Graduate School
Boston College School of Social Work

Undergraduate School
Marist College

Mentor
Carol Leon, Rappaport/Boston Urban Scholar

Sasha Albert, Senior Researcher, Health Policy Commission and Former Rappaport Public Policy Fellow

Agency
Boston Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement

Supervisor
Renato Castelo, Immigrant Integration Initiatives Manager

Description of Fellowship
Aanandita will continue to co-lead MOIA’s first mental health mini-grants pilot project that was initiated alongside MOIA’s Graduate Policy Fellow and the Immigrant Integration Initiatives Manager. The pilot provides funds to six community-based organizations that incorporate non-clinical mental health interventions in their programming for the immigrant community in the Greater Boston area. As a Rappaport Fellow, she will work directly with the Leah Zallman Center for Immigrant Health Research on the exploratory assessment process by supporting them with site visits to the CBOs, observing their non-clinical interventions and/or monthly check-ins, and report on progress needed for the exploratory assessment. This pilot initiative will explore how the City can support relevant programming for immigrants as a long-term investment.