Arien, originally from Kansas, is a history major from Princeton University with a certificate in African American Studies. At Princeton, Arien was the Senior coordinator for the Leadership and Mentorship Program, which helped to improve the experience of African American freshmen at Princeton. Arien studied abroad for a semester in Cape Town, South Africa and studied the socioeconomic history of Africa as well as the Xhosa language. Her time in Cape Town made her eager to study the economic and cultural effects of colonialism and globalism on African nations. Arien is excited to learn about the experiences of her prospective Rwandan friends as well as to gain a greater sense of self-reliance while in Kigali.

Alumni Update:

Allyse is a civil rights attorney in San Francisco. She represents people who have been subjected to atrocious acts including sexual assault, disability discrimination, and whistleblower retaliation (to name a few examples). She works hard to help her clients not just survive a difficult period, but also learn to appreciate their own strength as they navigate a system that all-too-often feels stacked against them. PiAf taught Allyse to face the unknown and the uncomfortable head on, and to keep an open mind. She exercises those muscles everyday.

Fellow Bio:

Allyse is originally from Chicago and recently graduated from the Ford School of Public Policy with a focus on International Development Policy. During her time as a Wolverine, she built solar lights with Sa Nima Collaborative, studied Swahili, and sang in a co-ed a cappella group on campus. Last summer, she worked as the economic development and entrepreneurship intern at Vital Voices Global Partnership in Washington, D.C.  She is “nuts” about her placement with the African Cashew Alliance. While not at work in Ghana, she hopes to learn some new dance moves and finally fulfill her dream of joining a band.

Alumni Update:

Alex is currently a first-year MBA student at the Yale School of Management. She will be spending her summer interning at the Boston Consulting Group in Philadelphia.

Fellow Bio:

Alex is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame where she majored in Political Science and Peace Studies. Since graduating, Alex has worked as the Raise Hope for Congo Assistant Campaign Manager at The Enough Project, part of the Center for American Progress, in Washington D.C. She develops campaigns targeting both the U.S. government and major electronics companies that use the Democratic Republic of Congo’s minerals to address the root causes of conflict in eastern Congo. As a student, Alex studied in Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania, and most recently she traveled to the eastern Congo with Enough. In her free time, she plays soccer on two co-ed teams and likes to go on long bike rides around D.C. Alex is excited to explore West Africa and see first-hand how multinational companies can operate successfully and responsibly in Africa.

Alumni Update:

Alex is currently working for One Acre Fund in Rwanda, using data to make small-scale farmers more prosperous.

Fellow Bio:

Alexander is an Economics and Government double major with a minor in French from Tucson, AZ. Through Georgetown, he studied abroad in Senegal where he worked with Zidisha Microfinance. He also interned at the Embassy of Burkina Faso and conducted research in Kenya related to financial education, road safety, and maternal health savings. Outside the classroom, Alex served on the student body funding commission, volunteered at a social services center downtown, and led the Georgetown triathlon team as men’s captain. He spent two summers at home in the renewable energy sector and eagerly awaits twelve months of learning Swahili, running the Rift Valley, and better understanding rural poverty with The BOMA Project in northern Kenya.

Alumni Update:

After her fellowship, Alexandra has stayed on with her fellowship organization, eleQtra, as a financial associate and now splits her time between New York City and Kampala. She is currently working on developing and investing in a number of power projects in Uganda and Rwanda, including gas, solar, and hydro.

Fellow Bio:

Alie is from Tucson, AZ, and is a 2011 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Alie majored in Finance and minored in Mathematics, Economics, and French. While at Penn, Alie lived abroad twice in Compiègne and Paris, France, studying at the Sorbonne and Sciences Po. Since graduation, Alie has worked in the Public Sector and Infrastructure Investment Banking group at Goldman Sachs in New York City. In her free time, Alie enjoys dance, yoga, cooking, traveling, and running half marathons. While in Uganda next year, Alie looks forward to exploring East Africa, learning a new language, and influencing international infrastructure development through her work with EleQtra.