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Evan Hall is a community activist and mobilizer, with a scholarship that centers on HIV health policy and prevention in the United States, Canada, and globally. Rooted by an interdisciplinary background, Evan focuses on the interconnected syndemic nature of HIV, addressing matters of housing, climate change, human rights, Indigenous relations, criminalization, and more. Their research is informed by the priorities of communities most impacted by HIV, covering the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, navigating complex public and private healthcare systems, and policies against sexual health and gender affirming care. Evan graduated with highest honors from the University of Michigan with a degree in Biology, Health & Society, minoring in Chemistry and Music. Evan also completed an honors capstone project in Engaged Liberal Arts, focusing on HIV prevention among young people in Michigan. Moving north of the medicine line, Evan completed their Master of Public Health at the University of British Columbia on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Musequeam with a theme of Indigenous and Global Governance of Health Systems. Their work is not without the underpinnings of those who have and continue to fight for the end of the HIV epidemic and the liberation of their kin.

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Leena Gurung is currently a Digital Communications Consultant at One Heart Worldwide, where she spearheads social media strategy, developing content and driving engagement to amplify the nonprofit’s mission of improving maternal and neonatal health in Nepal. This role builds on her previous experience as Program Associate at Every Mother Counts in New York, where she supported global maternal health programs through research, data collection, operational support, and content creation. A graduate of Hollins University with a degree in International Studies and minors in Social Justice and International Economics, Leena distinguished herself academically with Senior Class First Honors and Dean’s List recognition. She was also elected Student Government Association President, where she championed student initiatives and fostered community engagement. Her dedication to social impact is reflected in her diverse non-profit experience. At Diplomats and Consular Officers Retired in Washington DC, she supported fundraising efforts within the foreign affairs community, and contributed to anti-trafficking digital media campaigns at Maiti Nepal. Her time at Peace Boat US in New York included advocacy efforts and grant research. Prior to university, she facilitated global youth exchange programs as Vice President of International Exchanges at AIESEC Nepal, fostering cross-cultural understanding and youth leadership development. Following her Princeton in Africa fellowship, Leena aims to continue her work in international development, focusing on creating sustainable, community-driven solutions.

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Dominic is a 2025 graduate of Princeton University with a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and a minor in Theater. Before coming to college, Dominic worked in mental health advocacy and as an emergency medical technician. In college, he focused his studies on science related to the environment and had a particular interest in human impact on animal health. He also has a love for the performing arts, and spent much of his college experience in the theater as an actor, writer, designer, and director. Dominic has worked for years as a teacher, both in the sciences and the arts. He believes his education has been invaluable to him, and hopes to empower his students in Zimbabwe to capably pursue the work that interests them and benefits their community.

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Saffiyah Coker is a 2024 graduate of Tufts University, where she majored in Economics and International Relations. Hailing from Boston, Massachusetts, she is of Gambian and Jamaican descent. Saffiyah is an early career researcher passionate about women’s economic empowerment, public policy, and community-centered work. In her final year at Tufts, Saffiyah was awarded the Marion Ricker Houston Scholarship for Economics, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Service Award, the Presidential Award for Civic Life, and the Wendell Phillips Award. She provided the Wendell Phillips Baccalaureate Address for the Graduating Class of 2024. As a Henry Luce Foundation Scholar based in Jakarta, Indonesia, Saffiyah was placed at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), where she assisted in projects relating to the carbon transition, ESG governance, and the circular economy transition. While studying for a semester in Ghana, Saffiyah began conducting ethnographic research on the correlation between wages and gender amongst female head porters in Ghanaian open-air markets, returned the following summer with the Anne E. Borghesani Memorial Prize, and then wrote a one-semester economics thesis on women’s labor in Ghana’s informal sector. Saffiyah Coker is a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated. Following the Princeton in Africa Fellowship, Saffiyah aims to pursue a combined J.D./M.A. in international law and economics to continue advocacy for marginalized communities globally.

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Kaitlyn is a first generation student and graduate of the University of Florida, earning degrees in both Anthropology and Microbiology and Cell Science, as well as an alumni of Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health where she earned her Master of Public Health in Global Health with a concentration in Community Health Development. For her thesis work, Kaitlyn designed, executed, and analyzed a qualitative study related to the social support architecture and social network adaptability of adolescents living with sickle cell disease and cystic fibrosis during periods of in-patient hospitalization through the support of the Emory Division of Palliative Care. Her passion for palliative medicine and qualitative research methodologies continued through her work with Emory’s Palliative Medicine Research Team on a variety of projects related to chronic illness and end of life care. In addition to her thesis work Kaitlyn has been published alongside her mentor Dr. Lowers in the Journal of Applied Gerontology with other academic papers in process. Kaitlyn’s interest in African culture began during her undergraduate public health work study in Botswana and continued as she completed CLS, a federal language immersion fellowship in Kiswahili. Following her time with PIAF Kaitlyn intends to pursue her PhD in Medical Sociology with a focus in adolescent palliative care and related socioemotional factors, particularly surrounding adolescents living with sickle cell disease globally. Outside of work and academics Kaitlyn enjoys hot yoga, baking, thrifting, pottery, and hanging out with her friends, family, and cats Bonnie and Mabel.

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Adwoa-Brittney Boateng, a Ghanaian-American raised in Atlanta, Georgia, is a 2022 graduate of the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and made history as the first Black student to graduate from the prestigious Global Management Program. Adwoa-Brittney’s work is centered on the development of African economies, with a focus on the education and finance sectors. Her career spans a range of industries from implementing full organization projects at Google to co-founding Aminat Venture Philanthropy in Sierra Leone, an organization dedicated to increasing the GDP of nations through women centered strategic investment. Since 2022, she has volunteered for the Ghana Food Movement which champions food system stakeholders working collaboratively to transform Ghana’s food landscape. Independently, she leads as President of She Lives Now Girls, an organization she founded to expose minority women to opportunities in academia and professionally for them to thrive. Currently, she’s collaborated with over 5 schools across Africa, donated over 15,000 pads, and led 2 ideation laboratories for secondary school girls to create solutions to community issues. With a diverse background in marketing, product strategy, and nonprofit leadership, Adwoa-Brittney has built a career rooted in social impact, systems change, and community-centered design. She is deeply committed to creating inclusive pathways for African women and youth to thrive. An advocate at heart, she has spoken at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW68) and continues to use her voice to amplify the experiences and brilliance of African women. Through every endeavor, Adwoa-Brittney champions a bold vision for an independent Africa driven by empowered women, innovative systems, and sustainable economic growth. Following Princeton in Africa, Adwoa-Brittney envisions her future in project/policy implementation and strategy in the education and finance sector in Africa. In her free time, she loves to read, decorate cakes, and spend time with family.

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Leleda Beraki is a recent graduate from Yale University where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering and her Master’s in Health Policy and Global Health. Originally from Eritrea and having grown up in Botswana, Leleda is deeply committed to African health infrastructure and equity-driven work. At Yale, Leleda served as the first Black woman to be elected student body president, worked as a student assistant at the cultural center, and mentored first-generation college students pursuing STEM. She has conducted various research projects ranging from cellular chronic wound healing to dyadic analyses of patient-provider trust. In her professional career, Leleda has completed fellowships and internships with the CDC, the World Bank, and Pfizer in an attempt to understand key stakeholders in global health. Throughout her time at Yale, she also engaged in digital storytelling and evaluated the role of social media in health communication. Following the Princeton in Africa fellowship, Leleda will return to New York City for work and plans to attend graduate school.

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Naomi Admasu is a 2022 graduate from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in public health and a minority health certificate. In 2024, she received her Master of Public Health degree from The Ohio State University with a concentration in health behavior and health promotion on the global health track. She has a strong background in health education, research, and fundraising. As an undergraduate student, she served as a peer educator for the Student Wellness Center and conducted health equity research. During her graduate education, Naomi served as a health communication intern for the Center for Foodborne Illness Ohio State University Extension TARTARE project, based in Ethiopia, where she developed dissemination items and updated their website. As part of her culminating graduate project, she created an advocacy plan focused on birth registration in a South African province, developed in collaboration with a faculty member’s research. Following her studies, Naomi worked at her local foodbank securing funding as the grant coordinator. As an Ethiopian American from Dayton, Ohio, Naomi is thrilled to return to Africa and work with Global Health Informatics Institute as a Princeton in Africa fellow. In her free time, Naomi enjoys exercising, spending time with family and friends, and reading.