Roshni Mehta Pursues Coro Pittsburgh Fellowship

Roshni Mehta, a 2020 graduate of Carnegie Mellon University who majored in Ethics, History, and Public Policy, has received a Coro Pittsburgh’s Fellowship in Public Affairs.

The mission of Coro is to advance leaders and to build a wider leadership base to construct more inclusive communities. The nonprofit focuses on experiential learning, whole system thinking and nurturing future leaders and members for these communities.

The Pittsburgh Coro Fellowship is a 9-month leadership growth program that has fellows cooperating and communicating with local business, government and nonprofit organizations. Fellows also benefit from cohorts and seminars throughout the program that focus both on the community within Coro and within Pittsburgh.

Mehta now joins a long line of CMU graduates who have been given this fellowship opportunity. She was originally attracted to the program because of its focuses on experiential learning.

“I like that it had a lot of practical, hands-on experience, not just in government, but also in nonprofit and in business because I feel it’s important to understand how these three cooperate in forming policies,” said Mehta. “I like that there’s a rotation on these three programs, along with the emphasis on cohorts, seminars and other help throughout the year.”

Brittany Allison, assistant director of Undergraduate Research and National Scholarships, worked extensively with Mehta during the application process for the fellowship. Allison notes that Mehta’s hands-on approach makes her the perfect Coro candidate.

“Roshni stands out as an emerging leader who is committed to immersing herself into the issue at hand and produce inclusive, community-driven outcomes,” said Allison. “She exemplifies a willingness to jump right into any team and fill the roles that are needed, working to serve the larger purpose.”

The prestigious Coro Fellowship continues and expands upon her prior experiences into a wider focus on local policymaking. Allison believes Mehta’s past experiences will allow her to bring a fresh perspective to her assignments while also having the initiative to see her ideas through.

“Roshni’s past experiences and accomplishments demonstrate her creativity and dedication in identifying a need, strategizing ways to meet that need and then implementing the plan,” said Allison. “We [at CMU] are very excited to see how Roshni continues to share her talents in the Coro Pittsburgh Fellowship Program and in her future career.”

The Coro Fellowship is not only significant for its hands-on approach to policymaking, but also its direct connections to CMU.

The Fellowship website notes that alumni of the Coro Fellowship who enroll in any of the master’s programs at Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy are eligible for a scholarship of a minimum of 50% of tuition per semester.

Mehta is unsure if she will be pursuing a master’s degree at CMU just yet, but she is nonetheless excited for the internship. She has already been interacting with her cohorts virtually before the fellowship has begun. The cohorts have even begun a mini-book club to pass the time before the fellowship.

“It’s super interesting because people are coming to the fellowship from all over the country with a variety of different backgrounds and different expertise,” said Mehta. “I’m excited to see how all of these different cultural identities and political beliefs will play out over the year.”

The fellowship begins Sept. 1.