Announcing the 2025 Cohort of the Sustainable Justice HBCU Fellowship
Please reach out to media@sustainourfuture.org for any media inquiries.
June 27, 2025
Sustain Our Future Foundation (SOFF) proudly announces the 2025 Sustainable Justice HBCU Fellows. The Fellowship places students from Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) in environmental organizations for summer internships. In addition to their internships, this initiative provides HBCU students with invaluable professional experiences, leadership development coaching, and opportunities to connect with industry experts in sustainability. Fellows also engage in a comprehensive sustainability curriculum created by SOFF.
The 2025 cohort includes ten HBCU students. SOFF will provide each student with a $5,000 internship stipend and a $10,000 scholarship upon successful completion of the fellowship.
“The Sustainable Justice HBCU Fellowship creates a powerful foundation for students to grow as both skilled professionals and changemakers,” said Naadiya Hutchinson, Program Director of Sustain Our Future Foundation. “We are proud to guide and learn alongside these emerging leaders as they shape the future of sustainability with integrity and purpose.”
A key aspect of this program is its focus on strengthening the capacities of organizations that promote healthy people and environments. Internship host organizations benefit not only from the skills and dedication of the interns, but also from a $10,000 general operating grant to support their positive community impact.
"At Bayou City Waterkeeper, we are honored to partner with Sustain Our Future Foundation to support a Sustainable Justice HBCU Fellow from Texas Southern University this summer. Collaborating with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) like Texas Southern is essential to cultivating leadership that reflects the diversity and lived experiences of the communities we serve. Through this fellowship, we are proud to uplift a student whose deep commitment to environmental justice and lived experience not only strengthen our collective work, but also exemplify the kind of transformative leadership our communities and ecosystems need." said Danielle Garcia Newton, Education and Resource Hub Coordinator, and Proud TSU Alumna.
Selected Fellows and Host Organizations include:
Nailah Bombata, Clark Atlanta University recent graduate, who majored in Political Science, will intern at SouthFace Institute.
Esther Aina, Texas Southern University student majoring in Biology, will intern at Bayou City Waterkeeper.
Jolette Lima, Morgan State University student majoring in Environmental Economics, will intern at Green and Healthy Homes Initiative.
Darriele French, Spelman College student majoring in Sociology with a minor in Comparative Women’s Studies, will intern at West Atlanta Watershed Alliance..
Naylah Maple, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University student majoring in Animal Science, will intern at North Carolina Climate Justice Collective.
Zairen Jackson, Bennett College student majoring in Education, will intern at North Carolina Environmental Justice Network.
Sanaa Antwine, Dillard University student majoring in English with a minor in criminal justice, will intern at The Descendants Project.
Ryanna Copeland, Tennessee State University student majoring in Agricultural Science with a concentration in Environmental Science, will intern at SEEED Knoxville.
Elijah Jordan, Bowie State University student majoring in Health Services Administration, will intern at WE ACT for Environmental Justice.
Taylor Robinson, Chicago State University student majoring in Elementary Education, will intern at People for Community Recovery.
For more information about the Sustainable Justice HBCU Fellowship Program or to support Sustain Our Future Foundation’s mission, please visit sustainourfuture.org or contact Blythe Coleman-Mumford at blythe@sustainourfuture.org.
About Sustain Our Future Foundation
Sustain Our Future Foundation (SOFF) is a national not-for-profit organization that collaborates with corporate sustainability teams to de-risk and deepen the impact of sustainable infrastructure projects by ensuring that local communities' priorities are part of the planning, siting, and development phases of these projects. Our goal is to raise the standard of sustainable development to promote economic development, community partnership, local self-determination, and environmental health for all communities.