Fellow Bio:

Brittany is from Lexington, MA and graduated with a degree in International Studies. At Kenyon, she worked in the Writing Center, volunteered in a Head Start preschool classroom, and advocated for diversity on campus as a chair of the Discrimination Advisors. She spent a semester studying abroad in Dakar, Senegal. Brittany has interned at a refugee resettlement agency in Boston and conducted summer research on the challenges facing Mauritanian asylum-seekers in Columbus, Ohio. While in Malawi next year, Brittany is excited about broadening her knowledge of humanitarian aid, picking up some Chichewa, and exploring southern Africa.

Alumni Update:

After finishing her fellowship with WFP Malawi, Bridget took a position back in the US with Save the Children as a Program Coordinator in the Department of Child Protection and HIV/AIDS in Washington, DC. It’s been interesting going from the WFP-UN culture to the INGO world, but in a refreshing and exciting way. Bridget’s experience in Malawi has been invaluable to her work with Save because she is able to approach her work with the context of program implementation on the ground. While it’s nice to have hot showers again and steady electricity, Bridget is eager to find her way back to Africa.

Fellow Bio:

Bridget majored in Government with a concentration in International Relations and received a certificate in African Studies. She calls the rocky shores of Maine home. While at Smith, Bridget was a student liaison for the Government department, chaired the student curriculum committee, was involved in student government, and played in the orchestra. Throughout her time at Smith she worked as a social-justice community organizer in the Northampton area. She studied abroad in Arusha, Tanzania where she also spent the summer working as a research assistant at the Nyerere Center for Peace Research. She speaks Swahili and is very excited to learn Chichewa, another Bantu language, while working in Malawi next year.

Alumni Update:

Bjorn recently completed his Master’s degree in International Affairs with concentrations in migration, diplomacy, and human rights at Sciences Po’s Paris School of International Affairs. He is currently working as a consultant for international organizations in the fields of human rights, political reporting, and impact evaluation. He splits his time between Europe and New York.

Fellow Bio:

Bjorn, originally from Ithaca, NY, majored in Human Evolutionary Biology with a minor in French. While at Harvard he also conducted research on human development and completed a senior thesis on the evolution of aggression. He was also involved with the Cultural Survival campaign at Harvard where he campaigned against human rights violations against indigenous people in Ecuador. In Burundi he will be working with returning refugees, both establishing their livelihoods and ensuring the needs of the locals are met. He looks forward to working closely with Burundians, learning about their country, and looking for adventure in his travels around Africa.

Fellow Bio:

Annette is a Woodrow Wilson School major with a certificate in Global Health and Health Policy. She is from Annandale, Virginia. While at Princeton, she volunteered as an EMT at the Princeton First Aid and Rescue Squad, led Outdoor Action freshmen pre-orientation hiking trips, and enjoyed playing club, IM, and pick-up basketball. Through Princeton, Annette interned with a non-profit organization in a rural village in the Eastern Cape of South Africa where she did research on pain and palliative care. While in Botswana next year, she looks forward to working closely with those affected by HIV. Moreover, she is excited to learn about a different world and hopes to make Gaborone home with new friends and adventures.

Alumni Update:

When her fellowship ended, Alison headed home to Fort Lauderdale, FL. She studied for the GRE while visiting family and friends before moving to Washington, D.C. in January 2014. She works in USAID’s Bureau for Global Health with a team focused on implementation science in HIV. She’s had the opportunity to return to Africa since her fellowship ended, and will be visiting Tanzania, Malawi and Benin this spring and summer.

Fellow Bio:

Alison is a politics major from Plantation, FL. At Princeton, she was a member of Wildcats A Cappella, a Project Coordinator for Anchor House and a member of the Cap & Gown Club. She enjoys singing and writing in her free time. Alison has studied abroad in Istanbul and Dakar during her time at Princeton. While in Kampala next year, Alison looks forward to learning Luganda and riding boda-bodas.

Alumni Update:

Akornefa began working at Bates College as an Admission Counselor in 2014. She has had the opportunity to travel across the country for Bates and she is also the geoDean for Africa.

Fellow Bio:

Akornefa is from Madison, WI and studied Music while completing the premed track. At Columbia, she was a coordinator for the Multicultural Recruitment Committee and worked as an intern at the Undergraduate Admissions office at Columbia. She is also an accomplished flutist and performed with the Music Performance Program for students in Music Humanities classes, campus recitals and at Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. As a member of the African Students Association, she wrote original songs for their annual showcase and also performed and choreographed for Orisha, a Pan- African Dance group. While in Gabon next year, Akornefa looks forward to perfecting her French speaking skills, having the opportunity to travel around Africa and starting a blog.

Alumni Update:

Abhit is currently a PhD student in political science at Columbia, where he studies the political economy of development with a focus on Africa.

Fellow Bio:

Abhit is from Knoxville, TN and was a Political Science and African Studies major in college. During his time at Northwestern, he was the co-director of the Undergraduate Africa Seminar, the editor of the Political Science Communiqué, and the director of A&O Films. He also spent time working as a teaching assistant for an African politics class and interning at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Through Northwestern, he was able to study abroad for a semester in Paris and conduct independent thesis research for a summer in Senegal. Abhit looks forward to returning to Senegal, improving his Wolof, and taking in the incredible music scene Dakar has to offer.