Nichele Olivia-Lanett Washington, C’2025, is a political science major with a minor in philosophy whose work has centered on improving maternal health outcomes for Black women in the United States. A recipient of the Yale Undergraduate Liman Fellowship and the W.E.B. Du Bois Research Fellowship at Harvard, Washington has co-developed and taught Spelman’s first course on maternal and child health. She also founded CARE—Collegiate Advocates for Reproductive Equity—and has served as a United Nations Academic Impact Millennium Fellow.
"Out of my love for [my mother], I am making it my responsibility to ensure that other women do too," she said, referencing her passion for maternal health equity. Washington has published research with The Century Foundation and plans to continue her studies this fall at the University of Oxford, where she will pursue a Master of Philosophy in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation. Her long-term goal is to earn a J.D. in health law and influence federal maternal health policy.
Out of my love for [my mother], I am making it my responsibility to ensure that other women do too.