Alumni Directory Display

she/her/hers

Maya is a recent graduate of Tulane University, holding a Bachelor of Science in Public Health, a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Performance, and a minor in International Development. Her professional interests include infectious diseases, reproductive health, and advancing equity within global health. During her undergraduate studies, she studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal, where she interned with the Senegalese National Malaria Control Program and conducted an independent research project on female genital mutilation in Senegal. At Tulane University, Maya served as a research associate in the Center for Applied Malaria Research and Evaluation, where she led projects related to the costs of malaria vector control and supported the New Nets Project, a joint venture between Unitaid, PATH, and The Global Fund to accelerate the scale-up of next-generation insecticide-treated nets to combat growing insecticide resistance among mosquitoes. Maya also interned in fundraising for Global Health Corps, working to support the development of global health leaders in both the United States and Sub-Saharan Africa. Following the Princeton in Africa fellowship, Maya plans on attending graduate school in Switzerland, where her family is originally from, to pursue a career in global health. In her spare time, Maya enjoys playing the violin and baking. She is so excited to be joining PSI in Côte d’Ivoire!

Alumni Update:

Since his fellowship Mike has revisited Africa a number of times for work and study. His most recent trip was last March to Kenya to study the country’s aviation industry as part of research for his thesis at Oxford, from which he graduated in July with a master’s in African Studies. He’s also passionate about government innovation, which is the focus of his current work at Bloomberg Philanthropies in New York City.

Fellow Bio:

Mike Scharff ’08 is a politics major from Far Hills, NJ. At Princeton, Mike was president of the Princeton Nassoons, Princeton’s oldest all-male a cappella group. Mike was also a member of the University Glee Club, and performed the leading role of the Count in the Department of Music’s production of The Marriage of Figaro. A devoted camper, Mike looks forward to his experience working with the International Rescue Committee in Uganda.

Katie graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Economics and a secondary degree in Energy & Environment. During her time at Harvard, Katie pursued her passion for sustainable and inclusive economic growth both internationally and domestically, culminating in a thesis quantifying the political and economic impact of China’s growing presence in Africa. Katie has spent a significant amount of time living in China, with a summer conducting economic research in Beijing for the Harvard-China Project and a fall semester studying at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. Domestically, Katie has explored her interest in the intersection of economic and environmental issues as a Sustainable Finance Intern at the Environmental Defense Fund in Boston, where she led a project to catalyze state level investment in clean energy. On campus, Katie worked as an analyst for the Harvard Consulting on Business and the Environment club, offering data-driven insights and actionable solutions for clients, and also served as a Freshman Outdoor Orientation Program leader. Additionally, Katie was selected as a Young Future Energy Leader to discuss solutions to climate change with a global cohort of students at the 2017 World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Katie is deeply grateful for the opportunity to continue to explore her interest in development while working for eleQtra in Mozambique!

Alumni Update:

Since her fellowship, Molly has moved back home to the Washington, D.C. area and has been working at USAID for the past couple years (as the Public Affairs Advisor for USAID’s Office of HIV/AIDS), traveling back to Africa as much as she can! She’s very excited to be getting married this June, and she and her fiancé are currently planning a yearlong trip around the world!

Fellow Bio:

Molly (UVA ‘10) is a graduate of UVA’s Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy and hails from Arlington, VA. While an undergraduate student at UVA, she majored in sociology and African/African-American studies. Through Alternative Spring Break at UVA, Molly traveled to South Africa on a service trip to build a school in Venda. After graduation, she interned at the US Embassy in Lilongwe, Malawi for the US Department of State. While a graduate student at Batten, Molly traveled to Botswana, Swaziland, and South Africa as a consultant for the World Bank and served as the Senior International Editor for the Virginia Policy Review.

Alumni Update:

Joseph is continuing to work as a secondary science teacher at Maru-a-Pula School in Gaborone, Botswana. He also helps teach swimming, produces a student-run podcast, and trains older students to be peer mentors.

Fellow Bio:

Joe attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, graduating in 2013 with a degree in biology and a certificate in global health. While at school, he conducted pre-clinical research on potential therapeutics for prostate cancer before focusing his studies on public health. He traveled to Kenya to learn from healthcare providers and community organizers about their methods of managing the HIV/AIDS epidemic. While there, he worked as a sexual health educator with HIV-positive adolescents, focusing on opening a dialogue about sexuality, stigma, and relationships between Kenyans and Americans. After graduating, Joe joined Teach For America in Milwaukee, WI to strengthen his teaching skills. He has taught high school science for the last three years in both the public and charter school systems while simultaneously earning a Master’s degree through Marquette University’s Department of Educational Policy & Leadership. He looks forward to moving to Botswana for his first extended trip abroad teaching science at Maru-a-Pula in Gaborone. He wishes to learn more about the role of culturally relevant teaching in an era of global competition as well as the intersections between educational and public health policies.

Lauren grew up in Plymouth, MN. She was granted a leadership award to attend Colorado College, where she earned a B.A. in International Political Economy with minors in African and Asian Studies in December 2015. Following a semester in China becoming proficient in Mandarin and studying 20th century history and art, she spent the summer of 2014 trekking through the Annapurna region of Nepal investigating sustainability, religion, and the consequences of outmigration for Tibetan refugees. Lauren then traveled to Uganda, where she spent the fall semester studying Luganda and issues of East African development. During this time, she conducted an internship with the Uganda Red Cross Society at the Mungula Refugee Settlement and carried out independent research which culminated in a published report: “Agency of the South Sudanese: Compensating for Health Care in Mungula Refugee Settlement.” Lauren then spent the summer of 2015 traveling around Turkey, Greece, Hungary, Austria, and Germany to conduct research for her thesis, which analyzed market failures in the international provision of protection for Syrian refugees. Following graduation, Lauren worked in Minneapolis as a refugee resettlement assistant at the International Institute of Minnesota. She will spend the summer of 2016 developing extracurricular activities at the Highland Boarding School for Tibetan refugees in Dhunche, Nepal on a Kathryn W. Davis Projects for Peace Grant. Lauren is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue refugee work within Uganda as a Grants Fellow with the International Rescue Committee. She can’t wait to dust off her Luganda and explore all of the incredible hikes, dance clubs and whitewater rafting the region has to offer!

Kristin graduated in 2012 with a degree in Urban Studies and a minor in African Studies. While at Stanford, Kristin interned for a legal aid organization where she designed a court-monitoring project to track trends of bias and legal mistakes in restraining order proceedings.  In South Africa, she studied, interned at gender-based violence and urban development organizations, worked at a rape crisis center, and performed research on behalf of three NGOs. In this research, Kristin analyzed township residents’ conceptions of justice and pathways towards finding formal and informal justice and health services. While in Ethiopia, Kristin looks forward to travelling, learning Amharic, and immersing herself in the local culture.

Alumni Update:

Marielle is the Impact Manager at Women Win, a multi-dimensional women’s fund with two main areas of work: Girls’ rights through sport and play, and women’s economic resilience. She is responsible for Women Win’s monitoring, evaluation, research, and learning practice. Marielle is also the co-founder of RefugeeForce, a social enterprise that develops the skills and careers of Refugees while bringing talent and diversity to the Salesforce ecosystem.

Fellow Bio:

Marielle graduated with a degree in History and a minor in Poverty, Social Justice, and Human Capabilities. While pursuing her degree, she captained the club soccer team, volunteered her time with mentally disabled adults in Houston, and studied public health in Copenhagen, Denmark. Through past internships, Marielle has studied Swahili in Kenya, researched family planning in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and built rainwater harvesting systems in Lesotho. Marielle is excited to return to Nairobi to gain experience in the field, brush up on her Swahili, and run the Lewa half-marathon next summer!