Morehead-Cain Civic Collaboration Summer Scholars

Maryland Philanthropy Network and the Middendorf Foundation are proud to announce we are co-hosting a group of Summer Scholars through mid-July from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill's Civic Collaboration Program offered by the Morehead-Cain Foundation.

The Civic Collaboration program provides students with an opportunity to take a deep dive in cities where they engage in civic issues through a team experience and open-ended inquiry.

The five Summer Scholars will embark on a research project to explore nonprofit and government perspectives on municipal permitting and grant processes.

They bring experiences from nonprofit organizing and fundraising, community leadership initiatives, and civic engagement. Learn more about each of the Summer Scholars below.

Willow Taylor Chiang Yang:

Willow Taylor Chiang Yang is a college first-year studying an interdisciplinary major she’s calling American Political Economy and Society, along with a minor in PPE (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) and a minor in Physics. She also currently works on a U.S. congressional campaign in California for Emily Beach as a Data and Field Operations assistant manager. She has been an intern for U.S. Representative Jackie Speier, a Staging Location Director and Fundraising Fellow for Rep. Josh Harder, and a writer for Ms. magazine; she has extensive background and interest in cultivating personal relationships with nonprofit, government, and corporate leaders as well as donors. Willow likes to think of herself as a risk-taker, do-er, and problem-solver, and hopes to use those skills to gain a greater understanding of the intricacies of the public-nonprofit-private relationship as well as to apply her systems-mapping skills.

Layah Clinton:

Layah Clinton is a first-year scholar majoring in psychology and hoping to go to medical school. Outside of the classroom, Layah is a member of UNC KamiKazi, UNC’s oldest and most prominent hip hop dance team. Before attending UNC-Chapel Hill, Layah was on the executive board for her county’s Relay for Life team and hosted a Children’s Christmas Party in which she raised over $20,000/yr to provide Christmas gifts to underprivileged youth in her community. Layah is excited to be introduced to the world of philanthropy and to immerse herself into Baltimore´s culture. In the context of her team, Layah pays attention to detail and doesn’t hesitate to take on the role as leader to initiate tasks.

William Dahl:

William Dahl is a first year scholar majoring in Business Administration and minoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and Classical Humanities. He currently works as a business analyst for Consult Your Community, a pro-bono consulting group working with local businesses in the Chapel Hill / Carrboro area. He also serves as an Advocate for the Community Empowerment Fund which works to educate and empower the local community, while helping them with their finances. He is eager to apply analytics and his consulting knowledge to this summer. William is a positive leader who wishes to motivate the group forward through positivity while putting his head down and getting lots of work done.

Liam Furlong:

Liam Furlong is a first-year student studying comparative literature and education. Before attending UNC-Chapel Hill, Liam served on his county’s Youth Philanthropy Board and helped allocate $40,000 to nonprofits combating racial inequities behind financial literacy. He is eager to apply his philanthropic skill set, along with his creative outlook, to the Maryland Philanthropy Network this summer. In the context of his team, Liam acts as the visionary who never hesitates to ask “why not?” when viewing the task in a creative light.

Margaret Kern:

Margaret Kern is a first year scholar majoring in biology and minoring in chemistry on a pre-med track. Before attending UNC-Chapel Hill, Margaret was an active member of Student LIFT, a leadership program in Randolph County, North Carolina where she conducted service projects to provide funding to ensure that her local high school could keep their music program. This summer Margaret is excited to explore the Baltimore area and work closely with the Maryland Philanthropy Network. She is an optimistic leader, believing that teams are most successful when they not only have a positive outlook on the work being done but also on the way that it is executed.