Announcing the 2026 Shansi Fellows to India
Please join us in welcoming the newest Shansi Fellows headed to India. Zoe Meister ‘26 will join the Keystone Foundation, an eco-development organization based in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in South India. Hannah Behroozi ‘25 will serve at the International Studies Center at Lady Doak College in Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Zoe Meister ‘26 majored in Environmental Studies and minored in Sociology with an Environmental Justice Pathway, building a strong understanding of climate resilience through a social justice lens. Originally from NYC, her passion for building community in nature began in childhood, when she spent summers learning to lead wilderness trips in the backcountry of Maine. At Oberlin, she worked to advance sustainability and justice on campus through her roles as Eco-Rep in her co-op, Office of Energy and Sustainability intern, and Resource Conservation Team member, helping run the Free Store, J-House Garden, and Food Rescue Program. Zoe believes resilient communities grow from grassroots organizing and local autonomy. This perspective is informed by her studies of land, water, and energy justice abroad in Morocco, Nepal, and Ecuador; work with the Indigenous Adolescent Girls Empowerment Network co-authoring educational curricula for Native girls; and experience researching Community Benefits Agreements in the renewable energy field as intern with the Natural Resources Defense Council. She is thrilled to continue to support community-led, locally grounded solutions with the Keystone Foundation.
Hannah Behroozi ‘25 majored in Comparative American Studies with a minor in Music. Her academic work focused on identity and diversity, with her senior capstone project exploring decolonial travel narratives. On campus, Hannah gained teaching and leadership experience as instructor of the Steel Pan ExCo and co-director of Oberlin Steel. She has also worked with students as an English teaching assistant at an elementary school in Italy, a piano accompanist for students in the Oberlin community, a reading tutor in Minnesota, and a piano teacher in Washington, DC.
After graduation, Hannah worked with Sojourners, a faith-based social justice organization. Through the fellowship program, she supported thousands of magazine subscribers as the circulation and marketing assistant and lived in an intentional community with her fellowship cohort. Hannah is passionate about hearing people’s stories and cultivating meaningful relationships, and she is eager to help build resilient, authentic communities as a Shansi Fellow.
