She/her/hers

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.

she/her/hers

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.

she/her/hers

Amma-Sika Adomako is a dedicated young professional committed to advancing organizational development and strengthening the human capital of African organizations. She holds a Master’s in Public Policy from American University with a concentration in global agricultural and food systems development. As well as a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and certificate in Economics from Temple University. At Temple University, Amma-Sika received the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to study political science at Sciences Po Lyon. She was a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal from 2019 to 2020 as a Business Advisor offering business training to individuals and organizations within the agriculture industry. Amma-Sika’s transformative time in the Peace Corps allowed her aspirations to become clear. After completing the fellowship, Amma-Sika intends to come back to the Continent to initiate a social agribusiness venture. This enterprise will concentrate on revolutionizing supply value chains for cosmetic products derived from indigenous African produce, employing education, technology, and sustainable practices. Outside of school and work, Amma-Sika enjoys spending quality time with family and friends. She also enjoys the outdoors, food, and films.

she/her/hers

Claire Baney has consistently committed her work to environmental sustainability and community impact. She graduated from Purdue University in 2022 with degrees in Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Communication, ultimately developing specialties in sustainable food systems, community development, and environmental policy. Through her tenure as Indiana FFA State President and two-time National FFA Officer Candidate, she worked with local farmers, agricultural policy, and industry-leading agriculture companies. Later, Claire supported the state of Indiana’s agbioscience venture and startup ecosystem through talent development pipeline building and partnerships with global agtech accelerators. She channeled her experiences into building a regenerative farm and pursuing socioeconomic research on sustainable food systems and food access – a project awarded by Purdue University’s top 4 internationally ranked agricultural economics department. Most recently, Claire managed operations and partnerships for a tech startup bringing digital annotation solutions to highly regulated industries. Claire sees economic development and sustainable food systems as key components of lasting communities. As an Indiana native, she has steadfastly worked in her home state though understands that change in one community is not enough. As a result, Claire has worked on rural development projects in Ireland and intends to continue supporting community-driven growth internationally through bottom-up development, entrepreneurship, and policy. Following Princeton in Africa, Claire plans to pursue graduate school and continue building her career within environmental policy and impact venture capital to fuel climate change resilience solutions, expand food access, and strengthen local economies.

he/him/his

Drew is a recent graduate of Bowdoin College with a B.A. in computer science and economics. At school, he competed on the varsity track and field team, sat on the advisory board for the Polar Investment Club, and worked for Bowdoin’s Information Technology support team. Drew was also honored as a Sarah and James Bowdoin scholar and received the Adam Smith Book Prize for exceptional analytical skills and originality in the study of economy and society. During the school year, he worked as a computer science teaching assistant and economics tutor. Drew’s professional experiences include a number of customer service and product development/management roles. He was most recently a Data Analytics Intern at U.S. Bank where he worked with the Consumer Digital Experiences team and engineers to build and launch new versions of the bank’s mobile app and web page. Following the Princeton in Africa fellowship, Drew plans to pursue graduate school. Originally from Minnesota, Drew hosts a weekly podcast with his college roommates and enjoys weightlifting, golf, pottery, and watching Premier League soccer.

he/him/his

 David graduated from the University of Texas San Antonio with a degree in Geology and graduated from Clark University with a Master of Science in Geographic Information Science. He was also a Peace Corps Volunteer in The Gambia. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, he worked in rural agricultural development, where he collaborated with multiple government agencies to meet the development goals of communities. He is an active member of the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer service community and is a former Coverdell Fellow. During a previous internship with the Red Cross, he consulted with the Red Cross volunteer recruitment services to leverage census data to find new communities for outreach. He also interned with the United Nations Satellite Centre (UNOSAT) and supported the disaster rapid mapping group, which provides timely analysis to humanitarian disaster response organizations. More recently, he worked full-time as a contractor for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service, where he monitored global food production through satellite remote sensing. Following the Princeton in Africa Fellowship, he plans to pursue a career in agriculture monitoring and development. Originally from Texas, he enjoys hiking, traveling, and learning new skills and languages.

Nasya Blackwell is a cum laude graduate of the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Spanish. She served as a Gilman scholar in Costa Rica, completed an exchange program in South Korea, and studied abroad at the University of Ghana. After graduation, Nasya worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as a full-time staffer and at Emerging Public Leaders in Accra, Ghana, as North Carolina A&T’s first Princeton in Africa Fellow. After her PiAf fellowship, Nasya moved to Taiwan to complete a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant grant, where she taught English to elementary school students and started learning Mandarin Chinese. 

Nasya attends Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, pursuing a master’s degree in International Relations as a Charles B. Rangel and Public Service fellow. In graduate school, she is exploring gender policy and intercultural communications with a regional focus in Africa and Asia. After graduating, Nasya plans to join the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer promoting cross-cultural connection, strengthening the possibility of making the world we live in a more understanding, empathetic, and equitable place, where the voices of marginalized communities are heard and respected on the global stage. 

A native of Bukavu, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Wilo Muyoma graduated from Whitworth University in 2016 with a major in computer science. Most recently he worked at Microsoft as Azure cloud engineer. He left Microsoft to help start a poultry and logistics company in Eastern Congo alongside his childhood friend. During his PiAf fellowship, Wilo will serve as Junior Consultant/MEAL Fellow with the West Africa Rice Company (WARC) in Accra, Ghana.

Victoria Monge graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in health policy and management from the Gillings School of Global Public Health, as well as a degree in global studies. She also holds a certificate in international politics from Sciences Po Grenoble in Grenoble, France. At UNC Chapel Hill, Victoria worked at the local Refugee Support Center, where she served as a French translator and collaborated with various governmental agencies to meet the needs of the Center’s clients. She is a member of Phi Beta Kappa as well as the service fraternity Alpha Phi Omega and has also worked in several different research labs throughout college. Victoria recently completed her senior honors thesis on the intergenerational effects of witnessing intimate partner violence on a cohort of young children in South Africa. During a previous corporate strategy internship with the insurance company Humana, Victoria created a business case for investment in the social determinants of health by healthcare payers. More recently, she interned with the Shot@Life team of the United Nations Foundation, where she advocated for increased access to vaccinations for children around the world. Following the Princeton in Africa fellowship, Victoria plans to attend law school and pursue a career in global health law. Originally from Michigan, she enjoys reading, swimming, and learning languages. She is looking forward to working with American Leprosy Missions this coming year.

A native of Zambia, Nduulwa has been driven by her curiosity to discover innovative solutions to some of the most pressing issues we face. Over the last five years, she has worked to push projects and marketing campaigns forward at a number of nonprofits and startups. Previously, she worked as a marketing and program management consultant for the UMKC Innovation Center’s Technology Venture Studio. As a consultant, she evaluated potential program participants and implemented the studio’s marketing and communications strategy. Nduulwa was also a part of the founding team at WeJapa, a startup connecting companies to tech talent in Africa. She served as chief marketing officer and led the company’s inbound and outbound marketing strategy, resulting in the on boarding of fifteen hiring partners across Africa and Europe. At the Women’s Fund of Omaha, she worked to implement innovative marketing strategies for the fund’s Adolescent Health Project. While at the fund, she managed a social media influencer program, the 2019 summer internship program, and served as project manager and liaison for I Be Black Girl, an initiative that funds grassroots organizations led by Black women and girls. After earning her MBA in 2019, she began to wonder what role business and entrepreneurship can play in Africa’s growth and development and went on to launch Dear Diaspora, a podcast spotlighting African entrepreneurs transforming Africa’s challenges into business opportunities. Recognizing the public sector’s role in creating an enabling environment for business and beyond, she looks forward to gaining a more holistic perspective as a program fellow with Emerging Public Leaders in Ghana.