We are excited to announce the recipients of the 2026 Humanities Action Fellowship, which supports young adults who are interested in developing or facilitating public humanities programs in their communities. Our six fellows will each receive a $1,500 honorarium as well as support from a mentor to complete a community-focused project that brings people together across differences of background, experience, or belief.
The goal of the Humanities Action Fellowship is to create opportunities for young adults from around Oregon to develop and facilitate humanities projects that engage people in their local communities, support the fellows through the completion of their proposed projects through mentoring, connection to a statewide network of other fellows (and Oregon Humanities collaborators), project feedback, as well as funding and Oregon Humanities' media exposure.
2026 Humanities Action Fellows
Charlie Bloomer (Sandy) is a freelance writer who has bylines in Nation Magazine, Willamette Week and The Oregonian to name a few. In 2024, she was named Oregon High School Journalist of the Year. During high school, Charlie was a campaign manager of Students Advocating for Equality (SAFE), which worked to make the Clackamas County area more equitable. In the summer of 2026, she will be a fellow with the Asian American Journalists Association Voices program. Previously, Charlie has worked as an audio engineer for the nonprofit Friends of Noise, a building monitor at the Sandy Community Center, a retail associate at independent outdoor store Next Adventure, and selling produce on behalf of various farms in the Clackamas county area. In her free time, she loves hiking, snowboarding, writing songs, and spending time with her family.
Frida Nicole Cruz Ochoa (Medford) is a Mexican-born queer immigrant who believes in and benefits from mental health support and mental health services. Her journey struggling with bicultural identities and personal mental health disorders led her to reach out to her community and lean on the support of the limited Spanish-speaking counselors in the Rogue Valley. Her goal in life is to give back to the very community that worked so hard to help her out of her darkest and most difficult times. She earned both a bachelor's in Spanish language and culture and a bachelor's in psychology at Southern Oregon University in three years and continued her education by completing a master’s in clinical mental health counseling. Soon after, she began mental health groups in 2025 and early 2026 that created art programs for Latino families to feel safe and seen. She understands that education is one aspect of one’s wellbeing, so on off days you can find Frida art journaling with her friends at Cafe Mestiza, paddle boarding at Lake of the Woods on the weekends, and/or enjoying a picnic at Lithia Park with her loving girlfriend, Shelby.
Koda Fejeran (Salem; he/they) is a law student at Willamette University seeking to work on human rights cases. He is Chamoru, indigenous to the Marianas Islands, and raised on the island of Guam. They graduated from Willamette College of Arts and Sciences with a bachelor's in civic communication and media. During his education, they made projects tackling decolonization, media representation, identity formation, and more. Because of his own experience with moving away from home, diaspora studies have been an important part of their personal work. In his free time, Koda sings with Confluence LGBT Chorus, crochets, and seeks out opportunities to pet other people’s dogs.
Infinity Hamilton (Nyssa) is a first-generation college student studying planning, public policy, and management at the University of Oregon. Infinity grew up in Nyssa, a small, rural town on the border of Oregon and Idaho. Her love for her hometown has encouraged her to study city planning, hoping that someday, she can use her education to give back to the community that shaped her. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors such as the Nancy and Walter KIDD Scholarship, the PEO Oregon State Sisterhood Scholarship, and the University of Oregon Undergraduate Research Scholarship. She has been invited to speak on the University of Oregon Top Scholars Panel. Infinity enjoys baking, writing poetry, and thundereggs, the topic of her project for Oregon Humanities.
Jolly Wrapper (Portland) is a multidisciplinary artist, community organizer, and creative mentor whose work blends music, spoken word, visual art, and community storytelling. Known for combining sharp social insight with playful charm and unapologetic weirdness, his work explores how lived experience, identity, and culture shape the way people understand themselves and their communities. As the founder of Janky Wheelhouse, a Portland creative collective reclaiming the word “janky” as a symbol of resilience and creativity, Jolly mentors and supports youth and emerging artists from underserved communities through workshops, showcases, and creative mentorship. He also co-organizes the BIPOC-centered youth open mic Ya Heard!, helping create spaces where young artists and underrepresented voices can share their stories, build confidence, and grow through artistic expression. Whether performing genre-blending music spanning hip-hop, bedroom pop, and R&B, facilitating dialogue-centered workshops, or building creative opportunities for others, Jolly’s work is rooted in authenticity, curiosity, and the belief that self-expression can transform both individuals and communities.
Declan Zupo (Eugene) is a graduating senior in political science at the University of Oregon, with minors in philosophy and environmental studies. He spent the last four years working in the public humanities, producing research, organizing public events, and engaging in digital storytelling. As a co-lead of the University of Oregon Climate Justice League and an Environmental Justice Fellow, he cut his teeth in community organizing, facilitating public events, and leading decarbonization advocacy. Later, as an intern with the Department of Environmental Humanities at the University of Pennsylvania, he documented the experiences of community members on the front lines of the climate crisis through digital storytelling. After being selected as a Ducks Rise Research Fellow and then a Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow, Declan produced research on the spatial manifestation of austerity policies on public university campuses. This interest in design led him to serve as the director of speakers for the University of Oregon HOPES Conference, coordinating and moderating a three-day public conference on interdisciplinary approaches to sustainable design. Outside of his professional interests, Declan is a service and farm worker who loves cycling and skating.
2026 Humanities Action Fellowship Mentors
Gabriel Barrera (he/him) AKA ScenicG is a Chicano visual artist living in Southern Oregon. He works in various mediums from traditional art methods to murals, airbrush, and graphics. The identity of his artwork is influenced by grief, activism, advocacy, and mentorship. He has practiced as an artist ever since his parents provided him with sketch pads and pencils as a child. Gabriel received a BFA in painting from Pratt Institute in NYC. He was also greatly influenced by his experience as a scenic artist, with 20 years in the theater industry working for theaters such as South Coast Repertory, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and numerous colleges throughout the country. His experience and advocacy for social justice developed while working in theater. His ideology is heavily influenced by BIPOC women in the field. Gabriel is considered an influencer and mentor among the local Latinae community. He currently operates ScenicG, a visual art and design company providing services in art/design, workshops, consultation, facilitation, and mentorship.
Dr. Tabitha Espina is Director of Writing and Assistant Professor of Writing Studies at University Washington Tacoma and is proudly born, raised, and rooted on the island of Guåhan. She has conducted advocacy and outreach with Humanities Washington, Oregon Humanities, Humanities Guåhan, the Humanities Center at Wesleyan University, and as a founding member of Filipinos for Guåhan.
Kuri Gill is the grants and outreach manager for Oregon heritage at Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The programs support individuals and organizations in the preservation and interpretation of Oregon’s historic cemeteries, collections, and buildings through education, technical support, and grant funding. She also coordinates the Oregon Historic Cemeteries program. Kuri earned her BA at the University of Oregon in art history and MA at California State University, Chico in museum studies. She was formerly curator and education coordinator at Willamette Heritage Center and worked at the Linn County Historical Museum in Brownsville. Kuri believes strongly that vibrant and inclusive heritage resources make for stronger communities.
Marika Straw is a rural queer singer-songwriter organizing community and music for liberation in and beyond their home of Wallowa County. In 2024 they copiloted the "Rural Queer Open Mic Tour" (on Instagram @ruralqueeropenmic), a tour bringing queer open mics to 11 rural communities in Oregon and Washington, with friends and fellow rural queer organizers AJ and Dani Savage. In 2025, they released their first album, "Love, the Heartache," sharing original songs of love, grief, and hope through piano, voice, and their local "Friends Chorus." You can find the album and more at marikastrawmusic.com or @marikastrawmusic on Instagram.
Paul Susi is a writer, a theater artist, a social services professional, an educator, and an activist, born and raised in Portland. He is the peer resource navigator for Portland Street Medicine, a conversation project facilitator for Oregon Humanities, and the vendor program director for Street Roots. You can learn more about his work at www.paulsusi.wordpress.com.
Anis Mojgani served two terms as Oregon’s 10th Poet Laureate and is a two-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam. Winner of the International World Cup Poetry Slam and a recipient of an Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellowship, Anis has done commissions for the Getty Museum, the Oregon Parks Department, and the Portland Timbers. Other projects have included the opera libretto for Sanctuaries, Oregon’s poetry telephone line, and the ongoing series Poems at sunset out a window. Anis is the author of six books of poetry, his latest being The Tigers, They Let Me. His first children’s book is forthcoming from Holiday House/Neal Porter Books. Originally from New Orleans, Anis lives in Portland.
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