BIOGRAPHIES OF THE 2005 FELLOWS
Ryan Adams, Daniels/Younge Fellow, 2005

Since as long as I can remember, I've always been a social advocate. Even in elementary school, I can remember being a class officer and providing input on what was right and wrong for our school. In high school, I became an active member of an organization that had some success in changing the MCAS exam (an exam all Massachusetts students are required to pass in order to graduate) to give all students a better chance of passing it, as well as lobby for other student issues. Now in college, I continue to be an advocate for what I believe is right. For about two years, I wrote mainly opinion articles for my college newspaper, the Torch. However, since then I've decided to become more involved.

As a Jonathan Daniels and Samuel Younge Fellow, I intend to use this summer as an opportunity to work on the most daunting domestic social issue of our time: poverty. There are over 36 million Americans living in a state of poverty. Of that, more than 13 million are children. I intend to publicize the issue and do my best to make a positive impact on helping everyone have an equal opportunity to succeed as citizens of the United States.

I currently attend the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth. A senior, I am also a political science major and hope to graduate with a degree in history too.