different bills and actually break down what they mean, convey what I would like out of the bill to senators, and show how constituents from their areas could benefit from those bills.”
Jennn M. Koo, Hartford, CT (2019-2020 Cohort)
“The fellowship to me has been a life-changing experience and opened up so many opportunities for me. As someone with family with lived experiences in poverty, it’s just been so empowering to have my voice be heard and to know that I have that power within to make changes in my community.”
Kavina Desai, Baltimore, MD (2024 Cohort)
“This fellowship has truly meant a lot. Everyone’s passionate, and we all build off the same passion. It’s a strength in numbers. I can relate to someone that’s on a different side of the country, and we unite on advocating for people and policies.
This is my first time doing lobby meetings. It’s really empowering to talk to representatives. These issues impact people that are very near and dear to my heart, and I feel honored that I get to come to Washington, D.C., and advocate on behalf of them.”
Errolyn Gray, Columbus, MS (2014-2015 Cohort)
“The Fellows are always inspirational and motivational. We spent the first day of the 2024 Fellowship Conference preparing for the lobby meetings and setting the agenda so they could have really powerful and effective meetings.
The energy level of Fellows on lobby day really varies. Some are super excited, some are super anxious, some are just ready to get the first one out of the way. I always try to emphasize that the first one might be the hardest, but you’re going to get better every time. It’s really motivating to see them push through that anxiety and see the energized feeling they have on the other side after accomplishing a successful meeting with a congressional office.”
Kristin Klade, Fort Worth, TX (2024 Cohort)
“I would have never imagined doing something like this, coming to D.C. and meeting with representatives. I’ve lived in Fort Worth almost my whole life and I’ve known about my representative, but not much. It’s been neat to learn about her and what she supports or doesn’t, and to meet with a member of her staff who could influence her policy work has been really, really interesting.”
Marshall Mitchell, Chicago, IL (2024 Cohort)
“The fellowship has been like an opening door for me. Advocacy is a way to bring about change with the issues I care deeply about. The Fellowship provides me with the skills to talk to our representatives, our senators, and really provides some hope, too. I get bogged down with the feelings of hopelessness, but having these practical tools and skills and seeing the important issues that we are trying to bring up is really empowering.”
Edith Martinez, Little Athens, WV (2024 Cohort)
“I am a new person after all this Fellowship training and after meeting new people. I think the work that RESULTS does is exceptional in so many ways and very meaningful. I believe in the values that we share and that’s why I’m here.”