Colleen graduated from Kenyon College with degrees in Film and English. She was awarded Honors by the college’s Film and Theater Department for electing to complete a thesis project of an original screenplay and television series. She also studied International Film in Wellington, New Zealand. Colleen served on KGD Film’s production staff, working with local small business owners and nonprofits to boost their community presence. She is dedicated to advocating for social justice causes by crafting narratives that position marginalized groups at the forefront of their own stories. She worked for the nonprofit Identifying Dyslexia, documenting dyslexic students’ personal experiences as a tool to raise awareness for education reform. She held an internship in digital media advocacy, where she developed a social media campaign and an oral history project to educate audiences about challenges faced by foster-care children in her home state, New Jersey. A four-year member of Kenyon’s varsity cross country and track team, she enjoys *casual* twelve mile runs, in her free time. As a communications fellow for the Nyaka Aids Orphans Project, Colleen looks forward to blending her creative and humanitarian passions to share the stories of those in the Nyakagyezi village.

Colin, a Miami native, graduated from Davidson College with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. While an undergraduate, Colin studied abroad in South Asia, where he analyzed sustainable development interventions in Southern India and examined post-conflict challenges in Sri Lanka. His internship experiences included positions with Human Rights Watch, the Hudson Institute, and a boutique immigration legal team. After graduation, Colin was a program associate with the Population Reference Bureau working to support USAID-funded projects that addressed family planning, the environment, and reproductive health. Colin aspires to be an advocate for integrated development approaches, especially as it pertains to women’s empowerment and resilience. As a PiAf Fellow Colin is excited to serve with International Rescue Committee in Tanzania and build his capacity for grants management and proposal development.

Clare graduated from Colorado College with a major in English and minor in Russian, Nonviolence, and Music. The child of anthropologists, Clare spent extended periods of her life living with livestock herders in East Africa, where she learned, firsthand, of the daily challenges impoverished rural families face in developing countries. She also spent some time in Japan, where she learned about Kyoto’s education system. Through these varied experiences, she developed a commitment to eliminating barriers to high quality education and an interest in the policies that shape people’s everyday economic and educational realities. During college, Clare worked on political campaigns, served as a legislative intern for two United States Senators, and founded a college organization to address socioeconomic challenges. In her study abroad to Russia, she conducted research about Russians’ understandings of their identities from a contemporary global perspective. Upon graduating, Clare served as a Youth Specialist for the non-profit, Joint Initiatives, where she developed new strategies for strengthening youth voices at all levels of child and family systems and services. Clare’s fellowship with the Indigenous Education Foundation of Tanzania has a mission she loves – providing high quality education supported by the indigenous community the organization serves.

Clara graduated from Bates College in 2016 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in U.S. History. While attending Bates, Clara had the opportunity to study abroad for a semester in Rwanda and Uganda through the School for International Training’s program Post-Genocide Restoration and Peacebuilding. Upon returning to the States, Clara continued to cultivate her interest in East and Sub-Saharan Africa. During the summer of 2015, she received funding through Bates to work in South Africa, as well as to return to Rwanda to conduct independent research. While in South Africa, Clara gained hands on wildlife rehabilitation experience at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. She then traveled to Rwanda to research how the coffee industry has been utilized as a reconciliation tool. During her final year of college, she completed a senior thesis analyzing Rwanda’s gorilla tourism industry through a positive peace paradigm. With a strong interest in East Africa and having previously worked on farms, Clara is excited to return to Uganda to work as a Farm fellow at The Kasiisi Project. She looks forward to expanding her understanding of conservation work, learning Rutooro, and becoming a part of the Kasiisi community.

Alumni Update:

Claire is a third-year law student at the Washington and Lee University School of Law, where she has been able to further explore the intersections of health, law, and human rights that she saw during her fellowship year in Tanzania.

Fellow Bio:

Claire is from Richmond, VA and graduated from the University of Virginia (UVA) in 2015 with a degree in Foreign Affairs and French. While at UVA, she worked to facilitate dialogue around social, economic, and political issues as a Sustained Dialogue leader and group moderator and to promote interdisciplinary engagement in global public health issues as a student advisor at the UVA Center for Global Health. After graduating, Claire partnered with local agricultural cooperatives in rural, southwestern Rwanda to conduct research on gender equity as a UVA Center for Global Health Scholar. Following her return from Rwanda, she gained program management experience through her position on the Central and West Africa team at the National Democratic Institute, where she enjoyed supporting democracy development programs in Guinea, Niger, the DRC, Nigeria, and Ghana and having the opportunity to collaborate in French and English with her West African colleagues to solve programmatic challenges. Claire is excited to pursue her interest in the intersections of health equity, governance, and development through her position with CCBRT. She loves running, hiking, skiing, and cooking, and can’t wait to further explore East Africa and to work on her Swahili!

Ciara graduated from Princeton University with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. She heralds from South Africa. Her upbringing sparked an aptitude towards service, starting with an all-embracing portfolio of volunteer work in schools and hospitals within disadvantaged communities. Studying abroad has brought her important opportunities to learn at the cutting edge of research science. Recently, she performed extensive fieldwork in Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique, encompassing a continental-scale study on plant and animal species interactions. This project extended both her abilities to handle challenges as well as an undying respect and desire for field research. She also passionately cares about the environment, especially as it pertains to sustainability and continuously seeks out programs, worldwide, that look to achieve a positive impact in that field. Ciara’s time at Princeton has not only been about academic learning. Her inclusion in the rowing team has taught her how to push beyond her perceived limits, to continue on ignoring pain and exhaustion. The camaraderie of being part of the crew has forever molded Ciara’s loyalty and commitment to the team. Even with a naturally shy demeanor, Ciara has willingly taken on the task of telephone calling to raise funds from undergraduates, alumni, and parents in support of Princeton’s AG Campaign and now has taken on the role of co-chairing her own class’ AG Campaign. Ciara is, and always will be, a Princeton tiger. She is looking forward to exploring Kenya and pursuing her passions for service and research during her fellowship with Mpala Research Center. 

Alumni Update:

Chris finished his fellowship in Malawi last year.

Fellow Bio:

Christopher, a New York native, graduated from Williams College with a degree in Political Science and Economics. While at Williams, he developed a strong interest in African culture and economic development, which he pursued through both his academic studies and internships. He spent one summer working for OPIC, a government institution that helps US private enterprises invest in developing economies. The next summer he worked at Jeremy Academy in Limuru, Kenya teaching a range of subjects including Music, Math, and English to middle school students. He thoroughly enjoyed his time at Jeremy, which further piqued his interest in returning to Africa after college.  After graduation, he worked for two years at Fidelity Investments as an internal consultant, performing strategy work for Fidelity’s business units while learning more about financial services. In his down time, he enjoys playing his French horn and outdoor activities like mountain biking and skiing. Christopher is extremely excited to continue pursuing his interest in economic development while leveraging his financial services knowledge at Foster Lewis in Lilongwe, Malawi this year.

Cameron graduated from Case Western Reserve University with Honors in each of her three majors: International Studies, Political Science, and English. As an undergraduate, she joined a conflict-resolution delegation in Bosnia-Herzegovina to study grassroots peacebuilding efforts, spent a semester studying at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, and interned for the political and economic section of the U.S. Embassy in Gaborone, Botswana. Upon graduation, she was awarded two of the highest possible honors for students at CWRU, including the Edward Corcoran Award for outstanding leadership, character, and service as well as the Flora Stone Mather Alumnae Award for outstanding academic performance in the humanities. After graduation, Cameron combined her passion for reconciliation and her love of creative writing by designing, implementing, and facilitating a youth poetry camp for South African high school students with the support of a national $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace Grant. Additionally, she completed French language study and archival research on African immigration in Montpellier, France, funded by the competitive Eva L. Pancoast Memorial Fellowship. Her experiences in storytelling, grant writing, and international exchange inspired her to join International Rescue Committee’s team in Kenya as a Princeton in Africa Fellow.

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.

Bear (Princeton ’17) is from Dallas, Texas. His full name is Sierra Moon Goldstein, but he goes by Bear. He graduated from Princeton University in 2017 with a degree in Psychology and Highest Honors. At Princeton, Bear was a member of the men’s varsity lacrosse team, where he was a two-time captain, a three-time All-Ivy and Academic All-Ivy selection, and USILA Scholar All-American. During his summers, Bear worked for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and the Nature Conservancy. He spent one summer in Hawaii conducting independent research on the cognitive underpinnings of mental toughness in triathletes. He also was a research assistant for a lab exploring intergroup relations, prejudice, and stereotyping in an academic setting. For fun, Bear enjoys playing sports, hiking, and music. He has a propensity for visual arts, especially photography. Prior to the fellowship year, Bear had never been to Africa. He is most excited about the new perspectives, skills, and relationships he will develop at Nyumbani Village and beyond.