Lehigh Scholar Wins Ubben Fellowship, Pursues Anti-Corruption Work
Anna Van Riesen, a rising junior at Lehigh University, was recently selected as one of this year’s five Jeff Ubben Posse Fellows. Established in 2016 in honor of former Posse board chair, Jeff Ubben, the annual fellowship recognizes five outstanding Posse Scholars nationwide with a one-of-a-kind summer internship alongside a leader in their chosen field. Eligible Scholars must have at least a 3.7 GPA at the start of their sophomore year.
This summer, Anna will intern with civil rights leader and former U.S. Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, who is currently a distinguished scholar in residence at New York University School of Law. Her internship will focus on institutional reform with a particular emphasis on the criminal justice system.
“I’m thrilled to have this opportunity to not only learn firsthand from one of the premier experts in law, but also to play a part in holding corruption accountable,” says Anna.
Growing up as the child of two pastors, Anna believed higher education would likely mean taking on significant debt. After speaking with a close family friend who was a Posse Scholar at Tulane University, she learned about Posse and was nominated for the scholarship. Following Posse’s three-part Dynamic Assessment Process (DAP), Anna was selected to join Lehigh’s seventh Posse cohort.
My 'north star' has always been mobilizing safe communities to better address the carceral system.
Although Anna studied journalism throughout high school, she soon realized shortly after arriving at Lehigh that she wanted to use her voice to advocate for change through law. Drawing on her experiences of volunteering at local prisons, Anna pursued a double major combining political science with religion, culture, and society.
“I wanted to enact change in society,” she says.
She also recognized an opportunity to contribute to Lehigh’s prelaw community. During her first year, she founded a chapter of Phi Alpha Delta, a prelaw fraternity. As president of the chapter’s executive board, Anna coordinated professional development workshops, LSAT preparation resources and networking opportunities. Anna has also served as an NGO Youth Representative to the UN, worked as a peer writing tutor at Lehigh, and plans to study theology abroad at Oxford during the next academic year.
Looking back, Anna credits Posse with shaping both her college experience and her future aspirations.
“The intentionality of community is what makes Posse so special. I would have struggled way more without the support of my Posse,” she says.
“to help mobilize people, and particularly faith communities, to address the injustices of the carceral state,” says Anna. “Alongside the community I found through my faith, Posse has shown me how powerful community can be in creating meaningful change.”
