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Cohort 7

Jurisdiction: Town of Sims

University: Western Carolina University

Hometown: Smithfield, NC

Yuki Ellis is a Lead for NC Fellow serving the Town of Sims and a first-generation graduate of Western Carolina University, where she earned dual BAs in International Studies (Asia concentration) and Anthropology (cultural concentration), graduating summa cum laude in May 2025. She received the Dean’s Outstanding Scholar Award in International Studies and an endowed scholarship from the Department of Anthropology and Sociology. Yuki contributed to the Environmental Mural Project with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, highlighting Indigenous history and environmental relationships in Cullowhee. She also served as a SECU Public Fellows Intern at JCI’s Cyber Cafe and volunteered with Cornbread & Roses, a 2SLGBTQIA+ nonprofit supporting marginalized communities in rural Western North Carolina.

September 22, 2025

In Clayton, numbers show how resources support services and meet residents’ needs. Each figure in the budget provides insight into how departments operate and how programs are funded, creating a…

July 25, 2025

By Andy Bradshaw The School of Government is pleased to share the continued work of Lead for North Carolina Fellows. As the western region of the state continues to respond to the…

June 18, 2025

In August 2024, Paloma Garcia-Serrano stepped into the Foothills Regional Commission for her first day of work as a Lead for North Carolina Fellow. Lead for NC is a leadership development program…

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