Taylor Maloney will be an apprentice with the Central Labor Council of Nashville and Middle Tennessee in Nashville, TN where they will work with president Vonda McDaniel. Their external mentor will be Darlene Lombos, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council and member of the first WILL Empower Executive Cohort.  Their internal mentor will be Sara Duran, Secretary of the Nashville CLC and organizer with the Metropolitan Nashville Education Association (MNEA). Taylor graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2021, where they were president of the Student Government Association.  They have been doing COVID recovery work in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  

Madison Hill will serve as an apprentice with Grassroots Collaborative in Chicago, IL.  Their internal mentor will be Jung Yoon, Campaign Director for Grassroots Collaborative, Their external mentor will be Britt Alston, Research Director for ACRE, Action Center on Race and the Economy.  Madison is a 2022 graduate of DePaul University where they were involved with the Center for Labor Education. 

Carolina Sanchez is an apprentice with the Inland Empire Central Labor Council in Riverside, CA. Carolina’s internal mentor will be Celene Perez, Chief of Staff of the Inland Empire Central Labor Council and her external mentor, Flor Rodriguez, is the Executive Director of The CLEAN Carwash Worker Center. Carolina came to the labor movement through a staff position with the International Federation of Professional and Technical Employees Local 21 and working with the Just San Bernardino Collaborative.  She is a graduate of the University of California Riverside. 

Eduarda Serafim will serve as an apprentice with Jobs with Justice, in Washington, DC.  Her internal mentor will be Ada Fuentes, Senior Membership and Network Organizer with Jobs with Justice.  Her external mentor is Lauren Burke, assistant director of the AFL-CIO Organizing Institute.  Eduarda is a recent graduate of American University where she was active in supporting unionizing efforts and where she founded a Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapter. 

Alexis Harper will be an apprentice as she begins her new role as the Communications and Events Director for the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor (KI) at Georgetown University.  Alexis’ external mentor will be Roz Pelles, Vice President of Repairers of the Breach and Senior Strategic Advisor to the Poor People’s Campaign.  Her internal mentor will be Alisha Volante, Strategic Initiatives Director at the KI focused on Bargaining for the Common Good.  Alexis is a Ph.D. candidate at Howard University in English Literature, co-chair of the DC National Lawyers Guild, and is active in the Good Trouble Co-Operative.

Ella Flynn is serving as an apprentice with the North Carolina State AFL-CIO in Raleigh, NC.  Ella’s external mentor is Laurie Kennington, Assistant to the President of UNITE HERE and former president of UNITE HERE Local 34. Her internal mentor is MaryBe McMillan, president of the NC State AFL-CIO and former WILL Empower Advisory Council member. Ella was most recently working with Fundacion Envia in Oaxaca, Mexico and is a 2021 graduate of Smith College.  

Silvia Saldivar is an apprentice with Power Switch Action, working remotely while based in San Diego, CA.  Her internal mentor is Christina Rosales, Housing and Land Justice Director for Power Switch Action.  Her external mentor is Azucena Garcia, who works with SEIU CA as lead communicator for the K-12, Developmental Disabilities campaigns, and who is a member of the WILL Empower Emerging Leader Cohort. She has most recently worked with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) and is a 2020 graduate of San Diego State University.  

Nyia Grissam is serving as an apprentice with UNITE HERE in Oakland, CA.  Her internal mentor is Natalie Tran, research analyst for UNITE HERE, and her external mentor is Cherika Carter, Political Strategist and Strategic Campaign Director of the Washington State Labor Council.  Nyia is a 2021 graduate of the University of Minnesota where she was active in the Black Student Union and studied worker justice through her gender studies coursework.