Alumni Directory Display

Fellow Bio:

Hahna Fridirici is a 2006 graduate from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Hahna has conducted research and labored hand in hand with the most underserved people groups living with HIV/AIDS both in her own backyard and across the globe. Most recently, she was a health sector analyst with strategic philanthropy group Geneva Global, but she has thoroughly enjoyed moonlighting as a chef since finishing a year as a Fellow with the Trinity Forum Academy in which she explored philosophical and theological anchors for international development. After years of researching and funding HIV/AIDS initiatives, Hahna looks forward to time on the ground with a Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative Clinical Center of Excellence in partnership with Bristol-Myer Squibb: Secure the Future. She is interested to find out how a year in Burkina Faso will expand her culinary repertoire and hopes there will be opportunity to “parler beaucoup de francaise” while cutting the rug and navigating bike traffic with her new neighbors.

David is a History and French major from Delray Beach, FL. At Duke, he served as a coordinator for Camp Kesem North Carolina, a non-profit summer camp for kids with a parent affected by cancer, and volunteered as a counselor. David also participated in Mock Trial and the Duke Microfinance Leadership Initiative, though which he worked for a rural lending co-operative in Nkokonjeru, Uganda. After studying abroad in Paris, David interned in Cape Town, South Africa where he researched peer-education HIV/AIDS and health programs in prisons. In Ethiopia, David is looking forward to learning a bit of Amharic, trekking on the highlands, and drinking far too much coffee.

Alumni Update:

Katie finished her PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering from University of North Carolina’s School of Global Public Health and started work as a Product Development Scientist for Brita water filters at The Clorox Company. She is happy to report that her experience in entrepreneurship and water filter development in Burkina Faso continue to shape her work.

Fellow Bio:

Katie Camille ’10 is a chemical engineering major from Memphis, TN. At Princeton, she stayed busy with the Global Development Network, the Engineers without Boarders, and Lux choir. Katie Camille is excited about all things water—she worked with the International Water Association in the Netherlands and also helped start a ceramic water filter factory in Nigeria.  In Burkina Faso, she looks forward to continuing work with water filters, learning some French and Moore, and hopefully getting involved with the local music scene.

Nava graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in Religion and African Studies. Following graduation, she served as Program Assistant at the World Faiths Development Dialogue, an NGO working at the intersection of religion and international development. At WFDD, she co-wrote a report on religion and international family planning, spearheaded and organized a conference with Ashoka: Innovators for the Public on religion and social entrepreneurship, and designed and executed a study on faith-inspired alternative care for Kenyan orphans and vulnerable children.  As a student, Nava worked and conducted research in Uganda and Kenya and started an initiative to sell social enterprise products on Princeton’s campus. She is excited to go back to Uganda to promote and protect children’s rights and development, learn Luganda, and have a chance to do some of the “touristy” stuff!

Matthew Fuller is a 2020 graduate of Princeton University, having concentrated in History with certificates in African Studies and History and the Practice of Diplomacy (HPD). For his senior thesis, he researched Namibia’s independence movement during the 1980s and focused on the movement’s place in the Cold War, the developments of the South African Border War, and a variety of grassroots liberation efforts. Most recently, Matthew was a project assistant for the National Democratic Institute’s Southern and East Africa team, where he supported programs in Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Uganda as well as the Political Party Leadership Institute and the Illiberal Influences regional programs. Before that, he worked with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Office for Southern African Affairs, researching long-term water solutions for drought in southern Madagascar. In 2019, Matthew interned with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, working with EducationUSA programming. In 2017, he worked in Cape Town, South Africa, researching financial literacy and inclusion projects and consulting on carbon-reducing efforts. He also spent the summer of 2018 studying Indian democracy in Haryana, India as part of a Princeton Global Seminar. Matthew is originally from southeastern Michigan. In his free time, he explores his interests in music, cooking, and sports.

Ben graduated with honors from Claremont McKenna College in 2017 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE). At CMC, Ben worked as a Research Assistant at the Rose Institute of State and Local Government where he led a number of fiscal analysis projects, as well as for SOURCE, a student-run nonprofit consulting organization. In 2014, Ben traveled to Rwanda where he lived in a rural village and co-founded a crop storage and distribution enterprise—a transformative experience that inspired him to return to the continent and continue exploring how market-based solutions can be used to alleviate poverty. The following summer, Ben worked for Asia Pacific Investment Partners, an investment group in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia where he worked on a variety of projects. Most recently, Ben spent the summer as a Talent Consulting Intern at Mercer where he honed his analytical and quantitative skills. Growing up in Eugene, Oregon, Ben enjoys all things outdoors, particularly skiing, rock climbing, and hiking. He is incredibly honored for this opportunity in Malawi and looks forward to working towards enhancing the business environment in the region and also exploring the continent with other Fellows!

Alumni Update:

Maya Gainer has 10 years of experience in governance and WASH. She currently serves as Systems Strengthening Senior Advisor at WaterAid, helping country teams work with local governments and communities to improve the quality and sustainability of WASH services.

Maya previously worked for DAI as a technical advisor on local governance, led a portfolio of WASH governance work at Athena Infonomics, and conducted research on effective public administration for Princeton’s Innovations for Successful Societies program. Her experience includes supporting county-level sanitation planning in Liberia, utility performance improvement in Ethiopia, and local government financial management in Malawi. She has worked on projects and research across Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.

Outside of work, Maya’s favorite hobby is glassblowing. She has been slowly learning to produce functional cups and vases, and loves working on her technique whenever she can get time in the hot shop. She also enjoys hiking, baking, and relaxing with a good book and a cup of tea.

Fellow Bio:

Maya is a Politics major with a certificate in African Studies, from Seattle, WA. At Princeton, she enjoyed playing rugby, leading Outdoor Action backpacking trips, and cooking with the International Food Co-op. She loves to travel, and studied abroad in Ghana and South Africa. Her summers have been spent planning a school-based deworming program with Deworm the World in New Delhi, and interning in the data department of Obama for America. Maya wrote her senior thesis on refugee voting rights, and looks forward to learning more about refugee issues at the International Rescue Committee. She is also excited to explore Kenya, learn Swahili and meet new friends in Nairobi.

As a daughter of Eritrean immigrants, Rawan was motivated to alleviate some of the harsh realities facing African communities.  To exercise this passion of serving Africa, she started The Ubuntu Project (www.theubuntuproj.com), a mission driven organization dedicated to bridging the gap between creativity and compassion. The Ubuntu Project utilizes the One-for-One model: for every purchase made, a social cause in Africa is supported. All products are African themed, thus allowing Africans to represent their roots locally while empowering African communities globally. Through The Ubuntu Project, Rawan aims to foster hope and encouragement from within by supporting effective causes in Africa and inspiring young Africans to take an active role towards the betterment of their communities. Rawan is a management consultant by day and a social entrepreneur by night. Aside from The Ubuntu Project, her management consulting career has allowed her to work in a variety of enterprise-wide initiatives, for Fortune 500 clients – including Toyota, Cisco, DirecTV, ATT, and BP – in a variety of industries and roles. Rawan graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles as Magna Cum Lade. In addition, Rawan participated in business programs at UCLA Anderson, UC Berkeley Haas Business School, and Yale School of Management.