ABOUT THE MILLENNIUM FELLOWSHIP - CLASS OF 2021
United Nations Academic Impact and MCN are proud to partner on the Millennium Fellowship. In 2021, over 25,000 young leaders on 2,000+ campuses across 153 nations applied to join the Class of 2021. 136 campuses worldwide (just 6%) were selected to host the 2,000+ Millennium Fellows. The Class of 2021 is bold, innovative, and inclusive.
UNITED NATIONS ACADEMIC IMPACT AND MCN PROUDLY PRESENT RITZ HARLEY RANJO TOLENTINO, A MILLENNIUM FELLOW FOR THE CLASS OF 2021.
University of California Davis | California, United States | Advancing SDG 3 & UNAI 1
" The Millennium Fellowship is an amazing opportunity to realize my global leadership amongst a community of equally driven changemakers. I'm excited to be inspired, to be pushed, and to grow through social action for local communities and the world at large, today and for the future. "
Millennium Fellowship Project: My State of Mind Project
My State of Mind is a worldwide youth run organization branch that originated from the Philippine based non-profit, Talang Dalisay. My State of Mind was inspired by the idea to spread mental health advocacy to new borders outside the Philippines, starting with the United States. With over 12 participating countries, we are a community aiming to fight current mental health stigmas around the world, as well as spreading mental health issues in our ever evolving society. We believe in breaking boundaries that inhibit people from shining and growing to their fullest potential. Our current project is focusing on mental health amongst high school and college students during the pandemic, providing networking and free events for students and fundraising opportunities to assist well-being, housing stability, and access to healthcare.
Our project has consisted of two parts: an online conference event and our care packages. We have our mental health advocacy conference, titled Mind Over Matter, on November 13, 2021 from 11 AM to 3:30 PM. We have invited youth global activist speakers from around the world, mental health professionals, and representatives of various UC Davis organizations to speak on behalf of our themes. Our multiple themes we will be focusing on include Educating on Mental Illness and How to Be an Ally, Defining and Accessing Therapy, and Caring for Your Mental Health and Well-Being. We have also published a questionnaire on campus for Davis students to fill out in order to gain feedback on the care package materials, which would be distributed for those facing housing insecurity, a lack of basic needs and mental health resources, and COVID care. We are currently fundraising with local businesses and companies for those care package materials, whilst having the conference as our main project of the quarter.
About the Millennium Fellow
Ritz Harley Tolentino is a pre-med student at the University of California, Davis. He was born in the Philippines, grew up in the UAE, and is now studying in California, USA. His diverse upbringing, love for learning, and willingness to give back developed his cultural awareness and continue to inspire him to make a difference in other people’s lives. He currently volunteers at a student-run clinic that serves the unhoused population in his local community, and he works as a coordinator for a mentorship program that supports international students. He's also a conference coordinator for a health professional club on campus, and he recently joined My State of Mind, an organization that aims to destigmatize and promote mental health. His educational experiences and opportunities continue to drive his passion for service, and becoming a Millennium Fellow to him is really about having the chance to make a tangible impact on the world.
