Welcoming NEOCH's Intern Cohort for Summer 2025
NEOCH is excited to welcome a team of interns this summer 2025. Interns will get hands on experience helping our community through advocacy, organizing, education, and outreach! Led by Devon Skufca and supported with NEOCH staff.
Anthony Miranda he/him
I am currently a rising junior at John Carroll University studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing and Peace, Justice, and Human Rights. My family is Puerto Rican and we live in Parma, Ohio. The reason I am interning at NEOCH is because I want to learn more about the inner workings of homeless and poverty advocacy before entering the non profit sector after I graduate. I have a deep passion for helping the unhoused and I am determined to learn as much about it as I can so that I can become a great service to my community.
Manasvi Gurajala She/her
I'm a rising junior at Solon High School, interested in housing policy and economics. Growing up near the city of Cleveland, I'm well accustomed to seeing homeless encampments and outreach efforts, something that inspired me to intern at NEOCH this summer. I've previously interned at Turn-Up and for Senator Hinchey's fall 2024 campaign, which sparked my interest in public policy and has taught me the impacts effective advocacy can make, and I aspire to help make tangible change for the Cleveland homeless population. In my free time, I like to bake, read, and play tennis!
Kymberlie Koehler she/her
As a new resident of Cleveland Heights, I'm excited about the opportunity to intern at NEOCH. My academic journey began in Buffalo, with two years of architectural studies at SUNY Alfred State College, providing a foundational understanding of spatial design and the built environment.
My five years living in Chicago, particularly during the pandemic, offered a firsthand look at urban complexities and solidified my passion for addressing them on a larger scale. This subsequently led me to pursue urban planning online at Arizona State University, where I proudly graduated as a first-generation student in May 2024.
Now local to Northeast Ohio, I'm particularly excited to gain hands-on experience in housing policy, focusing specifically on the critical issues of homelessness and poverty. I believe NEOCH's direct engagement with these challenges offers an invaluable learning environment as I prepare to continue my studies. I'm determined to contribute my growing knowledge and learn from this community.
Leila Yamak She/Her
I’m a freshman at John Carroll University, majoring in Political Science with the goal of attending law school to pursue advocacy law. Originally from California, I moved to Cleveland five years ago and have since become deeply involved in social justice, particularly homelessness. My experiences with the Cleveland Immersion and Labre have exposed me to the realities of homelessness, inspiring me to learn more and actively work toward addressing these issues. I’m passionate about raising awareness and advocating for those in need, and I aim to gain hands-on experience to make a meaningful impact and help others secure the fair life they deserve.
Simone Davis She/her
Hello! I'm Simone, and I'm an incoming sophomore at Wellesley College. I am from Cleveland, and I am very passionate about advocacy and uplifting the voices of those who are disenfranchised. Homelessness exists at the intersection of so many different systems of oppression, and I am excited to learn more about what steps can be taken to empower the homeless community in Northeast Ohio. In my free time, I like to crochet, read, and go on long walks.
Devon Skufca he/him
Well, I interned at NEOCH for the spring semester and am so grateful to have the opportunity to stay on this summer! I just graduated from my undergrad at John Carroll, and will be attending the graduate program for sociology and criminology at SUNY Buffalo in the fall. I really appreciate the time and dedication that everyone at NEOCH gives on a daily basis -- they all truly care. Confronting the injustice of houselessness together as a team creates an immense amount of hope for me and providing for the material needs of individuals while also working toward systemic change is what led me here. We all have the common goal of making basic human rights a reality for all people, not one that is not commodified for the benefit of a few.
Nandana Ahuja she/they
I recently graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a B.A. in Medical Anthropology and History and Philosophy of Science, and I’m currently a first-year Master of Public Health student concentrating in Health Promotion & Disease Prevention and Health Management & Policy. As a Cleveland native, I’m deeply committed to health equity, community-based advocacy, and addressing the intersection of housing and health. Over the past year, I’ve been involved with CWRU’s Labre Homeless Outreach Ministry, where I’ve built strong relationships with our unsheltered neighbors and gained firsthand insight into the barriers they face. I’m interning at NEOCH to deepen my understanding of their outreach and advocacy work and contribute to meaningful, justice-driven efforts that support Cleveland’s unhoused community and push for systemic change
Solomon Cover He/Him
I've recently completed my freshman year at The George Washington University pursuing a Bachelors Degree in International Affairs. I'm interested in working in public policy or politics. I was raised in Shaker Heights and attended Shaker Heights High School where I had an array of diverse viewpoints around me.
I'm interning at NEOCH so I can better understand, and then help break, the cycle of poverty that plagues many Americans. I look forward to seeing how both outreach work and advocacy work can help weather the burden for people experiencing homelessness. I especially hope to work in advocacy roles pushing for both more support and protections for people experiencing homelessness. I'm thrilled to work in any capacity that helps NEOCH's work of education, direct action, and organization and advocacy.