Archer Fellowship Program Alumni Profiles
Aysha Khan
Spring 2016 Archer Fellow
Internship: United Nations Development Programme, Washington Representation Office
Education
The University of Texas at Dallas
Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs, May 2016
The University of Texas at Dallas
Master of Public Affairs, December 2018
University of Toronto
Juris Doctor, May 2025
Career
Senior Director of Projects at National Crittenton
Spring 2016 Archer Fellow
Internship: United Nations Development Programme, Washington Representation Office
Education
The University of Texas at Dallas
Bachelor of Science in Public Affairs, May 2016
The University of Texas at Dallas
Master of Public Affairs, December 2018
University of Toronto
Juris Doctor, May 2025
Career
Senior Director of Projects at National Crittenton
"My unique career path embodies the values that were seeded in my Archer Fellowship semester: passion, motivation, and commitment to the service of others."
Q & A with Aysha
Please tell us more about your current position.
In my current role as senior director, I manage projects on the state and national level that seek to achieve economic, political, and social justice for cis and trans girls, young women, and gender expansive youth. Through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I work collaboratively with heads of several national girl-led organizations and a carefully curated youth board to help provide training, technical assistance, and funding to New Jersey-based girl-focused organizations. By helping build capacity across the state in the area of girl-led and informed leadership/advocacy programming, specifically for system-impacted girls, we aim to reduce the risk factors linked to the exposure to sexual violence.
Other national projects include utilizing funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to help reduce the number of girls in the juvenile system and assist in holistically curated exit programs.
Please tell us more about your Archer Fellowship Program internship.
In the communications department at the UN Development Programme’s Washington Representation Office (UNDP WRO), I served as the liaison between UNDP and the U.S. government, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, as well as academic, diplomatic and media communities. During my time with UNDP WRO, I worked with these groups to plan public events on UNDP projects—including the “2016 Human Development Report," “Report on Preventing and Responding to Violent Extremism in Africa: A Development Approach," and the “Report on Implementing the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific”—to inform the U.S. community about UNDP’s role, capabilities, programs, and results abroad. Scheduling and organizing these events required major planning, commitment, and poise. Along with event planning and speaking engagements, I helped coordinate several media interviews to amplify UNDP’s reach across the nation. The communication and writing skills I honed help me create mutually beneficial and long-lasting partnerships around the Washington, D.C. area.
What has been your general career path?
After finishing my courses for my M.P.A., I travelled to Jordan to study Arabic under the Boren Fellowship. There, I saw the refugee-plight firsthand, inspiring me to apply for a position as a refugee officer at the Department of Homeland Security. After working there for some time, COVID-19 hit and I was deeply impacted by the issues the pandemic brought to surface. I decided to focus my activism more nationally and joined the advocacy organization I work at currently. Through this journey, I realized the significance of having a legal background and enrolled in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law program with the intention of graduating with my J.D. in 2025.
How has your experience as an Archer Fellow influenced your career path and goals?
The network and experience I gained during my time as an Archer Fellow was pivotal in acquiring subsequent opportunities. My unique career path embodies the values that were seeded in my Archer Fellowship semester: passion, motivation, and commitment to the service of others.
What did you value the most about your Archer Fellowship Program experience?
Looking back, I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to live, work, and study in our nation's capital with limited financial burden, thanks to my university's funding and excellent facilitation by the Archer Fellowship staff. With my family's socioeconomic status at the time, I could never have imagined this once-in-a-lifetime, enriching experience.
What do you value the most about being an alumnae?
I love meeting Archer Fellow alumni and getting to bond over our shared, but unique, experience in Washington, D.C. I'm always ready to vouch for a fellow alum, and I know my fellow Archers have my back, too.
What is your favorite memory as an Archer Fellow?
Although it's hard to single out just one memory, sledding on Capitol Hill is definitely up there!
Please tell us more about your current position.
In my current role as senior director, I manage projects on the state and national level that seek to achieve economic, political, and social justice for cis and trans girls, young women, and gender expansive youth. Through funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I work collaboratively with heads of several national girl-led organizations and a carefully curated youth board to help provide training, technical assistance, and funding to New Jersey-based girl-focused organizations. By helping build capacity across the state in the area of girl-led and informed leadership/advocacy programming, specifically for system-impacted girls, we aim to reduce the risk factors linked to the exposure to sexual violence.
Other national projects include utilizing funding from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to help reduce the number of girls in the juvenile system and assist in holistically curated exit programs.
Please tell us more about your Archer Fellowship Program internship.
In the communications department at the UN Development Programme’s Washington Representation Office (UNDP WRO), I served as the liaison between UNDP and the U.S. government, think tanks, non-governmental organizations, as well as academic, diplomatic and media communities. During my time with UNDP WRO, I worked with these groups to plan public events on UNDP projects—including the “2016 Human Development Report," “Report on Preventing and Responding to Violent Extremism in Africa: A Development Approach," and the “Report on Implementing the SDGs in Asia and the Pacific”—to inform the U.S. community about UNDP’s role, capabilities, programs, and results abroad. Scheduling and organizing these events required major planning, commitment, and poise. Along with event planning and speaking engagements, I helped coordinate several media interviews to amplify UNDP’s reach across the nation. The communication and writing skills I honed help me create mutually beneficial and long-lasting partnerships around the Washington, D.C. area.
What has been your general career path?
After finishing my courses for my M.P.A., I travelled to Jordan to study Arabic under the Boren Fellowship. There, I saw the refugee-plight firsthand, inspiring me to apply for a position as a refugee officer at the Department of Homeland Security. After working there for some time, COVID-19 hit and I was deeply impacted by the issues the pandemic brought to surface. I decided to focus my activism more nationally and joined the advocacy organization I work at currently. Through this journey, I realized the significance of having a legal background and enrolled in the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law program with the intention of graduating with my J.D. in 2025.
How has your experience as an Archer Fellow influenced your career path and goals?
The network and experience I gained during my time as an Archer Fellow was pivotal in acquiring subsequent opportunities. My unique career path embodies the values that were seeded in my Archer Fellowship semester: passion, motivation, and commitment to the service of others.
What did you value the most about your Archer Fellowship Program experience?
Looking back, I feel incredibly privileged to have been able to live, work, and study in our nation's capital with limited financial burden, thanks to my university's funding and excellent facilitation by the Archer Fellowship staff. With my family's socioeconomic status at the time, I could never have imagined this once-in-a-lifetime, enriching experience.
What do you value the most about being an alumnae?
I love meeting Archer Fellow alumni and getting to bond over our shared, but unique, experience in Washington, D.C. I'm always ready to vouch for a fellow alum, and I know my fellow Archers have my back, too.
What is your favorite memory as an Archer Fellow?
Although it's hard to single out just one memory, sledding on Capitol Hill is definitely up there!
