The Victory Institute has named Midushi Pandey as the 2016-2017 David Bohnett Victory Congressional Fellow.
This competitive fellowship brings one outstanding LGBTQ young professional to Capitol Hill for an intensive leadership program that includes a year-long fellowship in the office of a co-chair of the LGBTQ Equality Caucus supporting the caucus’s efforts to advance LGBTQ equality on a federal level. As a fellow, Pandey will also take part in an educational and leadership development program to learn about the legislative process and careers in the policy-making process. Midushi Pandey is the first woman and person of color to hold this position, making her placement a historic achievement for the Victory Institute and the LGBTQ Equality Caucus. Pandey is originally from Davis, California. She graduated in May 2015 from American University with a bachelor’s degree in international studies, concentrating in human rights. During her time at American, she was a member of the Global Scholars program.
Before being selected as this year’s Victory Congressional Fellow, Pandey held a six-month internship with Amnesty International’s Identity and Discrimination Unit, where she focused on domestic and international LGBTQ rights. While at AIUSA, she helped develop their LGBTQ ally action toolkit and conducted extensive research on the Prison Rape Elimination Act and its application to LGBTQ prisoners. During her time there she developed an interest in the intersections of human rights, criminal justice, race and the LGBTQ community. She has also worked with the National Center for Transgender Equality and the Human Rights Campaign.
Pandey is the daughter of two Indian immigrants and identifies as a queer, first generation Indian-American woman. After her tenure as Victory Congressional Fellow resumes, she hopes to attend law school and continue to advocate for the LGBTQ community and people of color within the American criminal justice system, and the LGBTQ community in India.
Click here for more information about the Victory Congressional Fellowship.
