The Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Awards recognize and honor undergraduate students who have had significant involvement in community engagement by providing support for their projects, which address a community’s social needs or problems.
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In October 2023, Ariela Asllani, a public policy major in the Brooks School of Public Policy, founded Refugee Scholars in Ithaca. The daughter of political refugees and a first-generation, low-income college student, Asllani aims to help refugee students bridge the opportunity gap to an academic education. She is coordinating her efforts with local volunteer organization Ithaca Welcomes Refugees (IWR) to identify high school students who could benefit from the project.

Under the guidance of mentors at Cornell and IWR, Asllani has recorded several YouTube videos with useful career and college application information. To date, her organization has also secured enough funding from two grants to aid seven students with laptops, SAT and ACT preparation materials and school supplies. She will use the Robinson-Appel award to support an additional seven students, extending the project into the 2024-25 academic year.

The purpose of the $15,000 John F. Kennedy Memorial Award is to encourage student leaders to enter careers in government or other public service fields.
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Ariela Asllani is a public policy major whose academic work focuses on international migration and transnational crime, with particular attention to bridging migrants’ lived experiences and the deterrence-based policies that govern mobility. Impacted by stories of her family sheltering refugees from the Kosovo War in her hometown of Kukës, Albania, she has pursued questions of refugee policy and institutional response through service, research, and government experience. Ariela has held internships at the Biden-Harris White House, the U.S. Senate, and in the federal government’s intelligence sector. On campus, she founded Refugee Scholars in partnership with Ithaca Welcomes Refugees to provide college preparatory support to local youth. After graduation, she will pursue a master’s degree in Refugee and Forced Migration Studies at the University of Oxford.