Welcome 2026 Next System Fellows!
Next System Studies at GMU is honored to announce our Spring 2026 cohort of the Next System Fellows. With the program now in its fifth year, we are joined by six brilliant Mason graduate and undergraduate students. We extend a warm welcome to:
- Reema Ali
- Ifran Mollah
- Abigail Naidoo
- Fabian Palacios
- Malik Shafiq
- Isabella Villota
You can view their profiles here.
This semester, our fellows will contribute to exciting next system projects and community partners such as the Seedbed of the Solidarity Economy (SECOSOL), the Center for Economic Democracy (CED), and Movement Engaged, in addition to NSS’s own Next Constitution Research Lab, and Democratizing NOVA. Throughout the semester, Fellows will also hear from practitioners such as Nairuti Shastry, Director of Policy & Research at the Center for Economic Democracy, Dr. Matt Burke at the University of Vermont’s Leadership for the Ecozoic, and April Doner of the Asset Based Community Development Institute. Stay tuned for details about our speakers!
Are you a Mason student wanting to make a meaningful impact on the world? Consider applying to become a 2027 Next System Fellow. As part of the prestigious Arlington Fellows program, Next System Fellows prepare for careers in public service, research, education, entrepreneurship, activism, law, and advocacy. Studying together in a 4-course program, each Fellow completes an internship with a partner organization, union, research group, or one of Next System Studies' own projects. Through these internships, Fellows gain hands-on experience with real-world next system projects such as worker cooperatives and solidarity economy initiatives, campaigns for abolition and political democracy, transition and resilient communities, democratic and sustainable technologies, non-violent conflict resolution and restorative justice projects, and more.
You can learn more about our courses, internship program, and Next System Studies on our website. To better understand the types of experiences our Fellows have, you can also read about last year's cohort or watch the 2025 Democratizing NOVA Summit.
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date about the Next System Fellows, including the announcement for the 2027 application.
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Applications for Spring 2026 are closed, but you can keep in touch with Next System Studies by signing up for our newsletter!
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January 28, 2026