Brianna Rogers (she/her)
While she always had the passion for making meaningful change, Brianna was continuously assigned to positions that limited the level of impact she could have. She recognized her innovative talents were being wasted in roles with little opportunity for upward mobility. When she joined National Urban Fellows, she found a place that empowered her to create her own legacy.
“Programs like National Urban Fellows are needed because not only does it fill an equity gap within the higher education system, it also fills an equity gap as it pertains to positions that hold a lot of power, positions that wield a lot of power,” said Brianna.
As a former foster youth who was formerly incarcerated, Brianna saw firsthand the ways in which our systems marginalize Black and Brown people across the country every day.
“[National Urban Fellows] calls in folks like me with a lot of experience with the systems that we’re aiming to change.[NUF] gets us in the door where systems are changing, where policies are being created, and where power is being shared,” Brianna exclaimed.
During her fellowship, Brianna was placed at The Andrus Family Fund, a foundation supporting the self-determination, power and liberation of Black, Brown and Indigenous youth impacted by youth justice, child welfare and other disruptive systems.
Throughout, National Urban Fellows support gave Brianna the resources and motivation to grow through every challenge that came her way.
“On top of the support from the other Fellows, we had financial support and most importantly we always had an advocate in NUF.”
Since graduating, Brianna has gained the access she needed to multiply her impact.
Today, she sits on the community board for The East Oakland Youth Development Center and serves as Associate Initiative Officer for Rework the Bay at The San Francisco Foundation.
“They’re listening to what I have to say now. And what I have to say is amazing, because it comes from a place of personal lived experience,” declared Brianna.
If you’re ready to pull from your lived experience to empower your community, learn more about how to get involved with National Urban Fellows at www.nuf.org.
