"Roxana and Eric have given so much of themselves to this Fellowship community. I can’t thank Roxana enough for her remarkable leadership before and through the pandemic, and I’m very much looking forward to continuing to work with Eric," said Fellowship Director Craig Harwood. "Our Fellowship supports young leaders and the community they find in this Fellowship can be critical to their success in navigating their careers and lives. It truly is an honor to see such remarkable Fellows like Eric and Roxana recognize that and step up to ensure the community’s strengths."
Roxana will continue to have a strong presence in the PDSFA as she takes on a new role on the board focused on the Bay Area where she resides. Eva Luo (2012 Fellow) will stay on the PDSFA in her role as East Coast activities coordinator, Lorenzo Sewanan (2017 Fellow) will transition from communications and technology co-coordinator to treasurer, and Shirag Shemassian (2010 Fellow) will stay on in his role as mentorship coordinator. Eric Feigl-Ding (2008 Fellow) and Nina Rastogi (2007 Fellow) will transition off the board after having served respectively as treasurer and West Coast activities coordinator.
Born to Chinese parents who emigrated from Vietnam to Canada and then to the United States after the Vietnam War, Eric grew up in Madison Heights, a small city near Detroit, Michigan, where he witnessed firsthand the importance of education as a life-changing source of mobility.
Inspired by his parents’ sacrifices to ensure a better life for their children, and by the many undeterred students and teachers in his hometown who made the most of limited resources, Eric has made it his mission to use his own education to help others access theirs.
Eric received his AB, summa cum laude, from Harvard University, where he studied comparative social policy with a focus on education, health, and welfare systems.
Now, as a lawyer, Eric specializes in litigation and regulatory matters involving administrative law, constitutional law, legislation, and public policy at the local, state, and federal levels. In the spring of 2022, Eric served as special counsel to the US Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Chair Dick Durbin to assist with the confirmation process of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the US Supreme Court. He has also worked on legal and policy issues with a range of other government institutions, including the White House, U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of State, and state and federal courts.
Founded by Nusrat Choudhury (2004 Fellow), Prabhjot Singh (2005 Fellow), Rajesh Vedanthan (1999 Fellow), and Mikhail Shapiro (2004 Fellow), the PDSFA fosters friendships, mentorship, and professional relationships among recipients of The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans. The PDSFA seeks to strengthen the community of Paul and Daisy Soros Fellows and alumni and thereby promote recognition of the vital contribution of New Americans to the United States.
Past PDSFA board members, in addition to those previously mentioned, include Andres Idarraga (2009 Fellow), Hani Elias (2005 Fellow), Adel Elsohly (2009 Fellow), Eduardo Hariton (2012 Fellow), Alex Iftimie (2009 Fellow), Sejal Hathi (2013 Fellow), Hsing-ay Hsu Kellogg (1999 Fellow), Sumir Meghani (2007 Fellow), Vivek Murthy (1998 Fellow), Mariana Ofosu (2009 Fellow), Abbas Ravjani (2006 Fellow), Camilo Romero (2010 Fellow), Katarina Ruscic (2010 Fellow), Dena Simmons (2010), and Gaurav Singal (2007 Fellow).