WILL Empower Graduates Eighth Class of Apprentices
The WILL Empower community gathered to celebrate the 2025 / 26 class of apprentices in a virtual graduation ceremony in early June. The eighth class included 13 apprentices, with 25 mentors, in eight states. The WILL Empower apprenticeship program has now graduated 74 people through the program, many of whom are working as organizers, researchers, communicators and leaders throughout the worker justice movement.
Alexis Fisher did an organizing apprenticeship with OPEIU Local 153 in New York City, and will now serve as a Political Strategist and Organizer for the Local. She reflected, “We are in a moment in our country that requires the labor movement to be bolder than ever. WILL Empower helped me plug into this moment by providing me with mentorship and a community of labor activists across the U.S. This past year, I organized with 153 members across the five boroughs to mobilize for working class power and I look forward to standing alongside them as we continue to fight for the better world that we know is possible.”
Gianna Sansonetti did a communications internship with the Labor Network for Sustainability, and is now a housing advocate through the Urban Justice Center: She noted, “I’ve learned so much about the labor movement. I feel really happy to have found my political homes within the housing justice and labor movement here in NYC”
Noah Zarran-Paz, who will continue in their work with TransSOCIAL, noted that: “WILL Empower taught me self development isn’t just a side chore, but integral. It helped me truly envision myself in future movements and the labor movement. I feel more confident now.”
Daya Khunkhun, who will continue their work with UNITE HERE as a researcher, said that: “Working with UNITE HERE has been a dream job. It’s been really interesting to learn how to do this kind of work in the political and legal environment we’re currently in. My mentor has given me a lot of opportunities to reflect on how every part of the work is contributing to our larger goals, as a union and in the broader labor movement.”
Learn more about the apprenticeship program at: willempower.org/apprentices/ WILL Empower is a joint project of the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor at Georgetown University and the Center for Innovation in Worker Organization at Rutgers SMLR.
The 2025 / 2026 class of WILL Empower apprentices are:
Nina Tran
Power Switch Action
Oakland, CA
Nacaira Tse Greenaway
Community Labor United
Boston, MA
Edith Philip
Community Labor United
Boston, MA
Jordan Strong-Martinez
NC State AFL-CIO
Raleigh, NC
Miranda Xiong
Charleston Workers’ Center / CAFE
Charleston, SC
Mariam Keita
AAUP
Washington, DC
Molly Bashay
Jobs with Justice
Washington, DC
Noah Zarran-Paz
TransSOCIAL
Homestead, FL
Sunari Weaver-Anderson
CTO / AFL-CIO
Washington, DC
Daya Khunkhun
UNITE HERE
Oakland, CA
Alexis Fisher
OPEIU Local 153
New York, NY
Gianna Sansonetti
Labor Network for Sustainability
New York, NY
Eve Fouche
LA Black Workers’ Center
Los Angeles, CA
