Atlanta Repair Fellows Say Hello

Meet the Repair the World Fellows
Repair the World is excited to introduce its inaugural group of Atlanta Fellows. They’ll spend the next 11 months living in the West End of Atlanta and working as full-time volunteers, committed to service and looking to accelerate their professional networks and personal growth. The fellows will mobilize volunteers and engage in service alongside them. They will be dedicating themselves to two local community-based organizations, working on a single issue such as food justice, education, or housing and homelessness. The fellowship helps provide a consistent presence at Repair the World’s service partner organizations and develops relationships that help Repair attract and manage additional volunteers.

Ben Alpert
My name is Ben Alpert and I was born and raised in West Hartford, CT. I am a 2018 graduate of Emory University, from which I received degrees in Spanish and Linguistics, as well as a minor in Chinese Studies. For the past year I have been living and working in Beijing, China, teaching English as a foreign language to young Chinese students.

I could not be more excited to return to Atlanta as a Repair the World Fellow! I fell in love with the city during my time at Emory– the people, the culture, and the diversity truly make it a special place to live. While at Emory I was fortunate to have several opportunities to positively impact the community, both Jewish and non-Jewish. I was a Sunday school teacher with JKG (Jewish Kids Groups) for 2 years, a member of The Friendship Circle of Greater Atlanta, and a member of Hillel at Emory. Additionally, I worked as an education consultant and parent liaison for LaAmistad, Inc., a program which serves the Latin American community of Atlanta through after school programming and homework help. During my short time in Atlanta I was able to plant some roots through service, and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to continue to serve a place I truly care about through Repair the World. A fun fact about me: I am fluent in English, Spanish, and Chinese — my next goal is to improve my Hebrew!

Cecilia Borgman
My name is Cecelia Borgman and I am a graduate of Georgia College and State University with a degree in Psychology. I’m also an Atlanta-native and a Jewish professional with strong ties in our Jewish community. I’ve just completed my position as Atlanta’s Birthright Community Fellow, where I’ve led 80 young adults each year on Birthright trips. My role also included working with the NextGen population at Federation. Through this work I’ve developed a passion for food justice and have already connected with some organizations that work in this space. I hope to contribute to Repair the World by bringing empathy, adaptability, responsibility, and resilience to this work.

Abigail Natelson
Shalom! My name is Abigail Natelson and I was raised and educated in Pittsburgh, ultimately
graduating from the University of Pittsburgh this past April. I majored in Environmental Studies and received a minor in Religious Studies and a certificate in Sustainably. At school I served as a Campus Engagement Intern and Engagement Fellow for Hillel, and also interned with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, where I am currently working as a Summer Nature Educator.

One of my greatest passions is helping to promote access and exposure to parks for all people, especially in places where access to such spaces is unequal between the surrounding communities. I absolutely love to hike/explore on foot and am hoping to hike the Georgia portion of the Appalachian Trail when I move to Atlanta!

In Atlanta, I know that there are many successful urban agriculture programs that directly benefit the community, and I am excited both to volunteer with these organizations and to witness how they grew to reach so many individuals. I am also hoping to get involved with Atlanta’s many urban green spaces, whether it is directly through Repair the World, or service with another organization. Most importantly, I am eager to get to know the Jewish community, especially the young adults — I’m always looking for new friends (bonus if we share traditions and morals from Judaism). While I will be working professionally with the Jewish community and its passion for tikkun olam, I look forward to engaging in Jewish events and groups solely for social reasons. Having lived in both a relatively Jewish suburb and city, I am also interested to learn how the Jewish community is spread through the city. I know that the community is committed to being a welcoming place, and I look forward to experiencing that!