Student Selected for National Human Rights Fellowship

The John Lewis Young Leaders program is a yearlong undergraduate fellowship that prepares college students for a future in community organizing and civic engagement. The program was established in 2017 and restructured in 2022 to honor Lewis.

Boyd, who is majoring in public policy leadership and rhetoric, writing and speech communication, joins 15 other university students from across the country in the 2025-26 cohort. Throughout the year, fellows engage their campus and local communities in human rights work through a capstone project.

"This yearlong fellowship gives me the opportunity to design a capstone project rooted in my home community of Sunflower County," Boyd said. "My goal is to create a robust college and career readiness curriculum that complements what the Mississippi Department of Education already offers, while filling in the gaps that exist for students in underserved areas."

Fellows get support to ensure their success, including access to grassroots organizing workshops, mentorship from RFK Human Rights staff, financial support and access to a network of human rights professionals, peers and program alumni.

The program accepted only 3% of this year's applicants, and Boyd is the first Ole Miss student in the program.

"This year's cohort is an extraordinary group of young people, and I'm inspired by their courage, kindness and commitment to making our country a more just and equitable place," said Kerry Kennedy, president of RFK Human Rights. "I'm filled with hope as we welcome this next generation of leaders into the fold."

Boyd said he is overjoyed to be selected and ready to start work.

"I also plan to personally facilitate sessions and show young people from the Delta that they, too, can achieve their goals and pursue higher education free of financial barriers, just as I and many others have done," he said.

Boyd said he believes the Delta is often overlooked, and through the fellowship's mentoring, funding and program support, he has a platform to act on the needs he has witnessed firsthand.

"It is a true honor to join other change agents from across the country, and as the late Congressman John Lewis once said, I will continue to 'keep up the good fight,'" he said.