Nikita Leus-Oliva

As Partnerships Intern, Nikita helps Children’s Funding Project track, maintain and build relationships with national partners along the cradle-to-career spectrum. She also works on the social media settlement project that aims to prepare the youth development / out-of-school time field to maximize funding opportunities that may arise from current litigation against social media companies. She brings to this work rich experience in the legal field, as a current Senior Litigation Paralegal at an immigration law firm, and in youth and community organizing. A graduate of Columbia University, she completed her undergraduate degree in Human Rights and Ethnicity and Race Studies, which culminated in an award-winning interdisciplinary senior thesis project titled “From Venezuela to New York: When the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses arrive by land.”

Her prior work includes serving as an Academic Teaching Assistant to Columbia’s Freedom and Citizenship Program for high school students, as well as organizing/field work for dozens of progressive campaigns, usually with a particular focus on empowering fellow young people to wield their political power. Having both benefited from and worked in youth development programs, she is passionate about creating opportunities for children and youth! Nikita lives in New York City and is originally from Miami. You’re most likely to find her with yerba mate or a cat in hand!