Mount Holyoke Alum Focuses on Miami Voter Engagement, Youth Organizing

Posse alumna Briyana Joseph graduated from Mount Holyoke in 2018 with a degree in sociology and psychology. Bryana is currently getting her master’s degree at the University of Miami in Community & Social Change and is a community organizer at Engage Miami.

Reflecting on her undergraduate studies, Briyana says she chose a double major because she wanted to learn how individuals’ thinking patterns play a role in society. She has had a consistent interest in social justice and how young people create social change.

During her time at Mount Holyoke, she was a lead researcher at a clinical psychology lab and a member of the Association of Pan African Unity. Briyana, who speaks Dutch, was also able to study abroad in Amsterdam, Netherlands, when attending school at Vrije Universiteit. Senior year, she worked at the Registrants Office as an interviewing fellow, where she was proud to meet visiting students.

“Young people are catalysts; they just need the knowledge and tools.”

“It was positive for people who look like me in the crowd to be able to see me and engage with me,” Briyana recalls, emphasizing that of her main motivation is to support underrepresented youth.

After graduation, Briyana was hired at Engage Miami, a nonprofit in Miami run by young people for young people to encourage civic engagement. The work unites her passion for social justice, education, and voter outreach.

“Young people are catalysts; they just need the knowledge and tools,” Briyana says. “I love connecting young people to what they care about. And my experience spent studying abroad, and my time at Mount Holyoke with other Posse Scholars has shaped me to have the confidence to reach out to others in this work.”

She is currently the Civic Leadership Programs Manager and is responsible for the Civic 305 Fellowship Program, training young people to talk about issues such as affordable housing and climate justice. The program empowers youth to get involved in their community and to contact local officials to enact meaningful change.

“It’s been amazing helping shift the values and culture of the organization,” Briyana says. “I love supporting people as they become leaders and connecting them to networks of civic engagement—making a difference in the world.”