A Decade of Light Honoree: Zoi Burns ‘23
From Fellow to Operations & Content Specialist, Zoi supports youth development initiatives and builds sustainable infrastructures & systems for organizations rooted in social impact.
Zoi is an alumni honoree at A Decade of Light, CFSI’s 10-year anniversary fundraiser on May 7, 2026. Support future student outcomes like Zoi’s with your gift.
Zoi, a member of the Fall 2023 cohort, interned as the Strategic Initiatives Fellow at Pine Street Inn, the largest homeless services provider in New England. Zoi had the opportunity to work on multiple projects regarding Pine Street's Strategic Plans for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Their tasks and initiatives included but were not limited to: formulating the Pilot Pine Street Inn Mentorship Program to strengthen a diverse leadership pipeline and increase retention of HIPOs, increasing PSI's DEI Employee Resource Group (ERG) participation by over 30%, reviewing racial equity data of Boston's homeless population, and creating a DEI presentation for the New Employee Orientation.
After CFSI, Zoi had learned about and engaged with the strategic planning and organizational development of nonprofits and how they relate to an entity’s effective impact on its surrounding community. She knew that it was possible to combine her passions at the intersections of social justice, equity, youth leadership, and organizational development after working with Pine Street. Zoi says that it “didn’t feel like just an internship, I left an impact and had support that made me feel like a true part of the Pine Street Inn permanent team.”
After graduating from UMass Dartmouth with their degree in Political Science and Government, they relocated to Washington, DC, to be near family and get their footing in a new network. Zoi’s confidence from the fellowship and past experiences gave them high hopes for the direction they wanted to go. Currently, they work in the Arlington County Government, where they address youth development and programs that act as a social service in an area that faces high rates of youth drug abuse.
Who is your guiding light?
“Younger generations have always been a guiding light for me. Even in my own youth, I was passionate about learning from, with, and for my peers. I believe our youth, at any point in time, are a reflection of our society and future; they deserve a better world and the tools to contribute to it. By giving back through my work and contributing to a better society, I aim to continually create a better world with and for younger generations.”