2026 AAARI Innovators Fellowship

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Are you a CUNY student ready to make a difference in Asian American communities? The AAARI Innovators Fellowship is your opportunity to gain cutting-edge technology skills, develop leadership abilities, and create meaningful change. Join a dynamic cohort of fellows in a sixteen-week journey of growth, innovation, and impact.

What’s in it for You?

  • Leadership Development: Build the skills to lead and inspire.
  • Tech Mastery: Explore and apply technologies like AI and Data Analytics to solve real-world challenges.
  • Community Engagement: Create innovative solutions to challenges that Asian American communities are facing, while building bridges with key community stakeholders.
  • Mentorship: Learn from experts in tech, academia, and community leadership.
  • Stipends: Financial support to allow you to fully participate.

Program Highlights:

  • Immersive, skill-building workshops in cutting-edge technologies.
  • Collaborate on and execute a tech-based project that addresses a critical community need.
  • Showcase your achievements at a final event attended by leaders and innovators.

Eligibility: Fellowship is open to CUNY undergraduate and graduate students, interested in social impact. No prior experience required.

Key Dates:

  • Workshop: Human-Centered Design, Social Entrepreneurship & Community Problem-Solving (Two-Day Intensive)
    Open to the general public, students, founders, nonprofit leaders, creatives, technologists, and anyone interested in creating meaningful community impact

    • Fri, Feb 27 & Sat, Feb 28, 2026, 9am-5pm
      Queens College – RSVP: https://luma.com/f6l8gssh

      This two-day workshop is open to anyone who wants to learn how to design impactful solutions for real-world community challenges. A new cohort of AAARI Innovators Fellows will be selected from workshop participants to continue into the sixteen-week fellowship program (February–June). Selected fellows will work collaboratively on some of the most challenging and complex issues facing Asian American communities today, deepening their projects with mentorship, research, technology, and leadership development support.

      ​This workshop serves both as a standalone learning experience and as a gateway into the AAARI Innovators Fellowship for those ready to commit to sustained impact.

  • Vibe Coding + AI Tools for Rapid Prototyping (Online Workshop)
    Mon, March 31, 2026, 10am to 12:30pm – RSVP: https://forms.gle/X6Hf4ZRwEcw2C2Px8
The Tech Incubator at Queens College (TIQC) and AAARI Innovators Fellowship team are hosting a 2.5-hour online workshop to help students learn vibe coding and practical AI tools to build quick prototypes and turn ideas into something real. 
 
You should attend if you:
      • Have an idea you want to turn into a prototype (app, website, workflow, demo)
      • Want to learn how to build faster with AI, even if you’re not technical
      • Are interested in community-based innovation and real-world problem solving
This workshop, open to all CUNY students, is also a great way to connect with the AAARI Innovators Fellowship, which supports promising student innovators and community-based projects.

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