Fellow Spotlight: 2021 AmeriCorps Alums Segal Fellow Anthony Owusu Afriyie
“Because of the Segal Program, I am motivated to keep connecting my progressive public purpose to moral and spiritual arguments to transcend our current standing order. Being a part of the Segal Network has been an invigorating experience that has reshaped my worldview, my identity and helped define my purpose.”
2021 AmeriCorps Alums Segal Fellow Anthony Owusu Afriyie shares:
“I’m currently wrapping up a Master of Public Administration at the Marxe school of Public and International Affairs at Baruch College. I am also a 1st term Town councilor in Stratford, CT. For work, I serve as a press secretary and outreach coordinator for the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee in Congress.
My family, my partner Mia and my faith provide a foundation, and they consistently define my why.
(pictured back row, third from left)
Where I find myself at 26 is really a blessing. The probability that I would be picking coca leaves back in Ghana was far greater than the spaces I occupy now. I am adamant that the future belongs to the youth, so I am very fortunate that I get to be in those rooms, understand the mechanical nature of federalism, and pick the mind of an American Legislator, who will eventually rank high in the pantheon of members of Congress. In my role on the Town Council, I am able to reimagine democratic capitalism and help usher in an era where the government organizes the market for the greater good. This reflects on my aspirations because I truly believe that the free market does not exist. It is designed. It either advances public purposes or it serves fiscal interests. 
(Anthony served on the Sterling House Community Center’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day panel event.)
I graduated college during the pandemic. The outlook for job opportunities was bleak, which was a factor in my decision to embark on a service year with AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). That experience of doing national service in the heartland and southwest of the United States helped me recognize what it meant to be an American for me.
The pandemic interrupted more than education, socialization and employment, it was also a dispiriting moment in America, as we witnessed fraying civic bonds and hostile political discourse. This experience affected my sense of self. It taught me to support myself financially, carry out meaningful and productive work and learn new skills.
Being a part of the Segal Network has been an invigorating experience that has reshaped my worldview, my identity and helped define my purpose. The network has truly helped me understand social policy, and how to apply that knowledge when seeking solutions to contemporary problems. Because of the Segal fellowship, I decided to step up and serve my community as a Segal citizen leader. The network illustrated that my style of leadership (servant) could break down barriers, reflect the diversity of my community and center the voices of the most impacted by policies.”
The Segal Program is honored to have Anthony as one of our inspiring Segal Fellows. Anthony has been an engaged Fellow since his first year, attending Segal convenings, touring National Service Fellows from across the country around the Capitol, serving as a facilitator for a Fellow-Led Discussion on Civic Engagement, and reviewing Segal Fellow applications.
Fellow in Action Highlights
Learn more about how our Segal Fellows are also making a difference across fields and throughout the COVID pandemic.
Segal Fellow COVID-19 Frontline Workers
Segal Fellows Election Spotlight