Two Ivan Allen College Students Chosen for 2023 Millennium Fellowship

Posted October 25, 2023

Adaiba Nwasike and Sydney Wheeler, students in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, were among 22 Georgia Tech students selected for the 2023 Class of the Millennium Fellowship. The Millennium Fellowship is a joint leadership program of the Millennium Campus Network and the United Nations Academic Impact.  

Fellows are selected for their dedication to driving change and making the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Academic Impact Principles a reality in their local communities.  

Meet the Ivan Allen College Millennium Fellows 

Adaiba Nwasike, a School of Public Policy student who expects to graduate in 2024 with a major in Public Policy and a minor in Spanish, was chosen for the Millennium Fellowship as an emerging technologist. She said her selection demonstrates that a Georgia Tech education in the liberal arts and social sciences focuses on relevant and innovative issues for the 21st century. 

“I believe that our right to privacy in a technological age is an emerging issue that ties directly into the SDGs,” Nwasike said. “My project focuses on educating the consumer — specifically the disadvantaged consumer — to understand where and how to limit their information and understand how their data is being used. If our right to privacy is being reduced, harmed, or in any way delegitimized by the data revolution, the consumer has the right to understand how.”  

Nwasike is a Stamps President’s Scholar and currently serves as the vice president of external affairs for the Georgia Tech Organization for Social Activism and the vice president of internal affairs for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association Student Ambassadors. She is also involved in the Student Government Association and the NAACP at Georgia Tech and served as the vice chair of communications at the Stamps Scholars National Convention.  

Sydney Wheeler is a third-year student majoring in International Affairs and Modern Languages, which is offered jointly by the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and the School of Modern Languages. She also is pursuing a Sustainable Cities minor from the College of Design and is an intern at the Carter Center. On campus, she is involved with Engineers Without Borders and the Women’s Recruitment Team in the Office of Undergraduate Admission. She has also studied abroad in Spain and Portugal, as well as in countries across Southeast Asia. 

“The Millennium Fellowship has been especially exciting for me due to all of the connections available with like-minded students across the globe who are all working toward the SDGs,” said Wheeler. “I am hoping to pursue a career in global development, so the opportunity to attend various sustainability and social impact webinars has been extremely impactful.” 

Wheeler and Nwasike are among more than 4,000 students worldwide chosen for their commitment to advancing the SDGs. They will undergo a semester-long leadership development program designed to enhance their skills in student organizing, partnership building, and community impact. 

A version of this story appeared first on Georgia Tech’s Office of Undergraduate Education site.