Angelique Salizan (she/her)

Angelique spent years building her career on Capitol Hill, but continued to hit a ceiling, seeing some of her colleagues with the same level of education moving through their careers at a faster pace. National Urban Fellows became her catalyst to break through those barriers, obtain an advanced degree and increase her competitive edge as a professional.

“You can’t work in public policy and really get the things you want to get done if you don’t have access. With access comes power,” contends Angelique.

Joining National Urban Fellows gave Angelique newfound levels of access. While at Georgetown, she and her 2020 cohort were in classes debating with classmates and professors, some of whom were current and former government agency leaders, congressional staff, and a host of other decision-makers in public policy. This strong foundation gave her the right tools to solve serious problems in her fellowship at the City of Cleveland Department of Public Utilities.

There, she leveraged her experience with constituent engagement and policy to reimagine the role of the water department in the lives of community members in a large metropolitan city. Becoming a National Urban Fellow gave her access to the power she needed to make waves toward equity across local communities.

“NUF is exposing you to different experiences and what you do with those experiences is totally up to you. You’re in a pivotal moment in your career and you have to decide, “how am I going to make the most of what NUF is presenting?’”

NUF empowered Angelique to take her passion for advancing equity and apply it to building coalitions for advocacy and legislative campaigns.

Are you ready to leverage your passion to build power in your community? Learn more about how to get involved with National Urban Fellows at www.nuf.org.