KAYLAH FERMAINT

Hometown: Roselle, NJ
School: The George Washington University
Degree: B.A. in Human Services and Social Justice
Placement: Office of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Kaylah Ashley Fermaint (She/Her) was born and raised in Hoboken, NJ. From a young age, her parents instilled in her the importance of education, community, and sacrifice. Growing up under financially restricting circumstances and attending Title I schools allowed Kaylah to develop an awareness for the inequality and injustices her community faced. Luckily, this led her to develop a passion for advocacy and policy early on in her childhood. Attending an esteemed collegiate institution was a sueñito that seemed unattainable for a student like her. Nonetheless, with the support of her community, family, and friends, Kaylah went off to pursue a B.A. in Human Services and Social Justice at George Washington University.

One question that often lingered in her head was, “Now that you made it out, what are you going to do to uplift your community?” In this question, she found her raison d’etre. Throughout her collegiate experience, Kaylah had the privilege of wearing many hats. She served as the Undergraduate Latinx Student liaison at GW. This allowed her to help organize the annual Latinx Heritage Celebration, where she moderated a conversation with Keynote Speaker Paola Ramos to discuss the intensity of Latinx issues in America. Kaylah also had the privilege of pioneering GW’s first-gen living-learning community for first-year students embarking on their college journey. Lastly, she did impactful volunteer work with non-profit organizations throughout the DMV area to combat social issues that plagued communities like the ones she was raised in.

As the CHCI-UFCW Public Policy Fellow, Kaylah is committed to better understanding the intersection of policy, government, and the law, to better serve the vulnerable populations that have inspired her.