Nitz-fa Dimanche
Nitz-fa Dimanche was 13 years old when she realized what politics meant in America, what it meant to her. The television’s glare made her eyes water, but she couldn’t dare look away. As states waver from blue to red, the 2016 election incited a fear in her that she had never felt before. Her mind raced with all the black deaths she witnessed, all of the injustices her young mind never paid attention to until that year. At the stroke of midnight, her fears were confirmed. However, in that same moment, a fire of passion was ignited, a desire for change within a system that never cared for people that looked like her.
Nitz-fa has recently graduated from Boston Latin School and before she leaves to University of San Francisco to major in Politics, she is excited to spend this summer dedicated to public service. Her concentration in recent years, both in terms of her professional career and schooling, has been centered around the government and how it runs, with the goal of pursuing a future in criminal law. Throughout Nitz-fa’s 4 years at B.L.S, her desire to serve the public is displayed through her summers as a Deitch fellow at the Roxbury Public Defender’s office to joining the Exam School Initiative task force, helping students prepare for the rigorous exam school test. Her Deitch fellowship during her sophomore year set the groundwork for deepening her understanding of public service and government, as she took notes at meetings with Defender’s clients and shadowing when in session at court.
The experience inspired her to chase after activities and jobs that she can see create a direct positive impact as one she wished she could have seen back in 2016. Her interest in politics and government stemmed from a fear of the inability to enact change or great enough change and starting with that fellowship she knew there was more she could do. As a Ward fellow, she hopes she can continue to develop the skills needed to enact that change the best way she can.