Dinah F.B. Cohen DREAM Fellowship Program

Sponsored by GEICO & Macy's Inc.The National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC) created the Dinah F. B. Cohen DREAM Fellowship Program to provide college students and recent graduates with disabilities with professional skills and leadership opportunities.

Fellowship Program Objectives

  • Leadership and professional skills development for college students and recent graduates with disabilities;
  • Enhanced understanding of mentoring as a disability inclusion strategy; and
  • Expanded network to impact career development and access to opportunities.

National Disability Mentoring Coalition's Dinah F.B. Cohen DREAM Fellowship Program: Disability rights, education, activism, and mentoring

2024 Fellowship Description

The Fall cohort of the Dinah F.B. Cohen DREAM Fellowship Program supports Fellows from September through December of 2024.

In addition to the specific work outlined below, the Fellows will join the NDMC, enabling opportunities to share perspectives and ideas directly with NDMC leaders and to also learn and network. Fellows will network with and gain professional mentoring from GEICO employees. Applications are desired in the below categories.

  • Policy, Activism, and Legislation Fellow(s): Promotes inclusive practices in mentoring through the development and provision of content, programming and training for mainstream mentoring programs.
  • Communications & Media Fellow(s): Coordinates and delivers content to PYD’s  platforms. Develop campaign(s) and content to enhance access to mentoring.
  • Peer Mentoring & Advocacy Fellow(s): Creates a platform for ongoing dialogue on the benefits of peer mentoring, sharing best practices and supporting growth in the mentoring model. Creates a project around formal and/or informal advocacy.

The selected Fellow(s) will work closely with the PYD team in this paid, part-time Fellowship position, create a customized project with supported planning and identified outcomes, and participate in NDMC events. The selected Fellows will complete approximately 65 hours of a paid fellowship from September through December 2024. On average, Fellows will complete 5-6 hours/week over a 12 week period. Upon successful completion of the fellowship, fellows will receive a $1500 stipend. Past fellowship projects can be viewed on the rightside of the website and through the transition resources tab.

This position will be customized for degree and career interests and intersected with our inclusive mentoring advocacy work. This program seeks motivated individuals and, at this time, seeks college students with disabilities who are eligible to work and be paid in the United States.

Focus on Multiply-Marginalized Populations

To honor the life and legacy of Dinah F.B. Cohen, the NDMC will actively identify and seek applications from young adults with disabilities who represent multiply-marginalized groups. These groups that are adversely affected by the cumulative discrimination against and social exclusion of more than one minority population include, but are not limited to, youth of color and Jewish women with disabilities.

Fellowship Program Supporters

The Fellowship Program was founded by a group of supporters and sponsors in honor of Dinah’s life and legacy. This group consists of friends from her childhood and college years through her career at the Department of Defense and beyond.

It has since grown tremendously through the support of individual donors and leading support from Macy’s Inc. and GEICO.