Alumni Directory Display

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.

Kelly earned her BA in Global Studies and Anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 2013. As an undergraduate student, Kelly pursued her interests in public health and international development both inside and outside of the classroom. As Executive Co-Chair of the student-run community development organization Nourish-UNC during her senior year, Kelly led a team of over 75 executive board and committee members. Together, they invested $22,977—generated through social entrepreneurship ventures—in three development projects carried out in partnership with community-based organizations in Bolivia, Jordan, and Nepal. During her undergraduate summers, Kelly bolstered her practical experience by volunteering as an educator with World Camp in Malawi, co-leading a development project with the JUVILUS Foundation in Ecuador, and collecting data for a public health study with Nemours in Delaware. Kelly also performed hospital-based public health research while studying in Chile in 2011. Since graduating, she has been working in domestic health policy analysis and advocacy with the National Coalition on Health Care in Washington, DC. Kelly originally hails from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, and is humbled by the opportunity to learn from and contribute to Lwala Community Alliance’s amazing work in rural western Kenya.

Ettie Philitas is an Executive Director with J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where he serves as Head of Infrastructure Debt. He is also a member of the Infrastructure Debt Group’s Investment Committee and a Portfolio Manager. He was previously an Investment Director with Africa50’s Project Finance team where he originated and managed infrastructure investments across Africa. Prior to his role at Africa50, Ettie was an Associate with the Private Credit team at KKR, where he focused on direct lending, opportunistic credit, special situations, and equity investments. He has also worked with the Private Debt team at Muzinich & Co. and with the Leveraged Finance Origination & Restructuring group at Credit Suisse, where he advised clients on over $19bn of high-yield and leveraged loan financings and provided dedicated coverage to issuers in the Power & Utilities space. Ettie began his career as an Analyst with Deutsche Bank’s Private Wealth Management group in New York. Ettie holds a B.A from Princeton University and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ettie is passionate about entrepreneurship and social impact. He is a proud Princeton in Africa Alumni Fellow, having worked with African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2009-10. He also serves on the Associates Council of Prep for Prep and on the Board of Student Diplomacy Corps.

Fellow Bio:

Sara Piaskowy is passionate about water resources. Last summer, working for the International Water Association through the study abroad office IIP program, Sara learned about sustainable water management and the pressing need to bring clean drinking water and sanitation systems to developing countries. She is a Civil and Environmental Engineering major with certificates in Environmental Studies and Spanish who hails from Crete, IL. Sara will spend her year in Africa working as a research assistant at the International Institute of Water and Environmental Engineering in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. She will be carrying out experiments on water filtration using local materials such as sand, gravel, and clay. At Princeton, Sara was a four year member of the Princeton Women’s Crew, helped lead the Society of Women Engineers and was involved with the Athletes in Action Christian fellowship group. Once she completes her associate fellowship, Sara plans to attend graduate school in Water Resources Science, Policy, and Management.

Alumni Update:

Carolyn is currently living and working in Chicago, IL. Since her fellowship, she has been working in public health policy and social policy. She did program evaluation of public health programs for the US Department of Health and Human Services. Now she is pursuing a PhD in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern.

Alumni Update:

Isabel is continuing to pursue her PhD in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, planning to finish this academic year. Focusing on Africa, mainly Kenya and Malawi, her research explores questions around gender and demography with both qualitative and quantitative methods. She is currently based in Edinburgh, Scotland as she writes up her dissertation.

Fellow Bio:

Isabel (Princeton ‘11) is an Anthropology major who is from England but grew up in Kampala, Uganda. While at Princeton, Isabel danced in the Indian dance troupe Naacho, and wrote a column for the Princeton Alumni Weekly. Isabel is so excited to be in Senegal next year where she hopes to have lots of clothes tailored, de-rust her French and drink plenty of tamarind juice.

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.

Fellow Bio:

Liza is a biology major from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. At Columbia, she was president of GlobeMed partnering with a health and human rights NGO in Northern Uganda, a volunteer advocate for the Crime Victim’s Treatment Center supporting victims of acts of domestic or sexual violence, and leader for Columbia Outdoor Orientation Program taking freshman canoeing down the Delaware River before school begins. Liza loves laughing and the great outdoors more than anything. While in Mwanza, Tanzania next year, Liza looks forward to learning as many stories as possible to continue building her understanding of our global village.

Alumni Update:

Arthur is working at Stripe, a software company helping to power entrepreneurs around the world by connecting them to the financial system. Arthur lives in San Francisco, California.

Originally from Orono, Minnesota, Jacob is a graduate of UW-Madison, where he majored in Biology with a certificate in African Studies. During his undergraduate career, Jacob spent a summer interning with the National Marrow Donor Program in Minneapolis, and he returned to Madison to found UW’s chapter of Be The Match on Campus, a student organization devoted to increasing awareness and membership of the national bone marrow donor registry. In the spring of his junior year, Jacob seized the amazing opportunity to spend a semester abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, where he studied Marine Ecology and volunteered at a community health clinic. In Madison, Jacob also spent 2 years in UW’s Central Nervous System Regeneration Lab and later joined UW’s Department of Emergency Medicine as a clinical research assistant examining radiological methods for diagnosing appendicitis. He also enjoyed volunteering at the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, where he managed the daily food pantry and helped disabled HIV/AIDS patients regain independence. Jacob is unbelievably thrilled to head off to Tanzania to assist with BIPAI’s inspiring social and medical programs, improve his Swahili, and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro!