STUDENT LEADER FELLOWSHIP
During times such as these, when so much feels threatened or under attack, we want to support, invest in, and walk alongside college students more than ever.
Continuing in our commitment to build community, explore faith and spirituality, and invest in student leaders committed to engaging their campus and the wider world - the Inclusive Collective is excited to be launching our new Student Leader Fellowship.
We have engaged six college students from campuses around the city of Chicago committed to walking and growing alongside one another over the course of the academic year. The Rev. Kenji Kuramitsu, the Associate Dean of Student Life at the University of Chicago’s Rockefeller Chapel, is the cohort mentor.
Brandon Wright
Brandon Wright, a native of Gary, Indiana, is a Public Health student dedicated to developing Christ-centered health interventions. Drawing from his roots in the COGIC tradition and his current fellowship at Lighthouse Church of Chicago UCC, Brandon brings a unique and innovative lens to spiritual care. As a gifted vocalist on the praise team and choir, he understands the power of worship in community healing through music. Brandon aims to bridge the gaps in holistic care by creating treatments that address health "from the inside out." Through this fellowship, he is eager to explore how faith-driven data and spiritual outreach can move the needle toward positive health outcomes in urban communities.
Gabriel Pellebon
Gabriel Pellebon is a proud Chicago native, scholar, and community organizer in the making. Gabriel is a student at Chicago State University, where Gabriel is a member of the Honors College and double majors in sociology and psychology. On campus, Gabriel serves as president of the Sociology Club, vice president of the Trivia Club, a member of Chicago State’s Honda Campus All-Star Challenge team, and a Wellness Ambassador.
Gabriel’s work centers community care and the flourishing of Black students and other marginalized communities. Their academic and organizing interests include Black feminist and womynist thought, community-based and environmental approaches to mental health, educational injustice, gender and sexuality, and broader movements for social change. Through the Inclusive Collective Student Leader Fellowship, Gabriel seeks to deepen their capacity for spiritually grounded, justice-centered leadership and to further weave together their faith, scholarship, and activism in the ongoing work of collective liberation.
Jessica Cornelia Paul, affectionately known as Jessi or Jess, is a 37-year-old African American, Christian, lesbian woman. She is currently in her senior year as an online student at Southern New Hampshire University, where she is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in Nonfiction. Jessi aspires to build a career in journalism and become a published author.
For the past 13 years, she has been an active member of Urban Village Church, Hyde Park-Woodlawn, where she serves on the greeting team and assists Pastor Pamela Lightsey with communion each week. Jessi is passionate about launching a lasting praise dance ministry within her congregation. She envisions recruiting dedicated team members, establishing regular rehearsals, and designing special dance garments to enhance the ministry’s presence. She looks forward to bringing this vision to life during her time in the fellowship.
Joe Whiteside is a 23-year-old student attending his final year at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Music (Jazz Voice). He is a member of LaSalle Street Church, also in Chicago, where he has attended and run sound for just over a year. When he's not in class or working, he enjoys cooking, reading, making music, and creating visual art. He is working to establish himself as a jazz singer in the Chicago scene while also building his voice acting career. He originally hails from Alton, IL (a suburb of St. Louis, MO) and can (and will) challenge you to a game of Scrabble that, despite his confidence, he will likely lose. He is incredibly excited to participate in the Student Leader Fellowship program and hopes that it will grow him as a Christian, as a citizen, and one day as a father.
John Brownridge
John is a nineteen-year-old Junior at the University of Chicago, studying Molecular Engineering and Religious Studies. He lives in Champaign, IL, with his younger siblings, Rachel, Rebecca, and Jayden, and his mother, Nakato. His mother's side of his family is from Uganda. I attend University Church on Sundays. Growing up, he went to an Assemblies of God church, although not much importance was placed on denominations in his household. Over the past year, he has gotten more involved with Christian activities, becoming a leader for the Black Student Fellowship at UChicago, a member of the Veritas Forum, and now, a member of the Inclusive Collective. Concurrently, he is exploring his growing interest in theology through classes, readings, and conversations with other faith-oriented people.
Tahj Warren is currently attending National Louis University as a Junior, working towards his Bachelor of Arts in Healthcare Leadership and is also minoring in Human Services and focusing his concentration in Public Policy. His passion focuses on making positive contributions toward building a more caring and equitable healthcare community.
He serves as the Supreme Guard on the National Executive Board of Alpha Omega Kappa Fraternity, Inc., a non-collegiate fraternity for men of trans experience dedicated to leadership, brotherhood, and personal growth. In his volunteer life, Tahj is a member of the hospitality team at Lighthouse Church of Chicago UCC.
Academics and service are not the only areas in his life. Tahj is an aspiring comedian who uses his craft as a means to reach out and challenge the minds of those he loves. Whether in church or even within the fraternity he is involved with, leading through love is what Tahj is all about.