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Originally from Maryland, Delana graduated cum laude from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, earning a degree in American Studies, a minor in Politics, and a certificate in Civic and Global Leadership. While at Sewanee, she completed over 1,000 service hours as a Bonner Leader, primarily focusing on establishing a trail recognizing the university’s historically Black community through the Roberson Project on Slavery, Race, and Reconciliation. She also served as a philanthropy intern for the South Cumberland Community Fund, managing a $30,000 grant distribution to local community organizations. Outside of Sewanee, Delana studied abroad in Ghana, exploring globalization and the legacies of enslavement. Later, she earned a Biehl International Research Fellowship to return to Ghana for an independent research project in Nima, Accra. Additionally, she led outreach trips to Selma, Alabama, collaborating with university students to engage with civil rights foot soldiers and community organizers. Following the Princeton in Africa Fellowship, Delana plans to pursue a master’s degree for a career in foreign service. She enjoys rollerskating, bowling, and watching investigative documentaries.

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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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Merete Cowles graduated from the University of Vermont with degrees in Health & Society, Anthropology, and a certificate in Global Health. While at UVM, she was awarded the George Henry Perkins Award and the Outstanding Senior Award for her academic and extracurricular achievements. With a special interest in displacement and crisis response, Merete spent a semester studying refugee health in Amman where she interned at the Institute for Family Health, leading projects on disability rehabilitation and psychosocial support for refugee survivors of gender-based violence and torture. Upon her return, she interned with the Humanitarian Affairs team at CARE where she mobilized resources for numerous successful USAID and private grants ranging from $55k to $5M. After graduating, Merete joined the Refugee Women’s Centre to deliver emergency aid to the displaced populations navigating France’s Northern coast. While providing mobile material, medical, and psychosocial support, she also developed and implemented innovative internal communications strategies to improve staff access to safeguarding, service referral, and capacity-building resources. She continues to use her strategic design and storytelling skills to celebrate the resilience of conflict-affected women and amplify their voices to global audiences while consulting at impactful organizations such as the Batonga Foundation and the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders. Driven to create a positive impact while expanding her comfort zone, Merete loves to travel cheap, hike often, make art, and connect with friends both old and new.

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Eugenia recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar with degrees in public policy and interdisciplinary studies. Originally from Hong Kong, she has adopted a global perspective on addressing social inequities. Throughout her undergraduate experience, her interests in sustainable food systems and global development have led her to research Doughnut Economics in Amsterdam, community currencies in Costa Rica, and rights of nature laws in Ecuador. To culminate these experiences, she developed and taught a 16-week honors seminar course in the spring of her senior year, exploring alternative economic models centered on social and ecological well-being. She was also named a finalist in the Oxford Skoll Centre’s global systems mapping competition, where her team analyzed the root causes of unequal food access in Washington, DC. Through these experiences, she hopes to develop a cross-cultural approach to mitigating climate change while redefining social progress. She has written extensively about these topics on her blog, where she shares bite-sized environmental education and has spoken on various global panels on climate justice and youth empowerment, reaching 10,000 people. Beyond academics, she worked as a barista and sustainability associate at UNC’s only student-run nonprofit coffee shop and enjoys playing ultimate frisbee. She recently represented Hong Kong in the Under-24 World Championships and served as the president of UNC’s four-time national championship-winning team.

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Joyce is a highly skilled professional with a wealth of experience in business development, strategic leadership, and partnerships within the African market. With over 9 years experience in the Banking, Payments, and the Software industry, she has a proven track record in driving revenue growth and forging strategic partnerships. Her expertise spans market analysis, GTM strategy, client acquisition, and product positioning. In addition to her extensive experience, Joyce has a Msc Degree in Management & Organizational Development from USIU and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management from Moi University.”

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Krystin Anderson is a 2023 graduate from the University of Florida (UF) where she earned her bachelors in Anthropology with a focus on cultures and a minor in Ethnomusicology/Music History. Her academic interests intersect with sociocultural anthropology, international and diasporic organizing, Pan African History, education, and music. She seeks to ascertain how cultural understandings can impact our connection with those from different backgrounds, and how historic knowledge can impact international relations. Krystin devotes her person to building community and making and enjoying art. She served as the 2022 Director of UF’s Dr. Patricia Hilliard-Nunn Black Hair Expo, an event that opens citywide discussion of black woman-ness and black hair politics through speeches, fashion shows, and performances. She was a Housing Resident Assistant, a mentor in the International Mentor Association, and an International Scholars Program fellow. Krystin has a passion for language and culture, which has driven her travel and study abroad experiences to New Orleans, France, Colombia, Mexico. She prides herself on what she has learned working as a teacher of English as a Second Language at UF’s English Language Institute. Krystin’s passion for oral history and storytelling has been embodied in her research with UF’s Samuel Proctor Oral History Program, where she is also the 2023 Coordinator for the annual summer fieldwork research trip through the Mississippi River delta. Krystin is also a talented vocal performer and has been a member of the UF Gospel Choir, a Graduation National Anthem Singer, and one of the SEC sports singers for UF matches of multiple sports including women’s basketball, softball, and volleyball. She also performs around the state and country as a jazz, R&B, and soul singer. Krystin embraces her familial home of Jamaica and has been steadily involved in the Jamaican Student, Caribbean Student and Black Student unions, where she partakes in events, mentors, and performs on many different occasions.

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Michael Banks holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international affairs, with minors in business and anthropology from the University of Georgia. His interdisciplinary education spanned four colleges at the university, driven by a curiosity about cultural formation and cross-cultural interactions, particularly through media and business channels. At UGA, Michael conducted research on the impact of US foreign aid in Africa and educational disparities in post-Apartheid South Africa, igniting his interest in international development. He gained valuable experience in media strategy and healthcare communications while collaborating with health equity advocates in West Africa and the Caribbean through work with the United Nations Foundation’s United to Defeat Malaria team. He proposed a restructuring of McKinsey & Company’s Careers Blog to underscore colleague and talent narratives of the firms’ offices in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as one of their inaugural communications interns, and he explored how the higher education research ecosystem on the continent can inform STEM partnerships between the US & African states through work with the US State Department. Michael hopes to pursue a career in international development that joins his passion for cultural advancement with his varied experiences in communications across the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Outside of work and academia, Michael is a classically-trained singer, former long-distance swimmer turned gym-goer, and an aspiring polyglot.

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Rachael Mutisya, a native of Kenya, holds an MBA in Marketing as well as a BSc in Hotel and Restaurant Management from United States International University- Africa (USIU- Africa). Throughout her professional journey, Rachael has garnered valuable experience across multiple industries including finance, hospitality, education, and e-commerce. Her area of expertise is in communication, social media management, customer experience, and brand promotion, and she has successfully applied her skills in various locations in Kenya. Rachael’s commitment to her community is evident through her strong passion for giving back. During her free time, she actively volunteers for an NGO called Together for Africa (TOFA) in Kenya. In this role, she forges new partnerships, organizes events, and develops empowering content for Kenyan youth in the fields of entrepreneurship, leadership, and ICT development. Outside of her professional pursuits, Rachael finds joy in various hobbies and activities. She is an avid badminton player and takes pleasure in gardening and exploring new destinations. Rachael is excited to join the PiAF program this year at the Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia, Kenya, further exemplifying her dedication to making a positive impact.

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 David graduated from the University of Texas San Antonio with a degree in Geology and graduated from Clark University with a Master of Science in Geographic Information Science. He was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, he worked in rural agricultural development, where he collaborated with multiple government agencies to meet the development goals of communities. He is an active member of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer service community and is a former Coverdell Fellow. During a previous internship with the Red Cross, he consulted with the Red Cross volunteer recruitment services to leverage census data to find new communities for outreach. He also interned with the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) and supported the disaster rapid mapping group, which provides timely analysis to humanitarian disaster response organizations. More recently, he worked full-time as a contractor for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, where he monitored global food production through satellite remote sensing. Following the Princeton in Africa Fellowship, he plans to pursue a career in agriculture monitoring and development. Originally from Texas, he enjoys hiking, traveling, and learning new skills and languages.

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 Haby Sondo is a Burkinabe-American woman from The Bronx, fueled by her passion for international development in Africa, travel, and storytelling. Growing up in a culturally diverse environment fostered her love for immigration and cultural immersion. She completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University where she majored in International Relations & minored in Political Science. Haby’s awakening to the world outside of New York City occurred while living abroad in The Dominican Republic and France. During these experiences, she gained a profound appreciation for the complexities Black immigrants face globally and has since searched for opportunities to include their realities in global migration discourses. These experiences ignited her desire to create two travel blogs that offer an authentic glimpse into the experiences of Black Women traveling globally. With a focus on unconventional travel experiences, Haby shines a spotlight on underrepresented travel destinations. In her professional life, Haby has worked as a Business Immigration Paralegal; her leisure time is spent traveling, blogging, biking, hiking, and exploring cuisines from around the world. With a bold vision for the future, Haby aspires to pursue a career at the intersection of her passions for immigration, law, and international development, using her voice and digital content to inspire Black Women and People of Color to pursue global travel opportunities. She is confident that her Princeton in Africa Fellowship at Food for Education in Nairobi, Kenya will provide her with the tools and knowledge to make a meaningful impact in the world.