Aryelle Jacobsen

University of North Carolina Asheville

Aryelle first showed her determination and passion to enact social change in high school when she authored and published the book A is for Awkward: A Guide to Surviving Middle School, which addresses the challenges faced by middle school students and how they can develop the resiliency to overcome them. Aryelle also co-organized the March for Our Lives protest in 2018 as a response to the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida. She brought her strong desire to make an impact to UNC Asheville, where she has as an Engagement Advisor with the Key Center for Community Engaged Learning and the Community Coordinator for our Student Government Association. In the local community, she is the Regional Manager and Coordinator for Camp Girl Boss, a leadership and entrepreneurship camp for girls, and she also works with the In Real Life after school program with Asheville City Schools. Her declared major in Entrepreneurship and Community Justice is a clear signal that Aryelle is poised to make a significant impact on the social and equity issues facing society in the near and distant future.

Dr. Nancy Cable
Chancellor
University of North Carolina Asheville

Personal Statement

During my transition from elementary school to middle school, I struggled with mental health issues as did many of my classmates. I realized that good self-esteem is critical to middle school success and decided to write a book entitled “A is for Awkward: A Guide to Surviving Middle School,” which helps middle school students understand the importance of resilience and mental health.

A few years later, after the devastating school shooting in Parkland, Florida, I felt compelled to elevate student voices. I became a lead organizer of March for Our Lives Asheville, where thousands joined to advocate for gun violence prevention. During this time, I noticed that intersectionality was often dismissed in social movements that involved primarily White activists, and sought out racial equity and wellness trainings to better educate myself to be a more conscientious leader.

My passion for equity and adolescent empowerment led me to join the team of Camp Girl Boss, a program that teaches girls leadership and entrepreneurship principles, where I serve as Regional Manager and Coordinator. Most recently, I declared a major in Entrepreneurship and Community Justice, which I hope offers me the opportunity to continue to support mental health and social justice initiatives.

Aryelle Jacobsen
Individual degree concentration, Entrepreneurship and Community Justice: Class of 2022
written 2020

2020 Fellows Alphabetical by Institution

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Alexander Kaye, U. of Central Florida Miyako Iwata, UC Berkeley M. Chiamaka Okonkwo, UNC Charlotte Noelia Michelle Flores González, Universidad de Monterrey Ashlyn Woods, University of Baltimore Greta Hacker, University of Central Arkansas Christian Coleman, University of Central Oklahoma Hailey Ettinger, University of Colorado Boulder Michael Hernández, University of Connecticut Claire Sullivan, University of Dayton Maggie Nelson, University of Delaware Tarun Ramesh, University of Georgia Gregoria Uroza, University of Houston-Downtown Wasan Kumar, University of Illinois at Chicago Kaitlyn Meyr, University of Kentucky Ana Benitez, University of La Verne Amanda Gardner, University of Maine at Augusta Stephanie Turcios, University of Mary Washington Nihira Mugamba, University of Maryland, Baltimore County(UMBC) Maggie Sullivan, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Danelia Ramirez Aguilar, University of Massachusetts Lowell Jendayi London, University of Miami Meredith Days, University of Michigan Lucy Grimshaw, University of Missouri – St. Louis Kortney Sims, University of Montana Dinesh Karki, University of Nebraska Omaha Alexandra Vergara, University of New Hampshire Keyri Ambrocio, University of New Haven Aryelle Jacobsen, University of North Carolina Asheville Katherine Torres, University of North Georgia Yarik Molina, University of North Texas at Dallas Cole Passick, University of Northern Iowa Evan McKenna, University of Notre Dame Justin Norris, University of Oklahoma Nisha Sridhar, University of Oregon Oluwatomisin Oyedele, University of Pennsylvania Stephanie Rose, University of Pittsburgh TJ Tann, University of Richmond Ana Trejo Aguilar, University of San Diego Evelyn Pedraza Fernandez, University of San Francisco Imani Sherrills, University of South Carolina Beaufort Patrick Mack, University of South Carolina Upstate Reylan Cook, University of South Carolina-Columbia - Columbia, SC Tyus Edmond, University of St Thomas Amber Heidenreich, University of Wisconsin - Superior Shehrose Charania, University of Wisconsin-Madison Tavyonia Davis, University of Wisconsin-Parkside Trenton Ebel, UW Green Bay
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