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Sarra Hussien graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Psychology from the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences in Spring 2024. At USC, she served as the President of Glimpse from the Globe, a foreign affairs publication on campus. She was also the Assistant Director of Advocacy for the Middle Eastern and North African Student Assembly, served on the Executive Board for the East African Student Association, and Director of PBL Programming for the Global Policy Institute, in addition to other leadership positions she held in other student organizations. She was an undergraduate researcher for the Near Crisis Project, where she analyzed the escalation processes of crises in Africa. Sarra also served as an on-call Amharic translator at Al Otro Lado, a local immigration firm. This past summer, she worked for the Africa Office of the Bureau of Refugees and Migration at the Department of State and contributed to the formulation of federal-level refugee policy, gaining more insight on the socio-political history of Africa and how countries like Kenya and Tanzania are addressing the refugee crises. Previously, she spent three months in Amman, Jordan working for the Jordan Health Aid Society, a non-governmental organization that provides health and psychosocial support services in Zaatari Refugee Camp. She also took courses on humanitarian action and refugee crisis response at the School of International Training in Amman, Jordan. Originally from Texas, Sarra enjoys spending time with friends and family, traveling, and learning languages.

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Senam is a Ghanaian Rwandan American who is passionate about sustainable development. The inextricable link between public health, climate change, and human rights has guided her academic and career pursuits. Senam brings a global perspective shaped by her culture, commitment to social justice, and community leadership. She aims to use data science to advance health equity and sustainable development.

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Merete Cowles graduated from the University of Vermont with degrees in Health & Society, Anthropology, and a certificate in Global Health. While at UVM, she was awarded the George Henry Perkins Award and the Outstanding Senior Award for her academic and extracurricular achievements. With a special interest in displacement and crisis response, Merete spent a semester studying refugee health in Amman where she interned at the Institute for Family Health, leading projects on disability rehabilitation and psychosocial support for refugee survivors of gender-based violence and torture. Upon her return, she interned with the Humanitarian Affairs team at CARE where she mobilized resources for numerous successful USAID and private grants ranging from $55k to $5M. After graduating, Merete joined the Refugee Women’s Centre to deliver emergency aid to the displaced populations navigating France’s Northern coast. While providing mobile material, medical, and psychosocial support, she also developed and implemented innovative internal communications strategies to improve staff access to safeguarding, service referral, and capacity-building resources. She continues to use her strategic design and storytelling skills to celebrate the resilience of conflict-affected women and amplify their voices to global audiences while consulting at impactful organizations such as the Batonga Foundation and the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders. Driven to create a positive impact while expanding her comfort zone, Merete loves to travel cheap, hike often, make art, and connect with friends both old and new.

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Eugenia recently graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar with degrees in public policy and interdisciplinary studies. Originally from Hong Kong, she has adopted a global perspective on addressing social inequities. Throughout her undergraduate experience, her interests in sustainable food systems and global development have led her to research Doughnut Economics in Amsterdam, community currencies in Costa Rica, and rights of nature laws in Ecuador. To culminate these experiences, she developed and taught a 16-week honors seminar course in the spring of her senior year, exploring alternative economic models centered on social and ecological well-being. She was also named a finalist in the Oxford Skoll Centre’s global systems mapping competition, where her team analyzed the root causes of unequal food access in Washington, DC. Through these experiences, she hopes to develop a cross-cultural approach to mitigating climate change while redefining social progress. She has written extensively about these topics on her blog, where she shares bite-sized environmental education and has spoken on various global panels on climate justice and youth empowerment, reaching 10,000 people. Beyond academics, she worked as a barista and sustainability associate at UNC’s only student-run nonprofit coffee shop and enjoys playing ultimate frisbee. She recently represented Hong Kong in the Under-24 World Championships and served as the president of UNC’s four-time national championship-winning team.

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Michael Banks holds bachelor’s degrees in journalism and international affairs, with minors in business and anthropology from the University of Georgia. His interdisciplinary education spanned four colleges at the university, driven by a curiosity about cultural formation and cross-cultural interactions, particularly through media and business channels. At UGA, Michael conducted research on the impact of US foreign aid in Africa and educational disparities in post-Apartheid South Africa, igniting his interest in international development. He gained valuable experience in media strategy and healthcare communications while collaborating with health equity advocates in West Africa and the Caribbean through work with the United Nations Foundation’s United to Defeat Malaria team. He proposed a restructuring of McKinsey & Company’s Careers Blog to underscore colleague and talent narratives of the firms’ offices in Africa, Asia, and Latin America as one of their inaugural communications interns, and he explored how the higher education research ecosystem on the continent can inform STEM partnerships between the US & African states through work with the US State Department. Michael hopes to pursue a career in international development that joins his passion for cultural advancement with his varied experiences in communications across the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Outside of work and academia, Michael is a classically-trained singer, former long-distance swimmer turned gym-goer, and an aspiring polyglot.

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Rachael Mutisya, a native of Kenya, holds an MBA in Marketing as well as a BSc in Hotel and Restaurant Management from United States International University- Africa (USIU- Africa). Throughout her professional journey, Rachael has garnered valuable experience across multiple industries including finance, hospitality, education, and e-commerce. Her area of expertise is in communication, social media management, customer experience, and brand promotion, and she has successfully applied her skills in various locations in Kenya. Rachael’s commitment to her community is evident through her strong passion for giving back. During her free time, she actively volunteers for an NGO called Together for Africa (TOFA) in Kenya. In this role, she forges new partnerships, organizes events, and develops empowering content for Kenyan youth in the fields of entrepreneurship, leadership, and ICT development. Outside of her professional pursuits, Rachael finds joy in various hobbies and activities. She is an avid badminton player and takes pleasure in gardening and exploring new destinations. Rachael is excited to join the PiAF program this year at the Mpala Research Centre in Laikipia, Kenya, further exemplifying her dedication to making a positive impact.

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 Haby Sondo is a Burkinabe-American woman from The Bronx, fueled by her passion for international development in Africa, travel, and storytelling. Growing up in a culturally diverse environment fostered her love for immigration and cultural immersion. She completed her undergraduate studies at Boston University where she majored in International Relations & minored in Political Science. Haby’s awakening to the world outside of New York City occurred while living abroad in The Dominican Republic and France. During these experiences, she gained a profound appreciation for the complexities Black immigrants face globally and has since searched for opportunities to include their realities in global migration discourses. These experiences ignited her desire to create two travel blogs that offer an authentic glimpse into the experiences of Black Women traveling globally. With a focus on unconventional travel experiences, Haby shines a spotlight on underrepresented travel destinations. In her professional life, Haby has worked as a Business Immigration Paralegal; her leisure time is spent traveling, blogging, biking, hiking, and exploring cuisines from around the world. With a bold vision for the future, Haby aspires to pursue a career at the intersection of her passions for immigration, law, and international development, using her voice and digital content to inspire Black Women and People of Color to pursue global travel opportunities. She is confident that her Princeton in Africa Fellowship at Food for Education in Nairobi, Kenya will provide her with the tools and knowledge to make a meaningful impact in the world.

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Idongesit is from Akwa-Ibom State in Nigeria. He graduated with a degree in economics from Veritas University in Abuja F.C.T, Nigeria. Upon graduating, he took a profession in teaching, and he considers it the most humbling experience of his life so far. Idongesit wants to continue positively impacting people’s lives through education. Idongesit looks forward to traveling around the world, meeting people, and learning new cultures and languages. Idongesit is also passionate about art, and he spends most of his free time drawing. Idongesit is looking forward to traveling and working in Kenya.

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Zoe Kaldor graduated from the University of Denver in 2020 with a bachelor’s in strategic communication and international studies. She was later accepted into the University of Denver, Josef Korbel School of International Studies’ dual-degree program where she received her master’s in international development with a certificate in global environmental change and adaptation. While pursuing her graduate degree, Zoe interned with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)’s Office of Public Affairs. Her responsibilities included drafting social media and blog posts, assisting podcast development, and formatting report summaries. After graduating, she began working for Abt Associates as the communications specialist for the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative VectorLink Project. In this role, Zoe wrote success stories, organized webinars for malaria stakeholders, produced short videos, and maintained the project’s website. She is looking forward to communicating about Mpala Research Centre’s work this coming year as a Princeton in Africa fellow.

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 Sinnah Samuella Lamin is a recent Southern New Hampshire University graduate and a tireless advocate for health, specifically focusing on women’s healthcare and its intersection with education. She is steadfast in her belief that education can serve as a powerful tool for empowerment, especially in marginalized communities. Sinnah’s multidimensional background in healthcare management and international development equips her with a unique approach to devise innovative solutions to enduring health challenges. With more than three years of enriching experience in health, education, and entrepreneurship, Sinnah has proven her mettle in program design, project management, and operations. As a Quality Assurance Associate at mDoc Healthcare, she supported a robust team of health coaches to initiate a digital health program that sought to diminish the prevalence of chronic diseases in sub-Saharan Africa. She is also the founder of Caring for Girls – a non-profit initiative that provides vital reproductive health education and services to adolescent girls in Rwanda and Sierra Leone and has made a significant difference in the lives of over 500 girls, fostering their sexual and reproductive health autonomy. Sinnah is currently a Program Analyst Intern at UNICEF’s Education Outcomes Fund and a Research Intern at Doctors Without Borders, working on their “menstrual precariousness assessment” project in Cameroon. These roles augment her passion for the intertwined domains of health and education, which is further demonstrated by her co-organization of an entrepreneurship boot camp and her hand in developing a leadership curriculum for the Future Leadership Academy in China. With a keen interest in public policy and international health, Sinnah’s post-graduation goal is to design and implement large-scale Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) programs in Sierra Leone and across the continent.