Alumni Directory Display

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Sarah Namagonya is a driven Malawian professional, she has worked as a Diplomatic Affairs Assistant Intern at the Malawi High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya where she supported accreditation to UNEP and UN-Habitat. As the head of the Upsell department at a solar tech company, she demonstrated significant leadership in commercial settings. Further, her passion for humanitarian work is demonstrated in her over three years of experience as a Research Assistant at the United Nations World Food Programme, where she honed her skills in data management and qualitative research. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education and a Master of Arts in International Relations, specializing in Peace and Conflict Studies from the United States International University. Sarah is adept at navigating complex diplomatic environments, facilitating international accreditations, and supporting high-level governance meetings. Committed to community service, she has dedicated six years to volunteering in social services, impacting prisons and hospitals. Sarah’s expertise is further complemented by her strong decision-making, problem-solving, and organizational skills, making her a valuable asset in international relations and humanitarian work. Sarah is characterized by her curiosity and a keen interest in expanding her horizon as she works with exceptional individuals to build a better future for generations to come.

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Jackie Namala is from The Bronx, New York. She graduated from Princeton University, where she studied Public and International Affairs and Spanish. Having grown up in working class households in Uganda and the US, Jackie has always been curious about how individuals can be empowered to secure better livelihoods for themselves. She is primarily interested in the role education plays in both individual mobility and national development and envisions herself working as an international educational consultant. Her dream is to make quality education accessible to all. As an undergraduate student at Princeton, she joyfully took advantage of the liberal arts education; in her independent work, she focused on Africa, studying the relationships between racial discrimination and adolescent mental health in South Africa (vis-à-vis the US), socio-economic status and sub-Saharan women’s political participation and, for her senior thesis, universal primary education and intergenerational education mobility in Uganda. Furthermore, Jackie virtually volunteered as a K-12 tutor and an outreach associate with Hatch Tutors, an educational non-profit, and worked as a Peer Academic Advisor on campus. She feels very honored and excited to work with the students and educators at Rwamagana Leaders’ School. In her leisure time, Jackie loves to cook, sing and learn new languages. She also has newfound interests in travel and physical exercise, particularly running.

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Abigail graduated with distinction from Strathmore University with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, majoring in Finance and Accounting, Abigail then began her career journey as a graduate trainee at a microfinance holding company. Her journey towards impactful change began here, where her passion for development finance grew, leading to her swift transition to the treasury department where she honed skills in financial analysis, reporting, data analysis, and funder management,
Outside her professional pursuits, Abigail remains deeply rooted in her community, as a volunteer finance associate for a foundation focused on women and youth empowerment, she channels her expertise to provide tools and resources for economic growth and wellness. Additionally, Abigail served as an associate teacher at a local primary school, nurturing academic excellence and instilling a sense of empowerment in her students. For Abigail, giving back to her community is not just a duty but a calling, reflecting the values instilled in her as a Maasai girl. She remains steadfast in her mission to leverage her experience and skills for the growth and development of Africa.

Alumni Update:

After leaving Dakar, Kaitlyn started a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, where she will be focusing on political-military cooperation in Africa. This summer she plans to be interning with the US State Department at the American embassy in Djibouti.

Fellow Bio:

Kaitlyn is originally from New Canaan, CT and is a Class of 2010 graduate of Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. At Georgetown, Kaitlyn majored in Culture & Politics and received a certificate in African Studies. Throughout her course of study, Kaitlyn had the opportunity to improve her French in Tours, France, study at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa, and immerse herself in Senegalese culture in Dakar, Senegal. Her African Studies capstone paper on international media representations of Idi Amin won her the Mopane Award for Excellence in African Studies. Since graduating, Kaitlyn has served as an Africa Analyst at the United States Marine Corps Center for Advanced Operational Culture Learning, providing training on African cultures and French language to deploying Marines. When she returns to Senegal as a fellow, Kaitlyn looks forward to finally mastering conversational Wolof, listening to mbalax, and travelling throughout the region.

Alumni Update:

Lambert is currently interning with congressman Adam Smith (WA9) as Payne Fellow. In mid-August, he will be moving to Duke University for a master’s in water resources management. 

Fellow Bio:

Ngenzi Lambert graduated from Washington State University with a degree in Environmental Science with a focus in water resource management and a minor in Geographic Information System. He wants to use his research experience and his knowledge about the African continent to help local communities in Africa conserve and manage water resources. Lambert moved from Republic of Congo to Kent, Washington with his family as a refugee from the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. He has been conducting his undergraduate research with Dr. Alex Fremier looking at how land use patterns in Ghana and Burkina Faso affect sediment accumulation by using remote sensing programs. Lambert was a McNair scholar and a Doris Duke Conservation program fellow. These programs have helped prepare Lambert to pursue his passion. He has been able to present his research at over 20 different conferences. Lambert’s presentation was recognized as an outstanding research presentation. In addition, Lambert won the President Award and was nominated as an outstanding senior of his department. His accomplishment has awarded numerous scholarships and paid summer internships around the nation. In his free time, Lambert enjoys playing soccer and the outdoors with friends.

Alumni Update:

After her fellowship, Dana began a Master’s of Education program in Education, Culture and Society at The University of Pennsylvania. She also works part-time at West Philadelphia High School as a college counselor. She will complete her master’s this summer and relocate to begin a PhD at The University of Michigan in Educational Studies with a focus on Foundations of Education and Policy. She plans to study how African-American secondary students conceptualize and contest dynamics of race and class in school reform. One distant day, she hopes to make this work comparative with the South African context. All of this is undoubtedly inspired by her time at Equal Education!

Fellow Bio:

Dana is originally from Allen, Texas. At Northwestern, she majored in African American Studies with a minor in Anthropology.  While an undergraduate, she studied abroad in Ghana where she conducted independent research on notions of diaspora among Ghanaian repatriates. Since graduation, Dana has worked at Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men in Chicago, IL as an Urban Prep Fellow where she served as a teacher and student advocate. She has also worked with the South Side Health and Vitality Studies at The University of Chicago as a Research Coordinator where she supported healthy living and community development projects. While living in Cape Town, Dana is excited to start learning  Xhosa and to frequent live music spots.

Alumni Update:

Kevin is currently a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategist with Justice Informed where his work focuses on providing strategic guidance and consulting services to organizations looking to operationalize DEI outside of publishing commitments and statements. Kevin currently resides in Chicago where has lived since the end of his fellowship in June 2017.

Fellow Bio:

Hailing from a small suburb outside of Dayton, OH, Kevin graduated from Northwestern University where he majored in Philosophy and Economics, with a minor in Legal Studies. While at Northwestern, he spent his time helping organize and run Northwestern’s Global Engagement Summit. This summit brings together student delegates from all across the world who have social change projects. Their time together allows them to workshop their projects and to work with CEOs and mentors from non-profits and social enterprises and reconnect with their passion for social change. In addition to his work with social change projects, Kevin visits Burundi often, visiting his family and gaining a greater appreciation for his cultural roots. Last summer, Kevin, motivated by his experiences in Burundi, was able to attend a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees conference centered on international refugee aid. He took the recommendations and observations from international NGOs back with him to campus and worked closely with Northwestern’s Center for Forced Migration Studies to develop new programs to assess refugee stability in the greater Chicagoland area. While having never officially taught before, Kevin is incredibly humbled and excited to spend his next year in Botswana at Maru-a-Pula as a history teacher.

Emily, born and raised in Houston, TX, graduated from Wellesley College with a degree in Neuroscience. While at Wellesley, Emily completed a multi-year internship at the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital where she conducted clinical research examining neurocognitive recovery following sustained cannabis abstinence in adolescents and young adults. In her spare time, she mentored students from a Boston housing project through the Mission Hill After School Program, and also participated in multiple global health projects in rural Nicaragua. After finishing school, Emily wanted to experience working in the nonprofit sector and moved to Honolulu to serve as an Americorps VISTA at Hawaii Children’s Action Network. In this role, she designed and oversaw a community outreach program to engage stakeholders, community partners, and donors, and also launched and coordinated a volunteer program. Emily is passionate about creating sustainable solutions to support and empower vulnerable populations. She believes in the power of robust research and preventive strategies to improve health outcomes in under-resourced global regions. For fun, Emily enjoys hiking, surfing, and climbing with friends. She is excited to serve and learn in her post as a Research Fellow with the UNC Malawi Surgical Initiative.

Brian Njoroge graduated from Duke University with a double major in Public Policy and International Comparative Studies and a certificate in Markets and Management. At Duke, Brian was involved with the African Conversations Club where he continuously worked with various departments to promote African scholarship on campus. Additionally, he coordinated fundraising for the school newspaper and sat on the Duke Students Alumni Board. During his junior year, Brian was involved in designing a state-wide computer science curriculum for middle school students in North Carolina. He spent his final year as part of an international workshop exploring care economies in the Global South to develop a universal care index. Previously, he has worked with Equity Bank in Kenya, and with Social Entrepreneur Corp in Guatemala consulting for local non-profits. Brian has also volunteered at a community-based micro-finance in Kampala and designed an agricultural project that was implemented in Central Uganda. In his spare time, he enjoys taking photos and running on trails. His interest in serving the marginalized communities through policy and critical development continues to shape what he does, and he is looking forward to working with Kupona Foundation in the coming year.