News

Building Bridges Education and uAspire are proud to announce a collaborative policy fellowship to advance postsecondary pathways that provide academic excellence and cultural affirmation to historically underrepresented students.

Our Shared Vision

Building Bridges Education and uAspire are launching a summer fellowship for current college students to:

• Elevate Student Experience: Place the lived experiences of marginalized students at the heart of state-level educational policy and advocacy.
• Expand HBCU Presence: Work actively to bring the rich legacy and transformative power of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to the Massachusetts ecosystem.
• Bridge Opportunity Gaps: Address socioeconomic inequities by developing policy recommendations that strengthen pipelines between students and HBCU institutions.

Fellowship Goals & Responsibilities

While the program celebrates the cultural legacy of HBCUs, its primary objective is to build the foundation for an advocacy strategy in the 2027 legislative session. Fellows will be tasked with completing the research, landscape analysis, and strategy development to identify effective policies and Massachusetts-specific policy levers to increase affordable pathways to HBCUs for Massachusetts students, with training, guidance, and mentorship from uAspire’s Massachusetts Policy Director.

Fellows will work on the following:

• Legislative Strategy Development: Research and draft policy memos for the upcoming legislative session about specific barriers to HBCU enrollment and retention for Massachusetts residents and that outline the socioeconomic impact of increasing HBCU access.

• Comparative Research: Research policy in other states to identify effective policies advancing financial aid parity and dedicated grant programs for students to attend HBCUs.

• Institutional Partnerships: Draft policy frameworks that encourage formal "bridge" agreements between the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and HBCU institutions to streamline credit transfers and admissions.

• Equitable Recruitment Practices: Design policy proposals that ensure HBCUs are represented in all state-funded college readiness programs.

• Stakeholder Mapping: Identify and build a database of key influencers within the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education and local school committees to target for advocacy outreach.

• Advocacy Toolkit Creation: Develop "Action Alerts" and a social media toolkit to mobilize students and families to contact their local officials regarding HBCU-related policy.

Commitment

Fellows can expect to dedicate about 10 hours per week to the program. Throughout the summer semester, fellows will receive mentorship and guidance from uAspire’s Massachusetts policy director as they work on written advocacy projects and deepen their understanding of HBCUs, with an emphasis on methods for increasing access and admissions for Massachusetts students. The fellowship includes video conference trainings, virtual team meetings, and independent research and advocacy work. This is all designed to build practical skills and real-world experience.

Schedule

The Summer 2026 Policy Fellowship will run from June 1 to July 31, 2026. Fellows will:

• Have weekly virtual meetings with uAspire’s policy director,
• Join virtual team meetings every other Monday from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ET, and
• Participate in a required in-person orientation on June 1, from 9:00 am – 12:30 pm in Boston.

Location

The fellowship is a virtual program, with students participating remotely alongside peers. Reliable internet access and a laptop with a video camera are required for weekly video meetings.

Eligibility

To apply, students must be undergraduate college students who will hold sophomore standing or higher in Fall 2026 and be at least 18 years old. Students may be enrolled either full- or part-time and must attend college in Massachusetts. Applicants must also meet one of the following financial aid criteria:

• Be a Pell Grant recipient; or
• Have completed the Massachusetts Application for State Financial Aid (MASFA)

Students must also be authorized to work in the United States.

Compensation & Application Details

Fellows will receive an $800 monthly stipend, for a total of $1,600.

Interested students should complete this application form by Monday, April 27, 2026, at 11:59 pm. The application takes approximately one hour to complete. All applicants will be notified of their status by May 22, 2026.

uAspire and Building Bridges Education are committed to building a cohort of fellows who bring diverse lived experiences and college backgrounds, equipping our team to champion student-centered change in higher education policy. We are looking for students curious about policymaking, passionate about equity, and ready to use their skills to make a difference.

If you have questions, reach out to Femi Stoltz, Massachusetts Policy Director, at femis@uaspire.org.