Eli J. & Phyllis N. Segal Citizen Leadership Program

Marissa Torelli

2021 Brandeis Undergraduate Segal Fellow

Marissa Torelli is a senior at Brandeis University from Windsor, CT, who is double-majoring in Politics and International & Global Studies and double-minoring in African/African-American Studies and Legal Studies. Marissa is currently a coordinator for a Waltham Group volunteer program titled "Afternoon Enrichment." This after-school mentorship/tutoring program works with local middle school students and current Brandeis undergraduates to enhance not only the middle schoolers' academic learning but their social-emotional skills, too. She is also a member and former Vice President of Recruitment of the Delta Phi Epsilon sorority. Outside of her classwork and extracurriculars, Marissa works at the front desk of the Hiatt Career Center and in the Western Jihadism Project lab as a research assistant with Professor Jytte Klausen. Last summer, Marissa interned for the City of Boston as a part of the 2020 cohort of Louis D. Brandeis Social Justice Fellowship recipients, where she was able to work with system-involved youth in an academic/mentorship summer program. Marissa was also an intern for a public defender's office in Connecticut, where she developed her interest in law. She hopes to attend law school after her 2022 graduation. Marissa is passionate about criminal justice reform and how it affects youth of color, especially. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies with her family and going on walks with her dog. As a Segal Fellow th Marissa is excited to engage in work that involves the intersection of law, government, and public policy, within the U.S. and how it can support historically marginalized communities.