Alumni Directory Display

Kwame is from Mandeville, Jamaica and studied anthropology with a minor in American studies and a concentration in African studies at Macalester College. He graduated in 2011. He is passionate about the performing arts and contributed to many theater, dance and music productions at Macalester. In his junior year, Kwame studied abroad in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since graduation, he has been an Assistant Language teacher of English in Japan. Kwame is looking forward to being back in Southern Africa, reconnecting with old friends and making new ones, being a part of the Maru-A-Pula family, immersing himself in the performing arts, learning a new language and creating more life-long memories.

Sophia studied Public Policy Analysis and Global Health at Pomona College. While at Pomona, she worked as an HIV testing counselor for a local, free clinic and served as a peer health educator on campus. During her junior year, Sophia spent a semester studying community health in Botswana. After graduating in 2013, Sophia interned with UNAIDS in Kenya, supporting the Pan-African Positive Women’s Coalition in the finalization of their strategic framework and constitution. After returning from Kenya, Sophia worked in HIV vaccine development while volunteering with Partners in Health and Amigos de las Americas. In Tanzania this year, Sophia is looking forward to improving her Swahili, eating lots of fish from Lake Victoria, and learning from inspiring coworkers and patients at BIPAI!

Alumni Update:

Yash now works as Deputy Country Director at One Acre Fund’s Malawi program. He spends most of his time fiddling with their back-end systems (logistics, client services) and operations strategy to ensure improved client experience. He lives in (and continues to love!) Zomba, Malawi.

Fellow Bio:

Yash is originally from Mumbai, India. For some crazy reason, he decided to leave the warm coastal locales of Mumbai and ended up in frigid Ithaca, studying Natural Resources at Cornell University. While at Cornell, he was part of the Big Red Raas team (a western Indian dance form) and a founding member of Cornell Tarana, a South Asian a capella group. Yash studied abroad in Kenya and Tanzania in fall 2011, where he wrestled (read as “observed from a safe distance”) with elephants, hunted (with cameras) lions and conducted (backbreaking) research on land use change on the northern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro. As an avid birdwatcher, Yash hopes to add a couple hundred more central and southern African bird species to his bird list while in Zambia, in addition to learning the local language, listening to psychedelic Zambian rock from the 70s, driving a safari vehicle at least once (I don’t speed, no worries) and engaging with the world of corporate responsibility and sustainability.

Although she was born and raised in Los Angeles, Melissa braved the arctic tundra of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with honors in 2015. She majored in International Studies, with an emphasis on global environment/health, and held dual minors in Science, Technology, and Society and African Studies. While in school, she was an intern for the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, served as an Employment Specialist Intern with the International Rescue Committee, and was an intern with USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS communications team. As part of a class on South African history, Melissa traveled to the country where she spent three weeks doing research on HIV treatment/prevention programs. She also spent half of her junior year abroad in Barcelona in a Spanish culture and immersion program. (Melissa is fluent in Spanish and has working proficiency in French.) Melissa has a long-standing concern with issues relating to global health, disaster/emergency aid, and hunger relief. She is excited to apply all she has learned to her work with the World Food Programme. In her spare time, she enjoys soccer – a game she hopes to continue playing while in South Africa. Before she comes back to the U.S., Melissa hopes to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Alumni Update:

Allie is now living in NYC, about to finish her third year of medical school at Mount Sinai.

Fellow Bio:

Allie ’10 is a Development Studies concentrator at Brown University and a native Mainer. At Brown, she was the co-coordinator of the SPACE Program (Space in Prison for the Arts and Creative Expression) and also worked as a Writing Fellow.  A former club soccer player, she is thrilled to catch the end of the World Cup! Other things she is looking forward to in South Africa include: meeting wonderful new people, working with an inspiring organization and (with any luck) learning to drive stick on the opposite (wrong) side of the road. Allie is planning on attending Mt. Sinai School of Medicine following her fellowship.

Alumni Update:

After her fellowship, Ida stayed in Ethiopia to work with a microfinance institution called the Amhara Credit and Savings Institution, which provides financial services to over one million productive poor in the Amhara region. She wrote the institution’s gender policy, including provisions for gender-responsive budgeting, gender mainstreaming in the provision of microfinance services, gender equitable staff recruitment and development, parental leave, and sexual harassment protocols. She also conducted an evaluation of the institution’s Youth Savings Program, primarily using surveys and client interviews. Upon returning to the U.S., she worked at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Division of Epidemiology, where she worked on a randomized controlled trial testing the effect of the timing of postpartum clinical visits on various postpartum health outcomes. Since June 2014, she has worked at Arabella Advisors, a philanthropy consulting firm, where she provides strategy, evaluation, and implementation consulting services to a wide range of institutional, family, and corporate clients, and specializes in the firm’s global philanthropy practice.

Fellow Bio:

Ida graduated with a major in Comparative Literature and Society and a concentration in Political Science. She is from Richmond, VA, and studied in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Peru during her undergraduate career. At Columbia, Ida provided consultations to assist low-income Harlem residents navigate government benefits systems as a volunteer with the Advocacy Coalition, and sang as a member of the Chamber Singers. She is an avid music lover, enjoys writing, and intends to be an advocate for social justice throughout her life. She looks forward to learning her heritage language, visiting relatives, making new friends, and eating delicious injera while in Ethiopia!

she/her/hers

Joyce is a highly skilled professional with a wealth of experience in business development, strategic leadership, and partnerships within the African market. With over 9 years experience in the Banking, Payments, and the Software industry, she has a proven track record in driving revenue growth and forging strategic partnerships. Her expertise spans market analysis, GTM strategy, client acquisition, and product positioning. In addition to her extensive experience, Joyce has a Msc Degree in Management & Organizational Development from USIU and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Moi University.”

Winnie (Eron) Godi was born in Kampala, Uganda and resettled in the United States with her immediate family in 1998. She graduated with honors, receiving degrees in both International Relations and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies with a minor in Peace and Global Studies from Augsburg University. As President of the Augsburg Pan-Afrikan Student Union she created spaces deconstructing misogynoir and established a platform for black youth and women of color. Winnie was an Augsburg LEAD Scholar, Norway Peace Scholar, and 2017 Student Commencement Speaker. She was awarded 2017 Outstanding Senior Leader of the Year and was inducted into the 2nd annual Augsburg Senior Leadership Society. After graduating, Winnie served as a Community Partnership Specialist at Girl Scouts River Valleys, providing inclusive programming to over 200 girls of color. She was appointed by Governor Mark Dayton to the third cohort of the WFMN Young Women’s Cabinet of Minnesota, working closely with 24 other members to create and advance opportunities for young women in Minnesota. Over the past year, Winnie worked as a Kindergarten Teacher at Sabis International School in Nairobi, Kenya, challenging her students to explore non-traditional fields and is excited to continue a career in education in southern Africa.