This fall ImpactED onboarded four new Fellows, Ciara Dalton, Claire Noel, Housam Alfaleh, and Kendall LaVine. We're excited to introduce the newest additions to our team!
Ciara Dalton
Where are you from and what led you to your role at ImpactED?
I am from New York but my family currently lives in Georgia. With my background in advocacy work, ImpactED presented itself as the perfect way to turn this advocacy into tangible change through the use of data and research, as well as program implementation.
What are you most excited about as it pertains to your role as a Fellow at ImpactED? What do you hope to achieve?
I am most excited about working with a team of others who are passionate about creating positive social change. I hope to conduct meaningful work that positively impacts the projects I will be working on, as well as acquiring new knowledge on how to better serve the communities around me.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love spending time with my family and friends, playing scrabble, watching movies, and playing with my dog Bailey. I also love brunch!
What's your favorite quote or saying at the moment?
" Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." - The Lorax
If you could have dinner with anyone (living or not), who would it be and why?
I would have dinner with the Mirabal sisters. They were Dominican sisters who fought against the dictatorship in their country and were assassinated for it in the 60s and have since become symbols of feminist resistance. I'd love to to tell them that while we do have much further to go, how much progress we have made.
Claire Noel
Where are you from and what led you to your role at ImpactED?
I grew up in Spring, TX (a suburb of Houston) and attended college in Houston before moving to Philadelphia. I first stumbled on ImpactED's website while researching the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government, and from my first quick skim of the site, I immediately felt drawn to ImpactED's mission and knew it was an organization I wanted to be part of.
What are you most excited about as it pertains to your role as a Fellow at ImpactED? What do you hope to achieve?
I'm excited to work on a variety of projects with some amazing Philadelphia-area mission-drive organizations. I'm looking forward to developing my program evaluation skills and learning from the many dedicated people I will have the opportunity to collaborate with over the next year.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love to play violin or listen to music in my free time. I also really like to explore the city and find neat museums, parks, or events.
What's your favorite quote or saying at the moment?
"Really, what is a legacy?...It's the thousand moments everyday where you touch people, even when you didn't know you were." - The Middle (one of my favorite sitcoms)
If you could have dinner with anyone (living or not), who would it be and why?
I would want to have dinner with Frances Goff, a trailblazer for women in Texas politics and a longtime director of the American Legion Auxiliary Texas Bluebonnet Girls State program (a civics education program for rising high school senior girls). I personally participated in and have been on staff for the Texas Girls State program, so I would love to meet Frances and learn more about her life of public service and how she built a program that for decades has done so much to empower young women.
Housam Alfaleh
Where are you from and what led you to your role at ImpactED?
I am from Saudi Arabia, but I have lived in Canada, the US, Spain, France in the past 15 years. The reason why I have decided to pursue a Fellowship at ImpactED is that I am very much interested of the idea of "consulting with a purpose" through the use of trends and data to serve communities better and create positive social change.
What are you most excited about as it pertains to your role as a Fellow at ImpactED? What do you hope to achieve?
I am very excited to learn how to work with clients through ImpactED and translate large sets of data into actionable goals that can help organizations achieve their missions and strategic objectives. I hope that I leave my fingerprint on an impactful project that people can benefit from for years to come.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I like to watch soccer, and my favorite team is Real Madrid which I constantly watch. Also, I enjoy playing chess online, I could spend hours playing game after game.
What's your favorite quote or saying at the moment?
"Whenever there is any doubt, there is no doubt". To remind myself to never doubt myself and never fear taking risks.
If you could have dinner with anyone (living or not), who would it be and why?
Da Vinci, to ask him how did he manage to perfect his work in multiple disciplines like art, engineering, math...etc in his day and age.
Kendall LaVine
Where are you from and what led you to your role at ImpactED?
I grew up in Colorado and moved to Washington, D.C. about 8 years ago. I learned about ImpactEd through the Fels Institute of Government where I am currently pursuing my Masters of Public Administration.
What are you most excited about as it pertains to your role as a Fellow at ImpactED? What do you hope to achieve?
The work of ImpactEd is incredibly exciting to me! I think evaluation and strategic planning are critical functions for any organization working to make a positive change in the community. I am eager to work with and learn from unique organizations in the greater Philadelphia region while supporting their evaluation efforts.
How do you like to spend your free time?
I love spending as much time outdoors whether that’s going on hikes, walking around the city, eating outside at my favorite restaurant, or hanging out at the park with loved ones. I also enjoy making a mess in the kitchen and starting new art projects when I have the time.
What's your favorite quote or saying at the moment?
The first thing that comes to mind is a saying from the powerful and wise Maiame Kaba. She reminds us that “hope is a discipline.” I’ve repeated that to myself a lot over the past few years.
If you could have dinner with anyone (living or not), who would it be and why?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate in my life to meet and befriend some really incredible people. I would love to get all the wonderful people in my life together for an epic dinner party so that they can all meet each other and become friends too.
