Meet our Civic Season 2024 Design Fellows
In the summer of 2021, the first-ever Civic Season created a new tradition. Taking place in the time between our oldest and newest federal holiday — Juneteenth and July 4th — Civic Season is an opportunity to discover your story and our shared history through activities and events in our neighborhoods, cities, towns, and social spaces.
In 2022, we introduced our inaugural class of Design Fellows to help shape this new tradition. Now we have our third cohort joining us for the upcoming Civic Season!
Our 2024 Civic Season Design Fellows consists of 11 fellows between ages 18 and 30, selected from a competitive pool of applicants. Together they are artists, activists, immigrants, students, and leaders — each bringing different visions and experiences to the table to help the Civic Season become an inspiring nationwide movement made by us. They hail from 10 different states, from rural and urban communities alike, from Honolulu to Little Rock. They are in school, out of school, and teaching; they are in professional careers, active duty military service, or starting their own projects; they are fans of film adaptations of books, cooking, and Jewish folk tales. In short, as a group they are multifaceted — much like Civic Season.
This year, our Fellows will work with hundreds of cultural institutions across the country to launch the third Civic Season, which is graciously supported by the Mellon Foundation.
Read on to learn all about the 2024 Civic Season Design Fellows!
Melissa Mora-Gonzalez
Melissa is a third-year English major with experience in marketing communications. In her free time, she likes to explore thrift shops, reread her favorite books, and enjoys talking about the good and bad of book-to-film adaptations.
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? Social media skills I’ve picked up over the years in running my own accounts
Wyatt Nako
Wyatt is a sophomore at Georgetown University studying philosophy and government. Originally from Honolulu, Hawai’i, he has a passion for using music and the arts, and is always excited to talk about how artistic expression can push the limits of societal perception.
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? Along with my unique background and identities, I am absolutely excited to bring my ideas on having people engage collectively with their histories and their communities
Maddy Turner
Maddy is an educator at heart, having worked as a middle school science teacher and STEM camp instructor, and now moving into museum education. She’d love to talk about plants, pets, cooking and the current and past social movements that shape our world.
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? Always the teacher, I can’t wait to help get folks excited about learning the history and current state of our democracy, the roles we play in it, and the impact we can have individually and collectively.
DaShawn Rustin
DaShawn is a passionate and creative Media Studies student at the College of Southern Maryland. With an interest in pop culture and the arts, cultural exchange, and social change, she is always ready to talk about diversity and representation plus geek culture!
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? I am excited to collaborate with a diverse group of individuals to work towards making history more accessible and engaging for young adults. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to this innovative project and make a meaningful impact.
Zev van Zanten
Zev is a student at Duke University, studying mathematics and economics. With experience in journalism and an interest in history and literature, he’s always ready to talk about Jewish folk tales, science fiction, and historical fiction.
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? I’m excited to bring my background in journalism and passion for history, both of which I think will be helpful.
Grace Vance
Grace is in her last semester to complete a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with an emphasis in Strategic Public Relations. As an experienced digital content producer, she is an advocate for food justice and the LGBTQIA+ community.
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? I truly believe the next generation of leaders will be the change our society so desperately needs and I can’t wait to work with people who are working toward that change. I am so honored to be able to work on something like this!
Andrew Song
Andrew is a nuclear submarine officer assigned to the USS Nevada (SSBN-733) out of Bangor, WA. He graduated with a B.A. from Yale University in Global Affairs and his writings on American history have been published by several organizations including the Wall Street Journal. He’s always happy to discuss his personal collection of rare books and manuscripts, Asian-American history and early American literature.
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? I’m excited to highlight the contributions of traditionally underrepresented groups in military service while narrating the positive impact of Asian immigrants to American democracy.
Nsisong Udosen
Nsisong is pursuing a master’s degree in strategic design and management, and working as a UX consultant. She is always excited to talk about how storytelling and interactive experiences contribute to community-building, historical understanding, and speculative thinking for equitable futures — plus poetry and mango cheesecake!
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? I’m excited to use my facilitation training to encourage people to recognize their contributions to history, as well as explore how their experiences in America have shaped their self-concept.
Kamryn Yanchick
Kamryn is a proud citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and a descendant of the Muscogee Nation. She is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with degrees in Political Science and Native American Studies, and is currently working as a Wilma Mankiller Fellow at the National Congress of American Indians. She’s always happy to talk about trying new plant-based food, dancing, and early 2000’s emo bands.
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? I’m excited to bring my passion for civic engagement and my insight as an Indigenous person who has grown up seeing the need for diverse conversations about our nation’s history amidst contentious political and social environments.
Kaylee LaTocha
Kaylee studied history in college and is excited to share what she has learned. Her focus was 20th century history. Kaylee has been learning graphic design and can’t wait to use it to share facts with others.
What are you most excited about bringing to the Fellowship? I am most excited to bring Alaska’s voice to the table. There is a lot of discourse that happens in the lower 48 and I often feel like Alaska is left out due to distance. I also am excited about bringing new ideas to share with like-minded people.
