Three Columbians have been awarded the Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Safia Gelle (GS), Hoang Le (GSAS) and Mari Ismail (CLS) are among the 30 fellows selected this year for this prestigious fellowship. This fellowship supports immigrants and children of immigrants in the U.S. and funds up to $90,000 towards a postgraduate degree program of the recipient’s choice.
Safia Gelle
Safia Gelle was born in Dolo Odo, Ethiopia, and later relocated to Columbus, Ohio when she was 10 years old and as one of 10 siblings. Her family’s journey of resilience and resourcefulness shaped her early understanding of the power of collective support and sparked her commitment to community development.
During an internship in the Linden neighborhood of Columbus, Safia encountered the challenges of depleted housing stock and systemic disinvestment. Determined to create lasting solutions, she authored a white paper advocating for a community land trust (CLT) to secure affordable housing while enabling neighborhood improvements. This proposal laid the groundwork for the area’s first CLT, fueling Safia’s passion for addressing housing inequities at scale.
Majoring in Urban Studies, Safia co-founded Stride Development while at Columbia, a public benefit corporation dedicated to creating sustainable, community-centered housing across the United States. Stride Development focuses on connecting residents to resources like childcare, public transit, and job opportunities, with the aim of transforming underserved neighborhoods into thriving, inclusive communities. To date, the company has housed over 400 families, demonstrating the potential for scalable, impactful solutions to housing challenges nationwide.
As she pursues graduate studies in international development, Safia aims to deepen her understanding of the interplay between ever-changing United States policies, shifting administrations, and sustainable housing practices.
Congratulations to Hoang Le, who is earning his PhD in molecular and computational biology at Columbia University Medical Center, and to Marwah (Mari) Ismail who is a student at Columbia Law School. Both Hoang and Marwah have also been awarded the Soros Fellowship.
For more information about the Soros Fellowship, please reach out to Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.