By Amelia Yeager ‘20

“Be present today for your friends and loved ones, and allow the presentness of today to develop into a daily presentness throughout your adulthood.” These words from Wynton Marsalis’s Commencement address instilled last spring’s graduating class with appreciation for their Kenyon experiences and ambition for the future. Among the Class of 2019 was Taylor Hazan, who graduated with a degree in English and anthropology and a drive to do good in the world.

Hazan is fulfilling this passion as a Newman’s Own Foundation (NOF) Fellow at RefugePoint in Cambridge, MA. NOF was started in 1982 by Kenyon alumnus and actor Paul Newman ‘49. To date, the foundation has given more than $550 million to charities that serve populations around the world. NOF Fellows are assigned to these nonprofit grantees to help further advance their mission. Hazan’s year-long fellowship has her working to find lasting solutions for at-risk refugees and supporting the humanitarian community to do the same. Working out of the Cambridge office, Hazan helps the center in Nairobi, Kenya support vulnerable refugees to become self-reliant. “We provide holistic support for refugees to have a livable life, no matter where they are,” she said. “Our focus is on helping people get back on their own two feet.”

During her senior year at Kenyon, she applied for the NOF Fellowship as a way to apply her humanitarian drive and liberal arts skills to do good in the world. “I applied to the Fellowship, and once I was accepted, they matched me with a nonprofit,” she said. “They pair you with the place that’ll work best for you. The matching process accommodates your interests and strengths—it’s kind of like a fun dating service.”

Every year, the NOF chooses a cohort of 10-15 Fellows to work at one of their partnered nonprofits. “Functionally, I’m a human grant,” Hazan said. “Newman’s Own pays for me to work at RefugePoint, and my work contributes to their mission in that way.” She added, “I cannot believe that I’m doing the work that I’m doing.” At RefugePoint, Hazan wears many hats: “I’m working in monitoring and evaluation, which involves analyzing data, but I also do external and internal communications, as well as copy editing, fundraising events, research… I’m doing a lot, and it’s really, really cool.” 

On top of a full-time job, the Fellowship also offers opportunities for professional development in the form of retreats at its Westport, CT, headquarters. 

The community of Fellows, Hazan said, is a major asset in post-grad life: “It’s a super diverse and inclusive community—a really magnificent group of people who are all coming in with the same social justice, nonprofit mindset. From a Kenyon perspective, when the class size is small, it feels intimate—like you’re learning in the most involved way. That’s one of the key benefits of the Fellowship.”

The most rewarding part of the job, according to Hazan, is the feeling of giving back. “[RefugePoint’s] mission is profoundly aligned with what I want to do to help in the world,” she said. “It’s not always romantic, but the beauty is working with people who are committed to the same causes you are. The community we have is inspiring and empowering.”

After her fellowship ends next year, Hazan’s options are open. “My first instinct is that I want to work in direct services, helping people on the ground,” she said, “but at this point, I have a lot of options: I could go abroad, I could teach, or I could continue in nonprofit work.” No matter where her passion and dedication take her, Hazan feels prepared to do good in the world. “Newman’s Own has given me a really good introduction to a world that’s thriving, and it’s inspiring. It’s a lot of hard, complicated, messy work, but it’s so worth doing,” she said. 

NOF is currently accepting applications for its 2020-2021 cohort of Fellows. Hazan advised that students take the application seriously: “It’s a really in-depth and personal application process. Put some thought into your answers, because they’re meant to be thought-provoking.” Although the process is lengthy, its focus on applicants’ personalities ensures fitting outcomes for each Fellow. “It’s okay to not know specifically how you want to make a difference,” Hazan said. “Engage with it as the person who you are and who you want to be.”

A second Kenyon alum from the Class of 2019 was also selected as a NOF Fellow. Gabe Jimenez-Ekman ‘19 has been in New Orleans, Louisiana, working as a Community Farm and Market Coordinator with Sprout NOLA since June 2019. Kenyon is proud to be one of only a handful of NOF partner schools, and encourages seniors to strongly consider this opportunity.  Interested in applying to be a Newman’s Own Foundation Fellow? The application, which can be found on Symplicity, closes on December 16th. Visit the CDO to refine your application.