Updates from Omaha: The 2025–26 Weitz Fellows share their work so far

Last spring, Carleton announced the Class of 2025 Weitz Fellows, marking the beginning of a unique, year-long opportunity for the eight recipients. Created by Wally Weitz ’70, P ’96, P ’99, P ’02 and Barbara Weitz ’70, P ’96, P ’99, P ’02 over a decade ago, this opportunity connects Carleton graduates to nonprofits based in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, spanning the fields of advocacy and education, arts and film, and law and policy.

Fellows are now in the midst of spending one year working full time with these organizations, where they receive benefits and funding for professional development, while also gaining practical experience within fundraising, marketing, and other areas of nonprofit management. They spoke to Carleton News during Fall Term 2025 about their work in Nebraska so far.

Mia Strubel Iram ’25, a political science and international relations major with a minor in Middle East studies, shares that she has had a great experience working with the Women’s Fund of Omaha, with her tasks varying regularly.

“My fellowship has been going really well so far, and I am beginning to adjust to my work with the Women’s Fund!” she said. “My day-to-day can look quite different. Two days a week I am in the office; on those days, I get to work closely with my coworkers — bounce ideas off of one another, ask questions, and learn about some of the work they are doing.”

Every fellow’s experience looks different, depending on the organization they are working with. 

“I am looking at proposed legislation in preparation for the legislative session beginning in January,” Strubel Iram said. “I am also being tapped into training to prepare for lobbying and some of the policy work the Women’s Fund supports, including reproductive freedom, housing access for survivors, more comprehensive economic support for survivors, and more.”

Strubel Iram attests to how Carleton adequately equipped her for this work. 

“Carleton prepared me for the fellowship in a variety of different ways,” she said. “Receiving support from Carleton to be able to intern abroad at different nonprofits through summer internship funding was really helpful to get more hands-on experience. Additionally, many of my professors and the classes I took prepared me for my role in more abstract ways, through deep critical thinking and writing skills.”

Julia Dunn ’25, a political science and international relations major with an Africana studies minor, reports that her fellowship year with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Nebraska has “been hectic, but fulfilling.”

“It’s been busy!” she said. “At first, things moved at a slower pace because I had so many onboarding pieces to complete, but I’ve been quickly pulled in on various tasks and projects.”

Similar to Strubel Iram, Dunn’s daily life looks different every day.

“I work across all of our departments, so my tasks really vary,” Dunn said. “Most of my time in the past two months has been spent working with our operations, communications, and development teams. I also work in the office 9-to-5 most days, and while some days are a bit lighter and are more for writing tasks, brainstorming, and email correspondence, others are more check-in and meeting-heavy.”

Dunn has found that Carleton’s trimester schedule especially prepared her for this experience.

“The busyness and fast pace of the 10-week term feels comparable to the pace at the ACLU,” she said. “Things change and new information comes in at the drop of a hat, and you have to be ready to respond. I think the time management and personal organization skills I developed at Carleton — like being intentional about scheduling meetings and slotting time for check-ins, treating them almost like office hours or opportunities to connect — have been invaluable in helping me find my footing and discover ways to best support the team.”

Overall, the fellowship is playing a key role in shaping her professional path and determining her potential plans for next year.

“I’m interested in pursuing a career in global development — potentially working with international NGOs, think tanks, and local nonprofits — and I firmly believe the skills in nonprofit management and operations I’m receiving here will be invaluable,” Dunn said. “I’m also really widening my skillset, as I’m working across departments and building my abilities in everything from communications and branding, to event coordination, to donor management! These will help me to think more creatively about what things I’d be most interested in pursuing in the international development space.”

Finally, Maya Keeney ’25, a studio art major with an art history minor, has started her fellowship year with the Joslyn Art Museum. 

She described how she is able to “explore so many varied aspects of museum work,” with her main focus being on the efforts of the Learning & Engagement team. Alongside this team, she has helped plan programs focused on specific community demographics (teens or seniors, for example) and has provided hands-on support for visiting artists’ public workshops.

“Carleton prepared me by strengthening my interpersonal skills and teaching me how to manage my time and balance many tasks at once,” she said. “Additionally, my years in the art studio at Carleton provided great foundational training for learning how the Joslyn maintains their own studio spaces. Recently I had to fill in for some tour guides, and despite never giving a tour before, I felt very prepared, because all of the art history classes I took at Carleton trained me how to thoughtfully consider and discuss works of all types.”

So far, she has found the Weitz Fellows process to be rewarding, helping to inform her plans for after the program. 

“I have found that having the opportunity to express my creativity has become very important to me,” Keeney said. “I am still unsure what my career path is going to look like after my time at the Joslyn. I absolutely adore getting insight into the many types of tasks that go into creating such a vibrant organization, but I realize that most full-time positions will be more singularly focused on a narrower set of responsibilities. I am hoping as I continue my time here, I get a clearer understanding on how my skills are best applied and what I truly enjoy most. While I still hope to pursue a career in the museum field, I am realizing that working adjacent to the arts is a priority for me, regardless of what specific career that might be.”