The Racial Equity in Policy and Planning (REPP) Fellowship is excited to announce its third cohort. These five fellows are advancing racial equity in policy and planning, each bringing a commitment to creating more just and inclusive communities.
With diverse experiences and perspectives, This year’s fellows are united in their mission to dismantle systemic inequities and promote sustainable change. Their participation in REPP contributes to a broader culture of inclusion and belonging within our UEP community.
We invite you to explore their stories and learn more about the impactful work they are undertaking. Visit the REPP Fellowship page to read their bios and be inspired by their dedication to making a difference.
Lauren Chapman (She/Her) is originally from Dracut, Massachusetts and holds a B.A. in Sociology with a concentration in Social Problems, Policy, and Justice from William & Mary. Since graduating, she has worked at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she has collaborated closely with the Office of Diversity & Inclusion on DEI initiatives. Passionate about community engagement, Lauren volunteers with Elder Care Services and Somerville’s Human Rights Commission. Her academic and professional experiences have heightened her awareness of racial disparities and social injustices embedded within urban infrastructure and policies. Through her REPP Fellowship and education at UEP, Lauren aims to find equitable and sustainable planning and policy practices that can mitigate these disparities and effectively empower historically marginalized communities. In her free time, she enjoys biking on the Somerville community path, roller-skating, and visiting botanical gardens.
KC Coryatt (He/They) graduated from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry with his B.S in Environmental Studies with a focus in policy, planning, and law. KC’s goals are to create climate resilient communities with a focus on preserving their cultural identities and history. He wants to learn ways to foster community revitalization and incorporate green infrastructure while avoiding displacement. Growing up in and subsequently moving back into his neighborhood “The Little Caribbean” in Brooklyn after undergrad, KC saw just how much this neighborhood has changed which only served to strengthen his commitment to planning in this area. In doing research, KC intends to focus on making their findings accessible and understandable for the general public as opposed to solely others in academia. Through the REPP fellowship he hopes to share resources with his peers in order to advance their shared justice goals.
Kailani Day (She/Her) is from northern New Jersey and entered the environmental field in middle school through examining food access and air pollution concerns within her community. She is a combined degree student enrolled in the 4+1 BA/MA program with UEP. Her undergraduate majors are Environmental Studies and Anthropology, highlighting her interest in qualitative research methods. Kailani’s previous experience includes working at various scales of government including local, at the East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland, CA, and federal, at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In her free time, she enjoys nature walks, playing puzzle games (especially escape rooms), and crocheting. Kailani is excited to be a part of the UEP and REPP communities, and further apply her passion for environmental justice and community empowerment.
Nicole Marcus (She/Her) is passionate about embedding practices and structures that truly share power with community and advance racial justice within all aspects of local government. She’s interested in how decisions about policy and funding are made and by whom. She grew up in Naperville, a suburb of Chicago, and lived and worked in Chicago for four years after attending The Ohio State University where she studied City and Regional Planning and Economics and worked at the Ohio Senate. In Chicago, she worked at the Chicago Department of Public Health on the Healthy Chicago Equity Zones (HCEZ) initiative which uses a place-based planning approach to address social determinants of health in partnership with community-based organizations. Through REPP and UEP, she hopes to continue to explore the intersection of public health and urban planning as well as equitable co-governance practices in Boston and beyond.
Genesis Paulino (She/They/Ella) was born and raised in Lynn, MA to two Dominican immigrant parents. She received her BA at Quinnipiac University where they studied Sociology and Latin American Studies and minored in Women and Gender Studies. Working in areas such as community building, food insecurity, and third places/spaces, Genesis centers her core beliefs of racial justice as the center of these topics and more. They especially find interest in connecting urban and environmental planning issues through intersectional lens, allowing for structural and community justice changes. Growing up in Lynn, Genesis has seen the ways in which intersectional lens have been a successful way of uniting the community and its environment. She hopes to continue making changes in her hometown as well as the Greater Boston area through these intersectional and communal lenses.