Philosophy graduate students selected as Social Impact Fellows

Social Impact Fellows 2023.

Social Impact Fellows 2023, pictured from left, Botan Dolun, Katrina Johnson, and Noah Kim

Published May 16, 2023

The Department of Philosophy is pleased to announce that three graduate students have been selected as Social Impact Fellows for Summer 2023. Botan Dolun, Katrina Johnson, and Noah Kim are among ten graduate students selected for this program. They’ll each receive a $5,000 stipend and spend the summer interning with a local, Buffalo non-profit organization. Learn more about the program.

About the internships

Botan Dolun’s internship will be with Goodwill Industries of Western New York, working directly with their CEO and senior leadership in areas of sustainability and workforce development. Meanwhile, Dolun is developing the dissertation, Having Normative Practical Reasons, in which he provides a novel solution to a long-standing puzzle concerning how people possess reasons for action. Dolun's data science projects and philosophical works are on his personal website.

Katie Johnson’s internship will be with Catholic Health System, working  with their palliative care team to help patients and families better find the resources and assistance available to them.

Noah Kim’s internship will be with the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, working to expand public awareness and promoting increased access for vulnerable people in Western New York. Kim is interested in is PPE, an acronym for philosophy, politics, and economics. The field aims to answer complex questions regarding the nature of political and social systems and how individuals interact with them. Kim states,  "I hope that my training in PPE thus far will allow me to make a noticeable difference during the internship.”