Scholars Program Overview
Notley recognizes the racial gaps in leadership, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and within the social impact sector. Through Notley Scholars, and the larger Notley Global Leadership Network (NGLN), we are committed to helping build a pipeline of diverse Changemakers.
Notley Scholars is an 8-week opportunity for undergraduate student Changemakers of Color to explore new ways to elevate their impact within their career and/or community. Throughout this program, Scholars will enhance their leadership skills through personal and professional development, expand their professional network through the Notley ecosystem, and gain hands-on experience in a cohort-based learning environment.
What Scholars Can Expect
The Notley Scholars curriculum is iterative, and is always growing and changing.
However, Scholars can expect to participate in and gain the following types of experiences:
● Speaker Series / Ask Me Anything sessions with local Changemakers of Color, ranging in experience from near-peer activists to advanced policymakers.
● Leadership Development workshops for personal and professional growth.
● Corporate site-visits around Austin ranging from tech headquarters, to social impact startups, to nonprofit organizations, and more.
● Notley Fellowship event participation, networking, and project share-outs.
● Connecting with Notley ecosystem partners such as DivInc, JobSage, The Mentor Method, and Austin Young Chamber.
● Scholar Socials and fun team-building events.
● Project pitch development and delivery with the support of the Notley team.
Meet The Scholars
Alejo Herrera is a rising senior at St. Edwards University, where he plays Tennis and Rugby. He is currently studying Psychology and Entrepreneurship with the hope of becoming a business development consultant, entrepreneur, lawyer, and social welfare advocate in his future career.
Impact Areas: Civic Engagement, Education and Policy, Food Insecurity, Housing Affordability, Entrepreneurship
Alex Hernandez was born and raised in South Texas and now studies business and finance at NYU. He moved around a lot growing up, allowing him to meet and learn from many different people. Alex tries to live his life to the fullest by making the most of each moment. He strives to focus on the things that matter most to him, such as expanding business education and financial literacy for historically excluded populations. In his spare time, Alex loves to play games and loves music! He’s excited to spend the summer connecting with and learning from the Notley ecosystem.
Impact Areas: Financial Literacy, Investing, Entrepreneurship
Anisha Chintala is a rising sophomore studying Business Administration and Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University. In the future, she’s interested in pursuing a career in UI/UX Design. In her spare time, Anisha loves to spend time with her family, friends, and two dogs. She’s excited about the opportunity to be a part of the Notley Scholars Program this summer!
Impact Areas: Women in Entrepreneurship, Education, Youth and Mentorship
Gavin Porter studies Honors Humanities at the University of Texas at Austin, with a concentration in African American Housing. He is a McNair Scholar, a participant of the Heman Sweatt Center for Black Males, and has received several prestigious wards and scholarships while at UT. Gavin is interested in diverse topics and is always open to new opportunities and experiences that come his way! Last year, Gavin started as an intern for ServiceTitan, where he now works full-time on their Lead Development team. His career ambition is to increase access to affordable housing for Black mothers and their babies.
Impact Areas: Affordable Housing, Homelessness
Jae Lee is an Austin native, transgender vet, single parent, writer, and senior student of Social Work at St. Edward’s University. His background includes foreign language study (German, Korean, Russian, and Polish) military intelligence, and a variety of positions in both the private and civilian government sectors. Jae has also participated in three LBGTQIA+ community workshops as a panelist. He began his transition into social work after returning to higher education at age 29. Once armed with his degree, he hopes to help assist low-income families in the Austin area by becoming active in policy change.
Impact Areas: Food Insecurity, Racial Justice + Equity, Sustainability
Jamie Gomez is from Midland, Texas. She currently attends UT Austin where she studies Youth and Community Studies. Dedicated to leaving things better than she found them, Jamie strives to improve the state of the public education system. She is an experienced educator that values the importance that community and cultural differences have in addressing issues. Jamie is also involved in Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority Inc., an organization focused on providing access and knowledge to students of color to ensure both personal growth and career success. She is passionate about reading, journaling, creating art, and going to concerts.
Impact Areas: Education Reform, Policy, Democratizing Education
If you’re interested in keeping up with the Scholars, we encourage you to follow us on Instagram, stay tuned to the latest news on the Leadership Network, and join our email list to be the first in the know.
