Fellows Program

Morgan Vazquez is currently a Vice President of Campus Strategy and Pipeline Development at BNY Mellon in New York City. She is leading the redesign of the firm’s campus strategy with a focus on recruiting, developing and retaining a strong pipeline of future leaders. Prior to joining BNY Mellon in August 2015, Morgan spent six years at JPMorgan Chase in a variety of human resources roles, including compensation, HR business partner and employee relations. Morgan graduated Summa Cum Laude from Fordham University (Bronx, NY) in May 2013 as a double major in Communications & Media Studies and Sociology. While at Fordham, Morgan was President of Lambda Pi Eta (the National Communications Honor Society) and a member of Alpha Sigma Nu, Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi honor societies. She was also a news anchor on Fordham Nightly News TV, as well as a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council and the Fordham Orchestra. Morgan has been a proud member of the National Society of High School Scholars since 2007 and most recently served as the Vice President of Special Events on the inaugural Fellows Program Executive Board. She is very excited to work with Fellows Program members on various new and exciting initiatives aimed at cultivating a thriving alumni network for NSHSS.

Kolby is a manager at The Harbour Group where he advises international clients on public diplomacy initiatives and strategic communications. He previously led external engagement for the University of California Washington Center (UCDC) and also served as a legislative aide for his hometown congressman. Kolby is the immediate past president of the global nonprofit Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP). He is board secretary of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC, on the board of the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL), vice president of the UC Irvine Alumni Chapter in DC, and a 16-year volunteer for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). From 2013-2015, he was an appointed city commissioner for the city of Garden Grove, California. Kolby received his BA in political science from the University of California, Irvine. After failing classes during his first year of college, Kolby graduated summa cum laude and received the Chancellor’s Award of Distinction recognizing the top 48 student leaders in a graduating class of over 7,000. He is a proud transfer alum from Orange Coast College where he served as student body president, district trustee, and held regional and statewide offices representing and advocating for California’s community college students.

Elizabeth Blanchette is a graduate of Liberty University, where she received a 4.00 grade point average for her Master of Arts in Executive Leadership. She is also a summa cum laude graduate of Eastern Nazarene College (ENC). As a leader in corporate training for AAA, Ms. Blanchette is a strong proponent of education without social limitations. Her belief that all people are valuable children of God, fuels her passion to change lives through investing in the visions and goals of the world’s youth. Ms. Blanchette is honored to serve as Vice President of Alumni Relations for the National Society of High School Scholars Executive Fellows Board. Elizabeth has been a member of the NSHSS since 2010, serving as an NSHSS Ambassador, a four-year member of the NSHSS Student Council, and a member of the College Student Council before joining the Executive Fellows Board. Ms. Blanchette has traveled extensively, interning with youth programs – in management positions - in England, France, Ireland, and Wales. Through developing relationships and connections with NSHSS alumni, fellows, high school members, educators, and families, Ms. Blanchette hopes to assist and advance the alumni in their pursuit of excellence, while fostering a lifelong and worldwide NSHSS community based on fellowship and engagement.

April Kalinski is a graduate from the University of Nebraska. While getting her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and International Business, she was a member of the University’s Women in Business group as well as the accounting honor society, Beta Alpha Psi. After graduating in 2014, she was a member of the Board of Directors for a local Nature Center and park in Lincoln Nebraska. In 2016, she moved to the Chicago area where she continues her work in accounting with a manufacturing company. In her free time, she volunteers her time between managing the finances for a local cat rescue, planning Habitat for Humanity builds for her company, and fundraising with the Habitat for Humanity Young Professionals group.

Laura Amortegui is a Colombian American who has been living here in the D.C. area for the past 19 years. She currently works at Cambium Assessment Inc. in business development and finances, working on writing and developing proposals. Previously, American Institutes for Research, and at Georgetown University, at the Center for Intercultural Development and Education, to coordinate the learning exchange between international students, Georgetown professors, and businesses in the area. She earned her M.B.A and B.A of Communications at Loyola University Maryland.