Graduate School: Boston College Morrissey School of Arts and Sciences

Fellowship:  Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Project Description:  This summer, Akash served as a Rappaport Fellow with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in the Office of Student and Family Support. He played a key role in supporting the coordination and evaluation of DESE’s Student Voice Grant Pathways, designed to empower youth leadership and amplify student voices in district-level decision-making. Akash conducted school site visits to assess the implementation of grant-funded initiatives, such as 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) High School Internship Program and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) supports, offering evidence-based feedback to enhance state oversight. He also contributed to vendor and agency meetings, supporting the development of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Birth to Higher Education Framework, spanning social-emotional supports from birth through higher education and adult education. Additionally, Akash was involved in planning and evaluating data collection tools and surveys to track grantee outcomes and assess the effectiveness of funded initiatives. His contributions in this area were instrumental in providing actionable insights that informed continuous improvement strategies and future grant-making decisions.