Columbus, OH (June 9, 2026)—Since 2010, The Columbus Foundation has hosted a Summer Fellowship program for college students, recent college graduates, and graduate students who are interested in careers in the nonprofit and public sectors. During this immersive 10-week program, Summer Fellows are placed with a nonprofit host site in Franklin County, where Fellows receive hands-on experience supporting a project chosen by the nonprofit.
This year, 11 organizations and Summer Fellows were selected to participate in the program. Summer Fellows, who receive a stipend for their work, also take part in dynamic educational sessions that allow them to learn directly from leaders across the sector.
“When we invest in emerging leaders, we invest in the future of our community,” said Dr. Mark A. Lomax, II, Director of Arts & Generational Grantmaking at The Columbus Foundation. “The Summer Fellowship program provides students the opportunity to step into meaningful, mission-driven work, discover their own capacity to lead, and see firsthand the essential role nonprofits play in strengthening the health and well-being of our region.”
Pictured: The 2026 Summer Fellows. Photo by The Columbus Foundation/Challen Brown.
The students and nonprofit host sites participating in the 2026 Summer Fellowship program are:
Besa – Jude Nathan, an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University from Columbus, will help increase volunteer engagement by researching, designing, and implementing strategies to optimize Besa’s volunteer recruitment.
Children’s Hunger Alliance – Garland “Gigi” Bix, an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University from Marysville, will support the organization’s development team with fundraising events, donor engagement, and volunteer coordination.
Columbus Museum of Art – Muji Lai, an undergraduate student at Indiana University from Columbus, will work with the assistant curator of public programming to research and develop a student engagement strategy.
Franklin County Fairgrounds – Elena Orellana, an undergraduate student at Grand Canyon University from Pallatanga, Ecuador, will work with the organization’s marketing team to create a digital storytelling strategy and support staff with stakeholder engagement.
Homeport – Annabele Krygier, an undergraduate student from Kalamazoo College from Columbus, will help manage Homeport’s social media accounts, research and write impact stories, develop content for the newsletter and website, and other marketing tasks.
Human Services Chamber Foundation – Aaron Vick, a graduate student at The Ohio State University from Dublin, will support the organization’s capacity-building services, public policy analysis, and data projects for health and human services nonprofits. Vick has been selected as the 2026 Linda Bowers Memorial Summer Fellow.
The Westerville Fund – Owen Ptak, an undergraduate at The Ohio State University from Columbus, will elevate awareness of The Westerville Fund’s mission, increase donor engagement, and support planning of the fund’s 50th anniversary celebration.
SEA Change Incorporated – Autumn Ford, a graduate student at The Ohio State University from New Albany, will create a digital marketing strategy focused on elevating awareness and understanding of social enterprises. Ford has been selected as the 2026 Richard H. Oman Fellow.
TECH CORPS Ohio – Kameron Carter, an undergraduate at Columbus State Community College from Lewis Center, will support the TECH CORPS Ohio program manager by coordinating delivery of K-12 tech summer programs across several sites.
The PAST Foundation – Danyelle Bumpus, an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University from Sylvania, Ohio, will support the PAST Foundation’s media and communications team in capturing and sharing summer program stories across the organization’s social media platforms.
The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio – Eva Fraser, an undergraduate at Oberlin College from Dublin, will work with the organization’s marketing and development team to plan events and develop a social media strategy focused on The Women’s Fund of Central Ohio’s 25th anniversary.
Read the Fellows' blog to stay up to date with their experiences throughout the summer. To learn more about the Summer Fellowship program, visit The Columbus Foundation’s website.
About The Columbus Foundation
The Columbus Foundation, one of the top 10 community foundations in the United States, serves thousands of individuals, families, and businesses that have created unique funds and planned gifts to make a difference in the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible.