Alumni Directory Display

Edwina was born and raised in Ghana. She graduated from Stanford University in 2020 with a degree in Energy Resources Engineering and a minor in African Studies. She worked with energy companies in New York City developing community-generated clean energy solutions for the Long Island community, and with oil companies in Southern California where she developed solutions to mitigate carbon dioxide emissions from an oilfield. She explored her interest in service by working on self-designed projects with two Ghanaian NGOs – the West African AIDS Foundation (WAAF) where she designed and implemented a community intervention program to train Ghanaian high-school-aged youth as HIV/AIDS peer and Smartix Education where she developed a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum and teaching module for Ghanaian schools, through a fellowship from Stanford University. She is passionate about female empowerment and worked with Stanford’s Clayman Institute for Gender Research where she conducted research, analyzed data, and helped plan events. Through these academic and professional experiences, she explored the intersection of energy, health, and education. She speaks English, Asante Twi, Fante, French, Yoruba, Mandarin, and Igbo and enjoys cooking, building-watching, learning new languages, and reading African Science fiction books. As a young African, she is excited by the upsurge in youth-led innovation, service, and social activism across the continent and is eager to work with fellow African youth to contribute to the continent’s well-being and development, while cultivating meaningful relationships. Post fellowship, she hopes to pursue an MBA focusing on social impact on the African continent.

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Kanyinsola Oye is a recent graduate of Howard University, where she studied Political Science and History. Ms. Oye is also a freelance writer; she has written for Teen Vogue and Vogue. She uses her writing to explore the connection of politics to everyday life. Through her work, she implements her cultural background and how that plays a role in her future career goals. She is also the Founder & Executive Director of She Can Make A Difference, which teaches young girls the power of education and embracing their beauty. Recently, she visited her hometown Lagos, Nigeria, to hold a retreat regarding self-love to help young girls build their confidence. Secondly, Ms. Oye is a founder of an organization called CPDoutofCCS, calling for removing police surveillance in Columbus, Ohio, city schools. With her efforts, the district and the city were able to break a 1.5-million-dollar contract with the police and invest in counselors for students. Kanyinsola is a Cultural Sensitivity Reader and Trainer for primary and secondary education. She navigates creative and unique worldviews of young learners to engage them in lessons on history and politics effectively. Ms. Oye also works as a Youth Learning Associate at Columbus Library, providing academic support for students by assisting in the operation of after-school homework care. Lastly, Kanyinsola hopes that through her writing and dedication to the community she can influence students around her to pursue their dreams.

Colleen is a double alumna of George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, where she graduated with an MPH in Community-Oriented Primary Care in 2019.  During her undergraduate years, she volunteered at Children’s National Medical Center as a social services advocate for families. Colleen spent time in Kenya in 2016 studying urbanization, health, and human rights, and completed a research project there on the management of HIV and tuberculosis. As a graduate student, she worked in staff training and development for GW Campus Recreation, where she was responsible for the hiring and training of over 100 student employees. Colleen also worked with GW’s Honey W. Nashman Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service as the Program Coordinator for Civic House, a first-year living learning program for students interested in getting involved in the DC community. As a registered EMT, Colleen volunteered over 500 hours on an ambulance for a local fire department, and regularly taught community CPR classes in Maryland. Colleen was the recipient of the Academic Excellence in Public Health award in 2017, as well as the Nashman Prize for Community-Based Participatory Research in 2019 for her study on knowledge and perceptions of youth sports-related concussions in a local non-profit. She is excited about returning to Africa and continuing her commitment to public health as the Integrated Primary Care Support Fellow for Integrate Health in Kara, Togo!

A recent graduate from New York University Abu Dhabi with a major in economics and a concentration in finance, Gaurav aspires to use his education and internship experience in the private sector to find data-driven solutions to empower communities in the developing regions of the world. His prior professional experiences include business strategy and research roles at Emaar Properties (Real Estate), Integra Ledger (Blockchain) and Mukta Arts Limited (Entertainment). He has academic and professional experiences in several countries including the USA, Spain, Tanzania, the UAE, India, and Nepal. Passionate about diversity and inclusion, Gaurav is very curious about other cultures and wants to meaningfully travel the entire world while responsibly engaging with local communities. Apart from impact work, Gaurav writes songs, plays the guitar, and makes travel videos on YouTube.

Alumni Update:

Joaquin currently works for the New Zealand government’s export promotion and business development agency, accelerating New Zealand exporters’ journey to bigger, better, faster growth in international markets.

Fellow Bio:

Joaquín is a recent graduate from Georgetown University where he majored in Finance and International Business. His career path and interest for both business and international development have led him to varied professional experiences, from interning at Google helping content creators monetize their websites and apps to spending a summer in Nicaragua optimizing donor data strategies for an education nonprofit. Most recently, he worked at Citibank’s Government Affairs team at the intersection of public policy, financial inclusion and financial technology regulation in Latin America. While at Georgetown, he actively led the Georgetown Global Consulting student organization providing pro-bono consulting services to microfinance institutions and NGOs across the globe. Joaquin will earn a MicroMasters certificate in Data, Economics and Development Policy from MITx before embarking on his PiAf fellowship year with the West African Rice Company (WARC) social enterprise as a Junior Consultant in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Joaquín is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Ahyeong graduated from Messiah College with a BA in Sociology and Anthropology and minor in Psychology. Her passion for diversity steadily grew as she became exposed to different cultures at an early age. As an international student, she dedicated herself to bringing diversity to the campus through various involvements. As a research assistant at the Office of Institutional Research, she conducted an independent research project regarding prospective international students’ recruitment process in efforts to increase the total international student enrollment. During her academic career, she pursued various cross-cultural experiences. In Ecuador, she participated in the Street Children Project, assisting children with the development of academic and social skills, building nutrition and hygiene awareness, as well as learning English. In Rwanda, she participated both in an internship and independent research project related to child malnutrition and the role of agriculture in rural nutrition. In Fiji, as a field researcher, she explored the sociological impact of clean water and focused on sustainability efforts to maintaining clean water systems. Ahyeong is grateful for the opportunity to work with Nyaka AIDS Orphans Project as a Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow and looks forward to being part of the Nyakagyezi community.

Hailing from a small, Midwest town, Udita graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Anthropology and Global Health Studies. Her passion in for “glocal” health has led her to have meaningful experiences both domestically and globally. She spent two summers in both Tanzania and Uganda where she had the opportunity to conduct community-based research and learn more about the health infrastructures in both countries. While at Northwestern, she co-founded and ran a community engagement organization called NU Community Health Corps, that aims to empower individuals to take ownership of their own health and wellbeing. Through NUCHC, she launched the HIRCULES Health Hub, which are health information desks focused on connecting community members to qualified health information and resources. She also served as a Partnerships Fellow at the GlobeMed Global Headquarters where she works closely to manage the 56 global partnerships between undergraduate chapters and grass-root organizations in Asia, Latin America, and Africa. Udita is extremely excited to be returning to Tanzania and working Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative this upcoming year!

Michal graduated from American University’s School of International Service, focusing on governance and identity in Africa. At American, Michal was a founding member and Inaugural Gala Director for No Lost Generation, a student-led refugee advocacy initiative partnered with the State Department, where she raised $4,000 benefitting children’s education in Kenyan refugee camps. Throughout her undergraduate career, Michal developed her finance and research related skill sets with various organizations including the State Department, Peace Corps, International Rescue Committee and Search for Common Ground. Michal expanded her academic background in African affairs by studying abroad at the United States International University – Africa (Nairobi) and the School of Oriental and African Studies (London). She interned with the Center of Domestic Training and Development in Nairobi, an organization serving vulnerable women and girls, and was a volunteer for SOAS’ Annual African Development Forum. After graduating early in December 2018, Michal was a full-time Finance Fellow at a political consulting firm in Washington D.C., where she supported research and fundraising alongside business development initiatives. As an Eritrean-American, Michal is excited to return to the continent and work with BIPAI Swaziland and Eswatini’s Ministry of Health to increase access to health care for marginalized peoples.

Anthea graduated from Georgetown University with a Master’s in Public Policy. She is originally from Singapore but has spent almost a third of her life studying, working, and living in the United States. Her first encounter with international development was during her time at Georgetown where she learned how data could be used to understand more about people, policy, and what works. After graduation, she joined Burness Communications, a public-interest communications firm specializing in spreading the news about social causes ranging from public health to environmental conservation. But with a data itch that wouldn’t quit, she then went on to work as a Senior Analyst for a data consulting firm, helping non-profit organizations and the US EPA to better visualize their data and extract meaningful insights. Outside of work, she volunteered at the National Aquarium as a diver where she fed the fish and waved at visitors. Anthea is excited for her move to Sierra Leone where she will work with the WARC Group as a monitoring and evaluation fellow, using data to measure the impact on improving the lives of farmers. During her time in Freetown, she hopes to learn to love dancing and okra, while picking up a bit of Krio in between.

Alumni Update:

After earning an Ed.M. degree in International Education Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Sarah returned to her fellowship organization to work remotely as a Program Manager. She is delighted to be back on the team at ASE!

Fellow Bio:

Raised in Seattle, Sarah Pollnow graduated as the Middlebury College class of 2014 Salutatorian with Highest Honors in History and an award-winning thesis. A lover of languages, she minored in French and spent a semester studying in Bordeaux. She also earned a minor in Secondary Education en route to becoming a state-certified Social Studies teacher in 2015. During the summers, she pursued teaching opportunities in Kentucky and Massachusetts. After graduation, Sarah continued exploring U.S. education while touring nationwide as a National History Bee intern. She then moved to Germany to serve as a 2015-2016 Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. In her free time there, she assisted with a youth theater project based on local history, volunteered with refugees, and studied at the Technische Universität Berlin. Her passion for teaching next led her to Japan for a year as a JET Program Assistant Language Teacher, during which she developed curricular resources with the support of a grant from USJETAA and U.S. Embassy Tokyo. She is excited to immerse herself in Beninese culture and grow as a professional this year at the African School of Economics.