Avukile was born and raised in South Africa. She recently completed her Bachelors of Arts Degree in Molecular Biology and a minor in Spanish at Colorado College. In addition to English, Xhosa, Zulu and Setswana, she speaks advanced Spanish after having studied abroad in Spain, Peru and Chile for immersive cultural programmes. Avu has always been passionate about the scientific and social impacts of HIV/AIDs. Thus, during a summer in her sophomore year, she interned in South Africa, doing public health community research and volunteering with the TB/HIV care association that offers care and community-based treatment adherence support. Then, she interned in Colombia helping youth find strategies to tackle prominent public health issues such as teenage pregnancy and drug addiction. In her junior year, she worked as the Diversity and Inclusion Programs Coordinator at Colorado College, organizing and planning student campus events, panels and lectures for minority and international students on campus. She served as a mentor for sophomores and led a cultural mentoring team for a local refugee family from Colombia. She loves playing volleyball, practices yoga and meditation. Avukile plans to get a master’s degree in public health after working a few years with public health organizations. Avu is excited for the wonderful professional and cultural opportunity in working with BIPAI in Botswana!

Jeff graduated from the University of Southern California in 2017, with degrees in Environmental Studies and International Relations. As an undergraduate he has examining the interplay between the environment and a globalizing world. In pursuit of these interests, Jeff has traveled to Western China, the Philippines, Scandinavia, and South Africa, with various research projects and academic endeavors. His focus has been finding ways to increase the sustainability in agriculture and food systems. To this end, Jeff has explored the agriculture space from multiple vantage points. In Tel Aviv, he worked at a venture capital firm, analyzing their agriculture and food technology assets. In Los Angeles, he interned with a start-up incubator, leading their agriculture initiatives. This parlayed itself into a position interning with an agricultural technology start-up. Jeff is thrilled to be working with Imani development in Malawi, and hopes to gain a new perspective on agricultural development while there. He is also excited to learn some Chichewa and potentially climb Mount Mulanje.

Jake graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in International Studies and a minor in Philosophy. During his time at the University, Jake studied three years of Kiswahili and wrote for the Africa Region of the Michigan Journal of International Affairs. He travelled to and worked in Uganda twice during his time as a student. His first trip was spent working as an intern with the Maendeleo Foundation in Mukono, Uganda. There he spent two months teaching children and adults how to use computers and worked with the Foundation’s director to identify new methods for developing the organization. The following summer, Jake held a three-month research associate position with the Refugee Law Project in Mbarara, Uganda where he conducted a study on the ability of refugees to both access and use technological devices in the Nakivale settlement. He held nearly 100 interviews with refugees of varying ages, nationality, and gender to determine how best to approach developing a technology education program in the settlement. Jake looks forward to practicing his Kiswahili and pursuing his interest in using technology to improve livelihoods in his upcoming work with Population Services International in Tanzania.

Isabella graduated from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in May 2017 with a degree in Science, Technology and International Affairs. During her time at Georgetown, Isabella focused on the implications of environmental policy in the lives of people worldwide. Her interest was solidified during her semester in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where she worked at a BRICS Policy Institute studying the intersection between gender and climate in the BRICS countries and researching ground-up adaptive solutions to climate change pioneered by women. While at Georgetown, Isabella was a tour guide and the Director for Human Resources at the Corp, the largest entirely student run nonprofit in the world. Isabella has an insatiable curiosity for the natural world around her and as such idolizes Dr. Jane Goodall and enjoys hiking and camping.

Isaiah graduated as an Ervin Scholar from Washington University in St. Louis in May 2017 with a BA in International and Area Studies, concentrating in Global Development, and a minor in Religion and Politics. On campus Isaiah was  involved with Sigma Iota Rho, an international affairs academic honorary, and the Washington University International Relations Council, which hosts the university’s model United Nations team. He has also spent the last four years working for Development Programs at the university for the School of Engineering and the Siteman Cancer Center on projects including donor outreach and management, third-party event coordination, and report writing. Isaiah spent the Spring of 2016 studying abroad in Tunis, Tunisia where he was able to work on his French and Arabic skills while exploring the causes and effects of the Arab Spring movement up close. The end of his semester abroad was spent researching the effects of state land policy in a small town in rural Southern Tunisia. Isaiah interned with The Carter Center’s Democracy Programs in summer 2016 where he was involved in grants and program management for the Center’s Tunisian field office and a limited election observation mission to Zambia’s national elections.

Alumni Update:

Ibilola is working as a Senior Associate in the West & Central Africa and Haiti region at Chemonics International. Her work focuses on project management of activities across West Africa & the Caribbean. She works primarily in DC, with travel to Nigeria, Mauritania, and Haiti.

Fellow Bio:

A Nigerian raised in California, Ibilola graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, with a BSFS in Culture and Politics and a minor in African Studies. Passionate about the continent, Ibilola has integrated her love for African affairs into her personal and professional life. During her junior year, she spent a semester abroad in Lomé, Togo, where she interned for the Political-Economic bureau at the US Embassy and led English conversation classes at the local university. On return, she interned for the US Chamber of Commerce’s Africa Business Center, as well as the State Department’s Africa Regional Media Hub. At Georgetown, she served as President of the African Society of Georgetown, and helped plan and conduct Georgetown’s second annual Africa Business Conference. She also wrote articles on business, democracy, and diplomacy in West Africa as a reporter for The Caravel, Georgetown’s only international affairs newspaper. Ibilola is excited about the opportunity to work with ASE in Benin, and looks forward to improving her French and learning more about Beninese life!

Originally from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, Hannah graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in International and Global Studies and minor in Global Health. While at Middlebury, Hannah served in board positions with clubs like GlobeMed and danced with Midd Masti, a South Asian dance group. Throughout her academic career, Hannah held internships at Gardens for Health International, Global Brigades in Ghana, and the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador; she also spent a wonderfully warm winter term teaching English in Costa Rica. Hannah assisted in a long-term research project with a Middlebury professor and spent one summer in Amhara, Ethiopia collecting field-notes on the Women’s Development Army, a government program seeking to empower women and improve health outcomes from a grass-roots level. Her passions for health equity and access were strengthened during her junior year abroad in Argentina and Tanzania. While in Buenos Aires, she interned at a maternal hospital and conducted independent research on comparative health policy. In Tanzania, Hannah studied political ecology, Kiswahili, and spent a month living and studying with a Maasai healer. Hannah is excited to relocate to Gaborone, Botswana to join the Young 1ove team, learn Setswana, and finally escape harsh winters of Vermont.

Hannah graduated from the University of Michigan in 2014 with a degree in Global Health & Environment and Afro-American & African studies. After a trip to Ghana sparked her interest in Africa, Hannah solidified this passion by studying abroad in South Africa and leading support groups for HIV-affected teens. Throughout college, Hannah taught an innovative HIV prevention module to high-risk populations and did outreach and testing with Michigan’s leading AIDS service organizations. She also facilitated student sexual health forums, interned as a Spanish translator for undocumented persons with UMichigan’s Law School, facilitated prevention programming for elementary school girls at a women’s shelter in Michigan’s largest Latino neighborhood, and worked in arts-based activism. After graduation, Hannah worked at the American Red Cross in Detroit in International Services where she advocated on behalf of Iraqi and Syrian refugees and reconnected families separated by disaster and conflict. Hannah currently works in Detroit as a Health Education Coordinator for an HIV agency facilitating psychosocial support groups for recently diagnosed and formerly incarcerated individuals living with HIV. She enjoys spending her evenings working with at-risk teenage girls in a live-in scholarship program, and is excited to advocate similarly for teens and families at BIPAI Swaziland.

Gabriella graduated from California Polytechnic State University with a major in Agricultural Business, with a minor in Global Politics. Following her undergraduate coursework, she pursued a master’s in international agriculture at Oklahoma State University (OSU). While at OSU, Gabriella conducted comprehensive qualitative interviews with participants in the OSU African Entrepreneurs Fellowship program from Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, representing various agricultural initiatives, women and youth empowerment organizations, and extension and education efforts. Gabriella’s research resulted in the completion of her master’s degree and thesis: ‘Post-Fellowship Experiences of African Entrepreneurs: Interpreting Impact a Year Later’.  In addition to her graduate coursework and research, Gabriella served as a Noble-Watoto Fellow in Uganda. Gabriella is passionate about agriculture and its impacts on communities around the world. She is thrilled to be a member of the PiAf community!

Ettie Philitas is an Executive Director with J.P. Morgan Asset Management, where he serves as Head of Infrastructure Debt. He is also a member of the Infrastructure Debt Group’s Investment Committee and a Portfolio Manager. He was previously an Investment Director with Africa50’s Project Finance team where he originated and managed infrastructure investments across Africa. Prior to his role at Africa50, Ettie was an Associate with the Private Credit team at KKR, where he focused on direct lending, opportunistic credit, special situations, and equity investments. He has also worked with the Private Debt team at Muzinich & Co. and with the Leveraged Finance Origination & Restructuring group at Credit Suisse, where he advised clients on over $19bn of high-yield and leveraged loan financings and provided dedicated coverage to issuers in the Power & Utilities space. Ettie began his career as an Analyst with Deutsche Bank’s Private Wealth Management group in New York. Ettie holds a B.A from Princeton University and an MBA in Finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Ettie is passionate about entrepreneurship and social impact. He is a proud Princeton in Africa Alumni Fellow, having worked with African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2009-10. He also serves on the Associates Council of Prep for Prep and on the Board of Student Diplomacy Corps.