We are excited to announce Leyton Maluka Kimpanga as the recipient of the 2025 Beratan Fellowship! Leyton, a rising junior at UNC Greensboro, is an amazing asset to YCV’s team as a returning Civic Fellow, where he motivates and drives the mission of educating, registering, and empowering all eligible NC voters to successfully cast their ballots.
The Beratan Fellowship Award, now in its fifth year, honors the numerous contributions of the late Kathi Beratan, a passionate and dedicated YCV volunteer. The award provides a paid summer fellowship to a YCV Fellow who has shown outstanding commitment to and demonstration of core values. Supported by Kathi’s husband, David Beratan, and other YCV donors who recognized her commitment to leadership development and community empowerment, the Beratan Fellowship Award is in place to continue her legacy.
“Kathi joined as a volunteer in 2014 when YCV was just beginning and made huge contributions to our organization by giving her time, energy, and talents,” said Executive Director Kate Fellman. “Kathi did the hard work and pushed herself to meet the needs in front of us. We will always be profoundly grateful for her gifts to this organization.”
Leyton is continuing that legacy with inspiring energy, purpose, and heart. As YCV’s Triad Regional Organizer, Dominique, shared, “Leyton is so passionate about voting that he first learned about the fellowship by stopping at a YCV table—and immediately encouraged his friends to check their registration status. If they weren’t registered, he helped them complete the form on the spot.” He organized his own tabling events in the UNCG cafeteria, making time between classes to help peers get informed, registered, and ready to vote.
A political science major with concentrations in global politics and law, Leyton pairs academic focus with real-world civic action. Originally from the Congo, he dreams of a career in international relations and law, advocating for human rights and providing criminal defense for those in need. His work with YCV has connected these aspirations to community impact, reinforcing the power of democratic engagement. “When you find a voter who truly listens and cares,” Leyton says, “it energizes you.”
Please join us in welcoming Leyton as our 2025 Beratan Fellow!
