Mikala Parnell

Bio/Description

Mikala Parnell ’23, from Wilmington, North Carolina, is a concentrator in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and is pursuing certificates in global health and African American studies. Her academic interests include international relations, health policy, civil rights, and legal systems. Beyond coursework, Parnell is a student mentor through Princeton’s Mentor Program and a member of the Princeton Debate Panel. She also serves as the professional development director for Our Health Matters, an organization dedicated to Black women’s health on and off-campus. Professionally, Parnell works as the outreach coordinator for Representable, to fight gerrymandering and ensure a fair election process. In summer 2020 as a Bogle Fellow, Parnell worked with Step Up Wilmington, a nonprofit organization that provides job and life training to underserved populations. As a business development intern, she assisted in the launch of their social enterprise program. For fun, she enjoys dancing as a member of the Raqs belly dancing troupe and spending time with her friends and family. Parnell is a Class of 2021 Dean’s Scholar in the Nation’s Service.

For her summer internship, Mikala works at the Health and Human Services, Office of Global Affairs.