Data & Policy Fellows

Sam Owusu

Policy Fellow, MiLEAP

Sam Owusu (He/Him) is a Data & Policy Fellow at the Youth Policy Lab. He is embedded in the Office of Early Childhood located within the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP). Originally from Chicago, IL, Sam h...

In the News

Program to create housing options for the formerly incarcerated

Apr 11, 2025 The Spartan Newsroom

LANSING – “It was a one bedroom, moldy basement apartment,” said LaWanda Hollister, referring to one of the first places she rented when released after 34 years in prison. Hollister, now a Washtenaw County resident, is the coordinator of Nation Outsi...

LaWanda Hollister, coordinator for Nation Outside Women’s Chapter and volunteer organizer for the American Friends Service Committee. Credit: Courtesy photo

News

Youth Policy Lab fellowships bridge public policy and academic research

Mar 5, 2024

Since 2019, the Youth Policy Lab has partnered with the State of Michigan and with local school districts to place early-career professionals in government agencies to make specific, measurable improvements in policies and programs that impact Michig...

Youth Policy Lab fellowships bridge public policy and academic research

State & Hill

Data for good: Expanding college opportunity in Michigan

Dec 19, 2022

When the state of Michigan issued its COVID-19 stay at home order in March 2020, Youth Policy Lab (YPL) Data and Policy Fellow Ava Attari found herself in the middle of an ambitious state program. The thousands of workers who had to remain on the job...

Fellowship Spotlight

Fellowship Spotlight: Enhancing School-Based Mental Health Evaluation in Detroit

November 21, 2025

Megan Jagolinzer

During the 2022-23 school year, the Youth Policy Lab (YPL) launched a three-year evaluation in 84 schools within the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) to assess the implementation and effectiveness of the TRAILS Early Intervention pro...