2024 Community Engagement Fellows
About the BPDA Community Engagement Fellowship
The BPDA Community Engagement Fellowship is a 12-week summer program that pairs Black undergraduate and graduate HBCU students, who aspire to do racial equity and community defense work, with public defender offices.
The Community Engagement Fellows are given hands-on lessons about addressing systemic issues of racism that plague the legal system. They also have the opportunity to support their hosting public defender office to implement a project or program that expands its outreach to the communities it serves to promote racial equity.
Meet the 2024 Fellows
Isaiah Means is a History major and English minor from Washington, D.C. He is a member of Claflin University’s Honors College and Track and Field Team.
Isaiah will be working in the Orleans Public Defenders Office this summer.
Ajinkya Soumas is a Junior Pre-Law student at Clark Atlanta University looking to pursue a career in law to protect marginalized racial groups within the Criminal Justice system.
Born in London, England, Ajinkya is a well-rounded individual as she has lived in over 10 places; some of which include Stuttgart, Germany, Santa Barbara, California, and Waldorf, Maryland. While living around the world, Ajinkya learned the importance of adapting to new cultures, people, and environments.
Living in Stuttgart, Germany, Ajinkya experienced a lack of self-esteem specifically in learning to love herself as a young black woman. Once moving to Waldorf, Maryland, the richest black county in the nation, she was surrounded by fellow African American women who guided and taught her how to be confident as a young, black woman. This ultimately inspired her passion for advocacy regarding social injustices towards minorities. Participating in courses such as Global and Domestic Issues, AP World and United States History, and AP Government and Politics introduced her to these ideas. These ideals influenced her decision to attend a Historical Black College or University.
Graduating in the top 25% of her class with a 4.5 GPA and over $500,000 in scholarships, Ajinkya began her journey to Clark Atlanta University. She is now classified as a Junior with a 3.87 GPA where she has had many internship and volunteer opportunities surrounding her social advocacy passion.
She will be working at the Defender Association of Philadelphia this summer.
Cayla Lumar is a sophomore at Xavier University of Louisiana. Anticipating her graduation in 2026, she is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology with a concentration in crime and social justice, complemented by a minor in Political Science Pre-law. Both her school and hometown are in New Orleans, Louisiana. At 19, she is a self motivated college student dedicated to making a meaningful impact in underserved communities.
Cayla will be working at the Orleans Public Defenders Office this summer.
Tylis Broaden is a Sophomore at Central Connecticut State University; she will graduate in May 2026. She is pursuing a degree in Criminology with a minor in Psychology, with the intentions of becoming a Juvenile Probation Officer straight out of college and then becoming a Criminal Defense Lawyer. She has a 3.1 GPA and many different skills that include the ability to learn quickly and leadership skills and experiences.
Tylis will be working at the Connecticut Division of Public Defender Services, Hartford this summer.
