As a Development & Communications Associate, Adaku supports Hester Street’s communication strategy and business development, and assists with event planning. Throughout her undergraduate career, she balanced multiple roles across communications, publishing, and higher education. Her first experience in the field of community development was at LISC NY. She interned as a summer Cashin Fellow in 2018 where she picked up skills in grant-writing and community outreach, and co-led an end-of-summer presentation for NYC community development leaders highlighting the importance of using language that reflects real-life neighborhood conditions for New Yorkers through strategic grant-writing. Two years later, she rejoined as a Communications Assistant, interviewing and spotlighting small business owners on their paths to recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adaku is a recent graduate of Amherst College, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English & Black Studies. Most recently, Adaku worked at Each Day Communications where she supported strategic communications planning for mission-based clients committed to advancing racial justice, educational equity, and youth career pathways including the Black Wealth Data Center, refinED Atlanta, and Shared Lane Services. Concurrently, she interned at Penguin Random House as an editorial assistant, a longtime dream accomplished during her final semester of college.