Graduate School
Harvard Divinity School

Undergraduate School
DePaul University

Mentor
Tiziana Dearing, Boston College and Rappaport Institute Advisory Board Member

Agency
City of Boston, Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians

Supervisor
An Le, Community and Policy Affairs Advocacy Coordinator

Description of Fellowship
Usra Ghazi served as a policy fellow at the Mayor’s Office of New Bostonians (MONB). In addition to providing staff support on MONB’s ongoing initiatives to promote civic engagement and citizenship among Boston’s immigrant communities, Usra conducted outreach to faith-based organizations and leaders. She researched and produced policy proposals on how the City of Boston can implement best practices of faith-based engagement. One of these proposals was signed and authorized by the Mayor’s Office resulting in the first-ever Ramadan holiday celebration at City Hall with Mayor Walsh and over 200 of the city’s Muslim civic leaders and community members. She served as a liaison to the Mayor’s Special Advisor on Violence Prevention and Public Safety to launch an inaugural faith-based advisory council. She was invited to stay on staff at MONB as a policy fellow for the duration of the 2014-2015 academic year.