Meet the 2022 Leadership Fellows

I’m Kharis Gilmore-Essig. My main interest, and an area I tend to focus on, is social justice- even in small ways like bringing my perspective into a conversation or advocating for myself or others in difficult situations. I also try to incorporate social justice in larger ways such as having participated in an internship experience called the Black Girls and Young Women’s Collective, where we advocated for Black girls ages 11-24 through public policy campaigning and wellness events and programs. I am attending Purdue University and majoring in Biology. I also thoroughly enjoy singing and plan to join the gospel choir at the Black Cultural Center at Purdue. While here, I have continued to stream my home church’s services so I can still participate in some capacity, but I plan to visit the Disciples church in Lafayette, IN soon.

Hello! I am Sharon Lee, and I am so excited to be a part of the Leadership Fellows Program! I am an ENFP on the MBTI personality spectrum and some things I love to do are play the piano for church, discover new Christian songs, spend time with my family and friends, and play with little kids. During high school, I was a part of multiple clubs which include UNICEF, Best Buddies, and First Priority (the Christian fellowship group at my school.) I also started a tutoring platform called Knowledge Nutrition Tutoring that provides free tutoring for middle schoolers, making use of the High School community around them. My goal for these next four years of college is to be happy and filled with God’s love so that I can share this happiness and love to everyone around me.

Hello! My name is Paige Netting, and I will be attending Virginia Tech this year. I was the captain of the debate team in my High School. I was also on the Speech Team, and the Swim Team. I plan to be on the Water Polo Team during my time at Virginia Tech. I love making new friends and hanging out. I will major in Biochemistry, but plan to switch to just Biology later in the year. I am super excited for this opportunity to be a HELM Leadership Fellow!

I am Brianda Vazquez. I love to sing, journal, and read books that encourage my faith. I also love to be around my family and friends and eat antojitos together. Love, Joy, Faith, Empathy, and Intimacy are what I value most, and strive to live out in my life. My faith and deep piety in Jesus Christ have motivated me to serve my community through evangelism events, teaching and translating at Vacation Bible School, and founding and leading the Hope Club at my high school, inspired by Colossians 2:2-3. I also help lead worship as a member of the Advance Worship Team at my church. I will be attending Arizona Christian University, where I will pursue a major in Business Administration. Some goals that I have are to learn to play the violin, and to graduate from the Leadership Class at my church in order to serve at a retreat as well as the Girls’ Conference 2022.

Olivia Hardin-Nieri is from Asheville, North Carolina. She grew up in the mountains, which aided her in developing deep care for the natural world, sustainability, and mental health as it pertains to ecological grief. Olivia has a zeal for travel and strives to continue learning through new and unfamiliar places. She is a passionate learner and leader, and hopes to continue to support the church on its journey of creating space for difficult conversations. Her time spent as an Asheville Youth Mission Scholar was formative, as volunteering and learning how the immediate community was impacted by harmful systems was interwoven with storytelling and outreach. Similarly, Olivia found storytelling and advocacy were important pieces within decision-making as she served as a Pastoral Transition Team member supporting the founding pastor as she retired, and the church in their transition. In 10th grade, Olivia spent a semester in a tech-free, outdoor, leadership-centered community called the Outdoor Academy. There, she co-founded the Legacy Team which created a strong platform for herself and others to create change. In this way, Olivia values community focus, and creating meaningful relationships.  Olivia is an INFJ who loves swimming in creeks and rivers, playing ultimate frisbee, reading, caring for her collection of indoor plants, and time spent finding the perfect scented candle. She looks forward to attending Chapman University, beginning her adventure in California, and her educational journey alongside other Leadership Fellows.

My name is Jahnelle Mata, and I’m from Cedar Park, TX, though I was born in the Philippines. I’m an incoming freshman at the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in Biology with a minor in Humanities for pre-med. I hope to achieve my dream job as an Obstetrician-gynecologist. I hope that with my education and skills, I can work to end the stigmas and “taboo” labeling surrounding reproductive health. I’m determined to make reproductive health and education widely available across all ages and socioeconomic statuses. Some of my other interests include singing, listening to music, making playlists, and collecting albums. I love going to concerts, picnics, and love binge-watching films. This semester, I’ll be involved in Women in Natural Science (WINS), Freshman Research Institute (FRI), and other clubs that pertain to my interests. I can’t wait to embark on this experience with HELM and am so grateful for this opportunity.