Alumni Directory Display

Erin grew up in Buffalo, NY and received her BA in English from Georgetown University with minors in French and Psychology. While at Georgetown, she studied abroad in Strasbourg, France for one semester, and she also spent semesters interning at the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General, the U.S. House of Representatives and a juvenile justice nonprofit, Campaign for Youth Justice. Passionate about work in policy and advocacy, Erin stayed in Washington, D.C. after graduating and gained experience in the U.S. Senate. Most recently, she worked at an advocacy firm, The Sheridan Group, which gives policy advice and strategy to nonprofits looking to advance their missions through federal policy. There she worked as an associate on health policy for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Erin has also been fortunate to spend two separate stints working with the nonprofit organization, One Heart Source, in Hout Bay, South Africa where she volunteered and helped run education programs for elementary students living in the Imizamo Yethu township. While in Malawi, Erin looks forward to getting to know Malawian people and their culture, traveling to Lake Malawi, and hopefully playing some soccer!

Alumni Update:

Kate is now living in Washington, DC, working at the Council on Foreign Relations as Associate Director of Studies and missing Malawi’s sunsets.

Fellow Bio:

Kate studied International Relations and History, with a minor in French Literature, and studied abroad at Sciences Po in Paris. Since graduation, Kate has been working at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC. There, she has worked as a research associate for U.S. foreign policy, special assistant to the director of Studies, and most recently, assistant director of Studies. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, sailing, biking, swimming, as well as baking.

Ryan graduated with a BA in Economics and International Affairs, with a concentration in International Development. Prior to graduating from GW, Ryan also studied Economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Since graduating, he has worked at Mathematica Policy Research in Washington, DC, where he managed research and evaluation projects for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the U.S. Department of Education, and other federal agencies. He has interned with several international organizations focused on reducing poverty worldwide, including The United Nations World Food Programme and TechnoServe. Ryan is originally from central Connecticut, but has lived in Washington, DC for six years. He is a regular hiker and skier, and is active in the DC standup comedy scene. Ryan is honored to have the opportunity to help the International Rescue Committee provide vital assistance to refugees living in Kenya.

Rebecca, a Philadelphia native, graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Environmental Science and Biology. She began conservation work early on, in high school, through volunteering and trail maintenance for the Student Conservation Association. While at the University of Pennsylvania, she spent her summers teaching 7th grade life science, cutting trees in Nevada, and conducting field research on owl monkeys in Argentina. She has also worked for the Sustainability office and started the Penn Beekeeping Club, bringing three beehives to campus. Rebecca is interested in utilizing mapping software, such as ArcGIS, and incorporating these tools into different projects. She enjoys learning about and exploring national parks and thinking about how different countries preserve their lands.

Alumni Update:

Luke is finishing his L1 year at Yale Law School this year. His focus is on refugee and human rights law as it relates to migrant and displaced communities

Fellow Bio:

Luke is a Political Science and Religious Studies major from Cairo, GA. At Yale, he was a direct assistance coordinator for the Yale Refugee Project, co-coordinator of Yale’s anti-genocide advocacy group, and a paralegal for the Yale Law School Community and Economic Development Clinic. In his summers, Luke studied abroad in Prague and India, served as a research assistant in Sudan, and worked as a paralegal for the American law firm representing the Republic of Sudan. He enjoys learning languages, faking accents and naps. While in Kenya next year, Luke hopes to get a bike and see where it’ll take him.

Brandon graduated from Swarthmore College with a B.A. in Political Science and Islamic Studies. Brandon can speak modern standard Arabic at an advanced level with working knowledge of the Tunisian Dialect. This past summer Brandon interned at Ubuntu Capital’s office in Kampala, Uganda. As the senior associate of marketing/strategy he was tasked with conducting field research and assuring that the enterprise’s goals aligned with the needs of those it sought to serve. Prior to that, Brandon studied in Tunisia for a semester focusing on post-revolutionary Tunisian civil society. Brandon is a co-founder of The Fanoos Project which seeks to provide undocumented Afghan youth in Tehran with educational and vocational opportunities. This project received over $25,000 in funding through a Project Pericles grant from the Lang Center for Civic and Social engagement at Swarthmore College. Brandon has also interned with the National Security Archives where he helped to compile and analyze documents concerning the relationship between Venezuela and the United States government during the presidency of Hugo Chavez. Brandon is a lover of music who throughout his Swarthmore career was a member of the Swarthmore Wind Ensemble, Swarthmore Gamelan Ensemble, and host of his own radio show.

Kristen is from Pembroke, MA and studied Environmental and Ecological Science and International Studies (Concentration in the Middle East) at Elon University. She enjoys being outside and environmental education. Kristen interned with a local watershed association, an environmental education nonprofit, and the landscaping department at Elon University. She also enjoys leading outdoor trips, was a facilitator at a low-ropes challenge course, and is an active member of a service fraternity. Last year, Kristen studied abroad in Kenya and Tanzania with the School for Field Studies. She is extremely excited to return to Kenya and be able to grow her knowledge of sustainable practices, nonprofits, the local culture and Swahili.

Lance (Asa) Cooper was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He studied philosophy at the University of Georgia before moving to France to pursue a Master’s degree in International Affairs. It was his experience working with refugees in Paris that directed his interests toward humanitarian response and international development. Asa subsequently pursued a degree at the Fletcher School at Tuft’s University focused on human security and conflict resolution in East Africa. During his time at Fletcher, he worked for peacebuilding organizations in Central and East Africa, as well as UNICEF’s Tanzania Country Office.  In his spare time, he enjoys running and reading. 

Brenda Coromina was born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Florida, where she attended community college before transferring to Georgetown University. There, she majored in international history with a certificate in religion, ethics, and world affairs. During her academic career, she was a casework assistant and civics instructor for the International Rescue Committee, coached students for their citizenship exams for the Immigrant Resource Center, interned at the U.S House of Representatives, and most recently, the U.S Embassy in Tunis where she facilitated creative programming. During the summer of 2019, she worked as a gardening intern for the Narrow Ridge Earth Literacy Center where she assisted the upkeep of an organic community garden. She is excited for the opportunity to work with the International Livestock Research Institute where she will be translating scientific literature on agricultural development to broader audiences.

Laura majored in Economics and International Affairs with a certificate in Global Health. She spent the first 11 years of her life growing up in France, and spent some time last summer traveling to Cape Town, South Africa doing volunteer work. While at Madison, she was the president of the International Studies Major Association, and spent a semester in Washington D.C. interning at the Corporate Council on Africa, partaking in the 9^th biennial U.S.-Africa Business Summit and conducting research on women entrepreneurs in the East African Community. Laura also interned for World Wide Village, a Minnesota based nonprofit, and spent a few months interning for Envest Microfinance, through which she gained a broader understanding of foreign investment in the developing world. While in Malawi this year, Laura looks forward to exploring Malawian culture, traveling throughout the region and hopefully pick up some Chichewa!