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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.

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