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Blaine Thomas is a 2024 graduate of Swarthmore College, where she earned a B.A. in French & Francophone Studies and Political Science with a focus on African politics. At Swarthmore, Blaine served as tour guide for the Admissions Office and a Program Intern at the Black Cultural Center. Blaine developed her passion for global development, sustainable natural resource extraction, and agriculture during her internship at the U.S. Embassy Kinshasa at the Department of State. In this role, she produced diplomatic cables on illicit mining in eastern DRC that were circulated to U.S. embassies to support policy briefings. She continued to pursue this interest while studying abroad in Yaoundé, Cameroon. As a food security and land rights intern for the Reseau de Lutte Contre la Faim, Blaine supported the implementation of activities for populations affected by malnutrition and mining in the Centre Nord and Eastern regions of Cameroon. She leveraged this experience to write her senior French thesis on deforestation and land rights advocacy for the Baka people. Following her graduation, Blaine began working at ACDI/VOCA providing operational and programmatic support for USAID-funded agriculture and market systems development projects in Central Asia and francophone West Africa. Following the Princeton in Africa fellowship, Blaine intends to pursue a Master in Business Administration or Public Policy. In her leisure time, Blaine enjoys figure skating, traveling, and jamming to Michael Jackson.

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Geneva Tackie is a passionate education advocate with experience collaborating with global, national, and local leaders. Her professional journey includes roles at the White House Office of the First Lady, the City of Bowie under Vice Mayor Roxy Ndebumadu, and the education policy think tank New America. She is dedicated to enhancing learning experiences and outcomes for students worldwide, promoting equitable education, and increasing access to technology for underserved communities. In addition to her professional work, Geneva guides prospective college students through their admissions journeys and supports women and girls through the Dare 2 Dream Initiative. Her expertise lies in project management and policy-oriented roles, where she provides strategic support to senior executives and ensures the seamless execution of various education programs and initiatives.

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Growing up in Geneva, speaking five languages, and living in six countries, sparked Agata’s passion for international development and community-led conservation. She bridged her interests in entrepreneurship, sustainability, and social equity by designing her own B.A. in Innovation for Sustainable Business at William & Mary, complemented by a Mathematics minor. Since founding her social enterprise empowering high school girls to pursue higher education, Agata has remained committed to educational outreach and capacity-building for underrepresented voices. This manifested in her two-year collaboration with TED Countdown, interviewing environmental leaders including Panama’s Environment Minister and hosting the first TEDx talk on Antarctica. As an undergraduate, Agata served on the Institute of Integrative Conservation’s Leadership Council, engaging interdisciplinary students in conservation initiatives. She also reached out to her community through political advocacy, working as the head recruitment intern on a senate election that would determine reproductive rights policies, and as a fellow for the Virginia Democrats. Agata continued her social impact work through a year-long research program exploring livelihood and conservation models for Maasai women in Amboseli, Kenya. She spent a month in Amboseli, engaging in entrepreneurial capacity-building and environmental stewardship. Agata continues this work at the Coalition for Rainforest Nations as part of the outreach team focused on disseminating educational content and developing capacity-building resources for environmental management in Africa and LAC – a professional trajectory she plans to pursue long-term. Outside of her development work, Agata can be found in a kitchen, working in Michelin-starred restaurants or baking for her pastry business.

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Parker recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with highest distinction and highest honors as a Morehead-Cain Scholar. He earned degrees in Health Policy and Management from the Gillings School of Global Public Health and in Global Studies, with a minor in Data Science. Driven by an interest in equity and access within global health systems, Parker has worked on public health research and advocacy across Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, and the U.S. His honors thesis examined the relationship between population mobility and HIV service access in Malawi, using mobile phone data to explore seasonal migration patterns. He has conducted research with Cooper/Smith and UNC Project Malawi to improve HIV treatment delivery and served as a teaching assistant in Ghana, where he led lectures on health systems at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. In the U.S., Parker contributed to digital equity efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic with the City of Albuquerque, helping expand virtual access to healthcare and education for seniors. He also led global health policy advocacy on Capitol Hill through the United Nations Foundation’s United to Beat Malaria campaign and the North Carolina Global Health Alliance. Following the Princeton in Africa fellowship, he plans to pursue a PhD and build a career in global health. Originally from North Carolina, Parker enjoys hiking, reading, traveling, and has been involved with the Special Olympics for nearly a decade as a coach, delegation manager, and most recently, as the head of Team Peru at the 2023 Special Olympics World Games in Berlin.

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Wedad Ibrahim Osman graduated from Georgetown University with a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service, majoring in International Politics with a concentration in International Law, Institutions, and Ethics, and a Certificate in African Studies in May 2025. At Georgetown, she served as Community Chair for the African Society of Georgetown and worked as a Student Assistant at the Women’s Center. As a Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Fellow, she conducted research on Sudan’s democratic transitions and completed her Leadership-In-Action project in Tanzania. She also served as a Research Assistant for the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies, where she further studied Sudan’s revolutions. Her professional experience includes a Congressional internship in the office of Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski, as well as an advocacy internship with Refugees International focusing on East and Southern Africa, where she published commentary on the Sudanese displacement crisis. She also worked as a Communications and Partnerships Officer for Hope 4 Young Girls Tanzania. Originally from Sudan, Wedad is passionate about refugee assistance and policy and enjoys reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

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Benjamin Oestericher is a graduating senior at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he is studying African Studies and International Development. He has diverse academic and internship experience spanning the public sector, nonprofits, and the private sector related to economic development, governance, and peacebuilding. He is currently an intern at the US Agency for International Development, where he supports partnerships with developing countries in leveraging digital technology to improve development outcomes. He also previously interned with the public diplomacy section in the State Department’s Africa Bureau, where he was recognized as an Intern of the Year for his logistical support to President Biden’s US-Africa Leaders Summit. He also has significant experience with peacebuilding, having interned with Mercy Corps’ Peace and Governance unit and served as a Research Assistant with the US Institute of Peace’s inclusive peacebuilding program. He also has grassroots development experience in Africa, including interning in Dar es Salaam with a youth-led Tanzanian development NGO, conducting research fieldwork on climate change in drought-affected agricultural communities in Kenya, and studying development and conducting thesis research on conflict in Cameroon. Ben also has experience with private sector investments in Africa through his internship with the Africa Practice at Albright Stonebridge Group, where he provided geopolitical analysis of real-time developments in African politics and economies across the continent to leading foundation and business clients. Following the Princeton in Africa fellowship, Ben plans to finish graduate study at Georgetown and pursue a career in US-Africa policy.

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Karen Nyondo, born and raised in Malawi, is a graduate in Disaster Risk Management from the Malawi University of Science and Technology (Class of 2022). Her undergraduate program focused on environmental science, social science, policy, and governance. She also holds certificates in geospatial database management and drone and data technology. In her final year at the university, Karen interned at Concern Worldwide, an organization committed to ending extreme poverty. She supported a health project focused on the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. After graduating, she joined Concern Worldwide full-time and spent three years working on various projects in the areas of sustainable agriculture, financial inclusion, social protection, resilience, and emergency response. She served as a Field Monitor and later as a Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. During this time, Karen was based in rural communities, an experience that deepened her passion for community service and solidified her commitment to the mission of ending extreme poverty. She sees the fellowship at Farming Out of Poverty as an opportunity to continue that mission beyond Malawi. In her free time, Karen enjoys listening to music, exploring and creating beaded crafts.

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Farai Makunungunu recently completed her Bachelor’s in Entrepreneurial Leadership as a Mastercard Foundation Scholar from African Leadership University. With a passion for facilitating access to financing for impactful ventures, she has built extensive experience evaluating investment opportunities and implementing successful fundraising strategies in East Africa. Her work spans from analyzing agricultural ventures to securing funding for refugee empowerment programs, demonstrating her ability to bridge the gap between investors and impact-driven initiatives. As Women Empowerment & Fundraising Lead at Team Spirit International in Uganda, Farai secured a 20% funding increase through strategic donor relations and implemented monitoring frameworks that improved program outcomes for refugee women empowerment. Her data-driven approach to development was further strengthened during her KPMG Data Analytics consultancy, where she developed market analysis models and optimization strategies for B2B clients. As a Dream VC Fellow, she conducted due diligence on African startups, specializing in supply chains and market analysis. Her entrepreneurial mindset led her to develop AquaGraze, a hydroponic fodder production initiative designed to address Rwanda’s agricultural challenges. Additionally, she founded Invest Fairy, a financial education platform empowering Zimbabwean women through investment literacy programs. Her technical expertise includes financial modeling, grant management, and impact assessment, complemented by certifications in Financial Modeling & Valuation Analysis (FMVA) and Business Intelligence & Data Analysis (BIDA). Fluent in English and Shona, Farai brings cross-cultural experience from working across East and Southern Africa, with a proven track record of building partnerships and implementing successful community development initiatives.

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Cossy Lelei holds a Bachelor of Science in data sciences from The Pennsylvania State University where she is also pursuing a Master of Science in geography. She is passionate about integrating research and technology to generate insights, inform decision-making, and support policy in international development. Her academic pursuits are complemented by professional experience in scientific communication, enhancing her ability to contribute effectively in multidisciplinary teams. Sophie leverages her proficiency in statistical software applications such as R, Python, and SAS, and multimedia tools like Final Cut Pro, Canva, and Photoshop. She uses these tools to translate complex scientific concepts into engaging content to raise awareness and drive engagement on various topics among diverse audiences. Her expertise in these areas significantly boosts the reach and impact of her communications, particularly in her role as the editor of a bi-weekly newsletter for the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging. Sophie continues to demonstrate her commitment to applying her training in practical settings through her research experience in health systems like the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and involvement in various STEM equity educational programs at Penn State. This practical application of her skills underscores her dedication to making a tangible difference in the fields of health and education. In addition to her academic and professional experience, Sophie is fluent in French and has intermediate proficiency in Kiswahili, expanding her communicative reach in international contexts. Sophie is eager to apply her expertise in data science and communication to impactful projects in Africa.

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Marie Jambawai is a data and IT systems professional from Sierra Leone with cross-sector experience across East and West Africa. She holds a BSc in Information Systems Technology from the United States International University — Africa, with a background spanning IT support, project coordination, and data-driven operational improvement. Marie played a key role in achieving certification by leading internal information security awareness programs, delivering interactive training, and supporting regional IT infrastructure. She contributed to Kenya’s healthcare sector with Arnold Temple Visuals, where she provided IT and technical support for high-profile hybrid medical conferences in partnership with pharmaceutical brands such as AstraZeneca, MSD, Pfizer, and Roche. Marie also worked in the fintech sector with Monime, strengthening internal operations and supporting digital platforms.Passionate about youth empowerment, Marie mentored over 500 aspiring African entrepreneurs through the Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship, helping several secure startup funding. She also served as Marketing Director of the USIU-A IT Club and is a Global Youth Ambassador with TheirWorld, advocating for equitable access to early childhood education. Marie is committed to using data and digital tools to drive inclusive, sustainable development. Through the Princeton in Africa fellowship, she aims to expand the reach of impactful tech solutions across the continent.