The Dinah F. B. Cohen DREAM Fellowship is a program that provides college students and recent graduates with disabilities with professional skills training and leadership development opportunities. The DREAM Fellowship Program was founded by the National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC) in partnership with DREAM (Disability Rights, Education, Activism and Mentoring) and is now a program of Partners for Youth with Disabilities. Thanks to generous financial support from Macy’s, the fellowship expanded this year from two fellows to a cohort of ten fellows!
Through this program, the fellows will:
- Develop leadership and professional skills
- Understand mentoring as a disability inclusion strategy; and
- Expand their network to impact career development and access to opportunities.
We’re pleased to introduce the 2023 Dinah F. B. Cohen DREAM Fellows!
Meet the 2023 Dinah F. B. Cohen DREAM Fellows
Audrey Bayne (she/her)
Audrey is a student at the University of Alabama studying Political Science with a minor in Social Work. After graduating, she plans to pursue a Master’s or Ph.D. program in Public Policy to focus on legislative and policy advocacy as it relates to people with chronic illnesses and disabilities like herself. Bayne is heavily involved in disability advocacy work, serving as her university’s Student Director of Disability Affairs, founding her school’s first disability-related student organization, completing a project with the Levitetz Leadership program to identify ways to promote accessibility for students with disabilities, and interning with several disability rights organizations. In her free time, Bayne plays flute in her university’s band, serves on the leadership team of her campus ministry organization, and enjoys embroidery, antiquing, and learning new instruments.
Casey Doherty (she/her)
Casey is a Disability Studies graduate student at the City University of New York’s School of Professional Studies. She received her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and lives in Washington, D.C. Casey is passionate about disability justice and fighting for equitable access to services, pandemic safety, and care for people with energy-limiting disabilities and chronic illnesses like myalgic encephalomyelitis. Casey organizes with #MEAction and the Chronic Disease Coalition. In her free time and when she has the energy, she enjoys taking her tuxedo cats for walks in their backpack.
Emmett Lockwood (he/they)
Emmett is a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin – Madison majoring in Political Science and Gender and Women’s Studies with minors in American Indian Studies and the Integrated Studies of Science, Engineering, and Society. Lockwood is a Disability Justice activist and grassroots organizer originally from New Hampshire who has worked to guide the creation and implementation of UW-Madison’s Disability Cultural Center, the expansion of Paratransit, and addressing police violence that disproportionately targets BIPOC individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Lockwood hopes to pursue a PhD related to Disability Studies.
Jacqueline Wong (she/her)
Jacqueline is a current fellow of the NDMC DREAM Fellowship Spring 2023 Cohort. She graduated as valedictorian from a small high school in New Jersey in 2022, and she is currently an undergraduate at Hamilton College. Jacqueline is taking a pre-med track to pursue an M.D. in pharmaceuticals because she’s driven to mitigate the mental health crisis we face today. In her spare time, she enjoys fashion, digital arts, tennis, and reading the latest research articles.
Lauren Jimenez (she/her)
Lauren graduated from San Francisco State University in 2021, and earned a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in criminal justice and political science. She’s currently working towards attending law school. Lauren is passionate about the law field, as it is the one place where her mind will be her most valued asset. She hopes to one day work in the health law field. In her spare time, you can find her ice skating, going out with friends, or baking.
Mariah Mayhugh (she/her)
Mariah is a creative dreamer, driven by the simple mission to be the person she needed to see growing up. Living with epilepsy has not made life simple for Mariah, but it has inspired tenacity and resilience to overcome countless life hurdles. Mariah currently lives in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she works as a social media and communications specialist for Envision Radiology. In her spare time, Mariah pours her energy into her advocacy work, often traveling the country to speak, dance, and give copies of her book, “Mimi: A Story About Absence Seizures,” to newly diagnosed children.
Natalia Macias (she/her)
Natalia is a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Psychology and minoring in Disability Studies, with a passion for disability advocacy, medical education and research. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she plans to pursue a Clinical Psychology program to become a researcher and professor. Outside of academics, Natalia enjoys hiking, dancing, performing spoken word, and reading. She hopes to use her education and interests to make a positive impact on minority research.
Olivia Ely (she/her)
Olivia is 21 and lives in New Hope, Pennsylvania. Her passion in life is to help people with disabilities. She has Cerebral Palsy, and she was the first person in her school district to graduate in a wheelchair. Therefore, she has great compassion for people who have had difficulties and challenges in their lives. Olivia is very focused when she’s given a task that piques her interest. She gets things done with great determination. Olivia enjoys meeting new people and traveling because she is a foodie. She also enjoys writing action/adventure stories.
Raven Roberts (she/her)
Raven is an enthusiastic rising junior strategic communication student at Morgan State University. On campus, she is a features editor for the school paper, The MSU Spokesman, and part of the MSU chapter of NABJ and PRSSA. Raven is passionate about communications, diversity, and equity and recently served as an Assistive Technology Champion for the Maryland Department of Disabilities, where she researched assistive technology, created social media posts, and more. Raven has a lifelong history of advocating for individuals with disabilities and other marginalized groups and is eager to begin as an NDMC Spring Fellow!
Support the Fellowship
We’re looking forward to seeing what our fellows achieve! If you would like to support the Dinah F. B. Cohen DREAM Fellowship Program, please consider making a donation.
If you’d like to learn more about the fellowship and ways to get involved as a volunteer, please email Nicole Homerin at nhomerin@pyd.org.