Meet Future Community Development Leaders.
Our Co-Op and Fellowship Program offers a unique opportunity for university students and post graduate individuals to gain hands-on experience in community development. Focused on fostering real-world learning, this program pairs students with Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and HomeBase led neighborhood projects to engage in impactful neighborhood projects. Fellows work alongside industry professionals, contributing to housing, economic development, and community building efforts. Our program not only builds student skills but also strengthens Cincinnati's neighborhoods by injecting fresh talent and innovative ideas into the community development ecosystem.
Our current Co-ops and Fellows are on the Our Teams page, below you can see our previous interns and where they landed community based positions after their time with us!
Interested in future Fellowship or Intern opportunities? Reach out to us at info@HomeBaseCincy.org, sign up for our newsletter, and follow us on social media!
The CDC Project Manager Fellowship Program is proudly funded and made possible by:
Past Cohorts:
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Karla Vargas
Summer 2023-Spring 2024
University of Cincinnati Co-Op, UC DAAP MCP
Neighborhood Research & Creative Assistant
Job Post Fellowship & Graduation: Over-the-Rhine Community Housing; Philanthropy And Communications Coordinator
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Mohit Raut
Summer 2023-Spring 2024
University of Cincinnati Co-Op, UC DAAP MCP
Project Manager
Job Post Fellowship & Graduation: City of Pittsburgh; Planner
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Hannah Stanchfield
Fall 2023
University of Cincinnati, UC DAAP B.A. Planning
Project Manager
Job Post Graduation: College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation; Community Relations Manager
"As a co-op at HomeBase Cincinnati, I was able to enrich my understanding of community development. Collaborating with diverse stakeholders honed my ability to navigate challenges in policy, planning, and community engagement, all while reinforcing my commitment to creating impactful change in local neighborhoods. Through this experience, I was able to work with multiple neighborhoods and grow my network in the field of community development, helping to prepare me for my post-graduate career."
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Paige Simpson
Fall 2024-Spring 2025
Neighborhood Research & Creative Assistant Co-Op
BBA International Business, University of Cincinnati
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Brooke Winstead
Fall 2024-Spring 2025
Project Manager Assistant Co-Op
BS Urban Studies, University of Cincinnati
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Tori Walker-Gulley
Fall 2024-Spring 2025
Project Manager Assistant Co-op
BA Urban Planning, University of Cincinnati
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Yamha Sami
Fall 2024-Spring 2025
Project Manager Assistant Co-Op
BS Urban Studies, University of Cincinnati
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Kayra Koprulu
Spring 2025
Project Manager Assistant Co-op
BS Urban Planning, University of Cincinnati
“Having access to Kayra as our Project Manager Fellow was incredibly helpful in moving our development projects and community engagement efforts forward.
She provided a younger, fresh perspective on the look of our theatre redevelopment project.
She assisted with renderings, community engagement, event planning and updating our database to ensure our efforts were reaching all of the residents of Westwood.
Kayra allowed us to expand our capacity and complete tasks that had been on hold due to limited bandwidth.”
Program Impact Highlights:
“In January 2025, the Corryville Community Development Corporation (Corryville CDC) volunteered to host a fellow from HomeBase Cincinnati to assist with our day-to-day operations, advance our mission, and further develop our organization. With the additional capacity this individual provided, we were able to write grants, conduct research, build directories, advance projects, and more effectively manage administrative tasks.
In just four short months, this individual helped us complete our five-year Strategic Plan, finalize our Fiscal Year Work Plan, and successfully submit a $47,000 grant application through the City of Cincinnati’s Neighborhood Business District Improvement Program. Thanks to their contributions, Corryville CDC is now in a significantly stronger position to pursue its priorities and continue building momentum for the community we serve. This added capacity has also informed a strategic shift, as we now aim to engage co-ops and interns in the years ahead to sustain our growing scope of work and service.”
2024-2025 Fellow Contributions Summary:
Through the HomeBase Fellowship Program, five university students were embedded within CDCs or served in support roles for CDC-facing initiatives. These students provided essential support ranging from urban design technical assistance and development research to administrative support, directly contributing to over a dozen active neighborhood revitalization efforts.
Impact language from HomeBase’s 2024 Impact report perfectly captures this work:
“These experiences have proven to bring talented DAAP students into the community development ecosystem and invested in what’s happening within Cincinnati neighborhoods. Their work elevates CDC capacity and propels grassroots transformation one block at a time”.
During the reporting period, HomeBase hosted a dynamic cohort of undergraduate University of Cincinnati DAAP students for the Community Development Project Manager Fellowship. These students/Fellows collectively contributed over 1,512 hours toward strengthening the operational, storytelling, and project implementation capacity for several of Cincinnati’s Community Development Corporations (CDCs).
Their work spanned neighborhood research, social media strategy, community engagement, resource building, and support for grant writing, project implementation and site mapping. This collaborative talent pool of Fellows enabled HomeBase to respond to real-time needs in neighborhood storytelling, branding, and mapping—functions typically under-resourced and especially within smaller and under-capacity CDCs.
The following neighborhoods, and their respective CDCs if existing, were directly supported by students through research, design, storytelling, mapping, or engagement projects:
Bond Hill – Interviews, community /task force meeting support, mapping, grant writing
Mt. Airy – Site planning, mapping for community garden, website work
Carthage – Carthage Commons Lot A and B design renderings, OnePlan mapping, graphic design
Westwood – Infographics, community engagement, project designs, administrative
Northside – Vandalia Pointe site depictions for OTR Community Housing
Camp Washington – Newsletter, event graphics, marketing
Over-the-Rhine (OTR) – Communications for OTR Community Housing
Corryville – Post designs, community visuals, grant writing, administrative support
Price Hill (East & General) – Graphic development
South Fairmount – Mapping and narrative development
Clifton Heights – Design contributions and storytelling (e.g., “Day in My Life” video)
Mill Creek neighborhoods / Corridor – Strategic planning, succession documentation, website development, and stakeholder & community engagement supported in the 8 neighborhoods that make up the Mill Creek Corridor.
