Mayor Benjamin welcomes new Mayor’s Fellows to City Hall

Mayor Steve Benjamin welcomes seven college students this summer to the Mayor’s Fellows program. The program provides both undergraduate and graduate-level students with the opportunity to gain first-hand knowledge of how a high-energy local government operates. The Fellowship caters to students seeking course credit or to those simply wishing to gain public service experience.

The Mayor’s Fellows will assist with research in varied fields that correlate to the various departments and agencies within the City of Columbia. The students will aid in special research projects, reviewing current City of Columbia policy and assisting in other designated areas. Fellows work directly alongside the Mayor’s staff to identify and implement best practices.

This summer’s Fellows are:

Renada Chisholm (Chester, South Carolina) is a rising senior at the University of South Carolina pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations with a minor in business administration. Upon graduation, Renada plans to pursue a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications. Her interest in the Mayor’s Fellows derived from her quest for knowledge in the interdisciplinary area of Public Relations. Renada believes the program represents an opportunity to obtain more experience in the public sector and it will also help her develop her professional and disciplinary skills to reach her professional goals. During her spare time, she enjoys reading, shopping, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.

Darius English (Powder Springs, Georgia) is a rising senior at the University of South Carolina pursuing a degree in Hotel Restaurant Tourism Management. Darius decided to pursue the fellowship in the Mayor’s Office because of his interest in public policy, policy implementation, and research/date collecting. He hopes to use this opportunity to network, as well as to get involved with a number of public policy initiatives established by the City of Columbia. Darius is also a proud student athlete at the university!

Jessica Hosey (Charleston, South Carolina) is a rising senior at the University of South Carolina pursuing a degree in Broadcast Journalism with a minor in sociology. Jessica hopes to become a news reporter after she graduates and believes this opportunity will provide her with the knowledge to truly understand how the city operates. After briefly meeting Mayor Benjamin during a luncheon for the 2015 flood relief efforts, Jessica was motivated to apply for this Fellowship. From the Mayor’s Fellows program, she hopes to become a well-rounded individual through understanding the logistics of local politics as well as gaining experience in a professional environment. Public service is a major component of her life and; she hopes that this opportunity will shed light on the community from a different perspective. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking and various forms of dancing such as African dance.

Tiraje Lester (Macon, Georgia) is a recent graduate of Benedict College with a bachelor’s degree in biology. At Benedict, she held the position as the Student Government Association President. She was very excited that she got the opportunity to participate in the program with high hopes of showcasing her community engagement skills that will provide her an opportunity to learn about working with governmental relations. After graduation, Tiraje plans to attend medical school to pursue a career in orthopedic surgery. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping and spending time with her friends and family.

Chudi Obi (Gainsville, Virigina) is a recent graduate from the University of Virginia with a bachelor’s degree in Foreign Affairs. After graduation, Chudi continued to pursue education as he is now a second year graduate student at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He is certain that this program will significantly increase his knowledge of local and urban government to apply practical policy applications. In the future, Chudi would like to continue his focus in the area of policy in infrastructure, economy, and international policy to make an affirmative change. In his free time, Chudi enjoys reading, watching movies, talking, and traveling.

Taylor Stallworth (Mobile, Alabama) is a third year hospitality major at the University of South Carolina. His interest in the Mayor’s Office is in learning more about the developmental process of event planning and meetings. Taylor is looking forward to being a part of the various events around the City of Columbia. In his free time, he enjoys cooking which has inspired him to open a restaurant chain in the future. Being a defensive tackle on USC’s football team, Taylor also enjoys spending leisure time with his teammates.

Melissa Wood (Morgantown, West Virginia) is a rising sophomore at the University of South Carolina pursuing a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a minor in social work. After graduation, Melissa plans to attend law school in hopes of eventually practicing matrimonial law. Melissa’s takeaway from this experience is to gain experience in working in a professional environment to enhance her problem-solving skills. Her interest in this fellowship stemmed from her passion for helping others and she’s thrilled to serve the public’s immediate need on a citywide level.