Macalester College

Jack Peng

Jack is a (very) recent graduate of Macalester College who majored in political science and international studies and minored in Japanese. Born in Taipei, Taiwan and spending most of his schooling years in the Los Angeles area, Jack came to Minnesota for college, having the pleasure to experience one of Minnesota’s coldest winters in decades his first year here. Jack’s career interests lie in public policy and foreign service.

Having lived and experienced life in many different and diverse communities, Jack is interested in learning about new cultures and ideas from people of different backgrounds. He is also eager to expand Asian representation in US politics. These reasons motivated him to apply for the Capitol Pathways program. Outside of academics, Jack loves traveling and playing music. He was an ensemble manager for the Macalester College Wind Symphony and a former performer with MBI Indoor Percussion.

Metropolitan State University

Priscilla Mayowa

Priscilla Mayowa is a proud native of Lagos, Nigeria. She is an avid consumer and creator of stories, real and imagined. She’s also an eager learner and always strives to bring a healthy dose of creativity into all she does. Priscilla believes that a combination of policies and narrative change as well as other factors are necessary to change the world. Through Capitol Pathways, Priscilla interned with the City of Bloomington.

University of St. Thomas

Moses Yazachew

Moses Yazachew is a sophomore at the University of St. Thomas double majoring in economics and business law. Moses applied to the Capitol Pathways Program because he believes diverse representation is critical for Minnesota. As a program participant, he was paired with O’Rourke Strategic Consulting. During the legislative session, Moses worked on a variety of legislative issues including transportation funding for small cities, cannabis legalization, school nurse support, and reintegration programs. After earning his undergraduate degree, he plans on going to law school.

City of Minneapolis

Fatima Moore

Fatima serves as the Deputy City Operations Officer for the City of Minneapolis. In this role, she ushers along enterprise-wide initiatives collaboratively with departments. She is a strong champion of racial equity and achieving just systems. 

Previously, she served as the Government Relations Director for the City of Minneapolis and has held similar roles with the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, and other nonprofits in the Twin Cities. 

Fatima found her passion for connecting communities with policies that positively impact them while participating in the inaugural Capitol Pathways Internship program with the Citizen’s League.  As a first-generation immigrant, she has learned to navigate many systems, which has afforded her the aptitude and experience to bridge people, systems, and lives. 

Fatima lives with her partner and two daughters on the East Side of Saint Paul. During her downtime, she teaches fitness classes, enjoys spending time with her family, neighbors, and friends, and sneaking away for a good read.