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Chelsea Decaminada Memorial Fellowship

A Celebration of Chelsea’s Legacy

quote from Chelsea Decaminada

Chelsea Decaminada was part of the 2013 DukeEngage-Kolkata program, working with other DukeEngagers and local nonprofits to serve youth and children with special needs. After graduating from Duke in 2015 with a degree in public policy and international comparative studies, she volunteered with the Peace Corps in Tanzania. Chelsea was on assignment in Sri Lanka for the U.S. Department of Commerce during the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks on churches and hotels. She died from her injuries on May 4, 2019.

 

Chelsea Decaminada Memorial DukeEngage Fellowship

The fellowship, established by the Decaminada family and supported by over 100 others, recognizes a passion for international service and doing good in the world.

 

Inaugural Decaminada Memorial Fellow

Headshot of Naman Parikh with the quote “I’ve always been interested in technology and its ability to scale and positively impact communities in our world,”

DukeEngage independent project participant Naman Parikh ’24 was chosen as the first-ever Chelsea Decaminada Memorial DukeEngage Fellow in 2021. Social impact work has always been important to Naman. In high school, he led Divyangdost Foundation, a social start-up that promotes social inclusiveness of differently-abled individuals using music, friendship as therapy, and assistive technologies. Learn more about Naman and his DukeEngage independent project.

 

2024 Decaminada Memorial Fellow

Dhruv Rungta ’26, a 2023 DukeEngage Costa Rica participant, was the Decaminada Memorial DukeEngage Fellow in 2024. For his Decaminada fellowship, Dhruv was a part of an interagency team between the FBI, EPA, and DOJ that focused on investigating high profile environmental crimes flagged for environmental justice concerns. Contributing to the mission of bringing justice to communities impacted by environmental exploitation (think poisoned drinking water, toxic waste dumping near preschools and cancer hotspots) and historically overlooked by the federal government meant a lot to Dhruv. He writes, “My experience working with my community partner during DukeEngage Costa Rica last summer gave me invaluable skills and perspective, allowing me to address large-scale community issues more effectively during my fellowship this summer at the Department of Justice.”

The Decaminada family established the Chelsea Decaminada Memorial DukeEngage Fellowship Fund to celebrate Chelsea’s passion for civic engagement and international development.

To date, more than 100 family, friends, coworkers, and Duke and DukeEngage alumni have contributed to the fund.

Make a gift in memory of Chelsea