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Cohort 3

Jurisdiction: McDowell County

University: Western Carolina

Hometown: Forest City, NC

Maëva Hassani served her fellowship in McDowell County. She was the project lead for the Maple Leaf Sports Complex, which sought to create a disability friendly playground at one of the sports complexes in the county. Hassani was responsible for creating the project plan and securing funds to make the project happen. Additionally, she created the county’s social media policy and presented it to the County Board of Commissioners for approval. She also played a leadership role on the County’s opioid task force and secured more than $1.4 million in grants to advance key community initiatives.

Hassani graduated from Western Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in Spanish. While enrolled at WCU, Hassani became a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and later served as National Pan-Hellenic Council president. During her college career, Hassani was also part of the Student Code of Conduct board, Police Community Advisory Committee, Black Student Union, and served as a mentor to a freshman.

June 11, 2025

Written by: Skye Allan (Lead for North Carolina Cohort 3 Alum) In small towns held together by close ties and limited resources, projects and initiatives succeed or fail based on…

April 14, 2025

After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill and NC State University in 2024, Kristy Nguyen and Anu Mishra were selected to be part of a unique local government fellowship program based…

February 12, 2025

When Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina, leaving destruction and uncertainty in its wake, Elias Henderson didn’t hesitate to find a way to lend a hand.

AmeriCorps