
Leadership Next Gen
2026 Cohort

Cindy Qiao (she/her)
Hometown: Beijing, China & Newton, MA​
Senior @ Newton North High School
Cindy is passionate about addressing food insecurity, especially among students and reducing food waste. She also plays on my high school's volleyball and tennis teams. She loves spending time with my friends and families as well as doing ceramics. ​
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Cristian Orellana (he/him)
Hometown: Randolph, MA
Senior @ UMass Boston, MBA ‘27
Cristian is a native of Chelsea and now lives on the South Shore. Cristian is interested in Education, Restorative Justice, and Food Insecurity alleviation policy, having led the charge for the renaming of Phillis Wheatley Peters Hall at UMass Boston and lobbying for more state funding to stop college hunger. Cristian is Salvadorian-American and the President of his Student Government at UMB.

Gabriel Ponce Lemus (he/him)
Hometown: Everett, MA
Sophomore @ Suffolk University
When Gabriel is not biking, or playing tennis, he is usually diving into his work as a McNair Scholar. Growing up in a gateway city’s underfunded public school system, he experienced the disparities in opportunity compared to neighboring towns just a few miles away. That experience fueled his passion for educational equity, which is now the focus of his research.

Isabela Pagan (she/her)
Hometown: Everett, MA
Freshman @ Suffolk University
Isabela is a freshman at Suffolk University studying political science on the pre-law track. She is deeply committed to addressing issues such as income inequality, welfare programs, homelessness, substance abuse, immigrant rights, and U.S. foreign intervention. Outside of academics, she enjoys listening to music, watching documentaries, and practicing her Christian faith.
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Juliet Dong (she/her)
Hometown: Acton, MA
Senior @ Acton Boxborough Regional High School
Juliet is a senior at Acton Boxborough and is a community leader committed to advancing social justice through education, culture, and policy. As a Chinese American and the founder of the Jasmine Cultural Arts Foundation, she empowers youth through accessible arts programming while amplifying underrepresented voices. Juliet also served as a community liaison for a state-funded climate resilience initiative and advocates for financial literacy and equity through nonprofit work.

Olivia Ding (she/her)
Hometown: Clarksburg, MD
Freshman @ Wellesley College
Olivia is incredibly excited to be a CARE LNG Fellow this year! In high school, she was involved in as many advocacy opportunities as possible, eventually presiding over a national student-led organization during her senior year dedicated to fighting for humane immigration reform. Beyond this, she also care deeply about reproductive justice and ensuring that all people have autonomy over their own bodies. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, DJing for friends, and going on cafe crawls. ​

Salma Boulal (she/her)
Hometown: Methuen, MA
Junior @ UMass Boston
Salma is deeply passionate about social justice and advocacy, particularly pertaining to immigration and youth policy. She currently serve on Governor Healey’s Youth Advisory Council and previously worked as a legislative intern for State Senator Pavel Payano, where she gained firsthand experience in state-level policymaking and constituent advocacy. Through these roles, she developed strong skills in research and public service, and she is eager to apply them in meaningful ways with CARE.

Samira Bashar (she/her)
Hometown: Cambridge, MA
Senior @ Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School
Samira is a senior in high school who is passionate about law and advocacy, hoping to pursue that in college and my future career. She is especially interested in immigration law and protecting the rights of immigrant communities. As a first-generation college-bound student, her experiences have shaped her drive to speak up for others and work toward more equitable policies. In her free time, she loves trying new foods and exploring different parts of the city!

Sophia Toumi (she/her)
Hometown: Revere, MA
Sophomore @ Suffolk University
Sophia's niche is anti-discrimination policies, specifically in youth spaces like colleges and high schools. She currently attends Suffolk University, and in the process of updating their policy on Anti-discrimination in clubs to resolve the root issue of racism, specifically microaggressions. She is also into anti-youth violence, specifically in low-income neighborhoods and communities. She is working to create third spaces for youth and teaching them life skills. ​​
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Stacey Twum-Barimah (she/her)
Hometown: Worcester, MA
Senior @ Abbey Kelley Foster Charter Public School
Stacey is Ghanaian and bilingual. Some of her hobbies include journaling, volunteering and dancing. She is extremely passionate about reproductive justice, homelessness, and health equity, given how frequently Black women bear the consequences of these systemic inequalities.
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Suravi Bhatia (she/her)
Hometown: Acton, MA
Senior @ Acton Boxborough Regional High School
Suravi's primary issues of focus are educational equity and civic engagement among young people. She is driven by the belief that education can address critical societal issues, from civic disengagement to racial injustice, by training the next generation of students to understand and engage with topics of interest. That core belief is reflected in her work with CARE, both previously as a CARE Activator fellow and currently as an LNG fellow.
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​LNG Fellows bios not shown:
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Beamlak Mideksa
Julia Jeune
Leah Duncan
Sylvie Staco
