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Jackie Namala is from The Bronx, New York. She graduated from Princeton University, where she studied Public and International Affairs and Spanish. Having grown up in working class households in Uganda and the US, Jackie has always been curious about how individuals can be empowered to secure better livelihoods for themselves. She is primarily interested in the role education plays in both individual mobility and national development and envisions herself working as an international educational consultant. Her dream is to make quality education accessible to all. As an undergraduate student at Princeton, she joyfully took advantage of the liberal arts education; in her independent work, she focused on Africa, studying the relationships between racial discrimination and adolescent mental health in South Africa (vis-à-vis the US), socio-economic status and sub-Saharan women’s political participation and, for her senior thesis, universal primary education and intergenerational education mobility in Uganda. Furthermore, Jackie virtually volunteered as a K-12 tutor and an outreach associate with Hatch Tutors, an educational non-profit, and worked as a Peer Academic Advisor on campus. She feels very honored and excited to work with the students and educators at Rwamagana Leaders’ School. In her leisure time, Jackie loves to cook, sing and learn new languages. She also has newfound interests in travel and physical exercise, particularly running.

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Tara Allegra calls Jakarta, Indonesia, her home. She is interested in international law, global trade, post-conflict development, state-building, and Asia-Africa relations. Tara studied Political Economy at UC Berkeley and has worked at the World Bank, UC Berkeley’s Center on the Politics of Development, and Jakarta’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies. As an incoming Princeton in Africa fellow at ESP Rwanda, she looks forward to contributing to impactful projects, immersing herself in Rwanda’s vibrant culture, and learning from its history and remarkable transformation. Outside of work, she enjoys picking up new languages, indulging in art projects, getting lost in a good book, and exploring the world around her.

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 Hannah was born in Kenya and raised in Zimbabwe, where she developed a passion for public health and youth mentorship while volunteering with children impacted by HIV/AIDS. She is a recent University of Virginia (UVA) graduate who majored in global public health and minored in sociology. Hannah’s commitment to supporting youth in her community motivated her to volunteer at the UVA Children’s Hospital and mentor high schoolers who volunteer with Habitat for Humanity of Greater Charlottesville. Growing up in Zimbabwe and attending an international school, Hannah valued learning from people of different backgrounds. Therefore, as president of the Global Student Council at UVA, she started roundtable discussions for students of all cultural backgrounds to identify differences and similarities in their UVA experiences. In addition, Hannah led independent research studies as an undergraduate. Most recently, she has continued to support people living with HIV/AIDS by investigating factors to improve access to HIV care at UVA’s Ryan White HIV Clinic. Hannah’s experience with remote Africa-based work solidified her interest in further developing her connection to the region. In 2021, she interned with the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights) and wrote reports on gender inequality in Zimbabwe and ZimRights’ financing options. That year, she also collaborated on a remote investigation of the best clinical practices at the University of Rwanda’s multidisciplinary pain management clinic. After this fellowship, Hannah intends to pursue a master’s in public health. She aims to increase global access to quality and affordable health care

Lauryn Spinetta is a recent graduate of Princeton University (’22), majored in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. During her time at Princeton, she served as the captain of the Women’s Club Soccer team and as a Peer Health Advisor. Lauryn tells others that she is from Austin, Texas but has roots spread across the world, having moved twelve times growing up in support of her father’s military service. Born overseas, holding 3 citizenships, and earning her FAA private pilot’s license, and having traveled to over 15 countries and counting, Lauryn is irrevocably infected with wanderlust. During the summer of 2019, Lauryn volunteered at Levolosi Health Centre in Arusha, Tanzania, spending 3 months assisting medical professionals in the labor and delivery ward. The following summer, she joined the Rubenstein Research Group and began research into the interaction between wildlife and livestock in Mpala, Kenya. This experience contributed to her junior-year independent work and her senior thesis addressing the social and developmental environments of Plain Zebras in Ol Pejeta, Kenya. Lauryn also served as a clinical research intern at Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons as well as an intern with the Cardiac ICU at Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, where she co-authored two articles and an abstract from her research to improve the quality of cardiac care and patient outcomes. In her last semester at Princeton, Lauryn was a part of the EEB Field Study Abroad Program at the Mpala Research Centre and the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya. After a successful Princeton in Africa fellowship, Lauryn plans to attend medical school and pursue a career dedicated to the service of others. In her spare time, Lauryn is a voracious reader and loves to fly planes and go hiking. She is very excited to spend a year working and exploring Rwanda.

Maya is a ‘22 Princeton graduate, studying Civil and Environmental Engineering with a certificate in Latin American Studies. Maya loves learning about other people and places. She was involved with the Princeton Chapter of Engineers Without Borders Kenya team, working with communities in the Kuria West region to implement water projects. Her time in Kuria West inspired her to take an African linguistics course, and she wrote her final paper on mother tongue language education policy in Kenya. Maya conducted an independent research project in 2019, interviewing residents from the Corozal District of Belize about their experiences with changes in their environment. Witnessing the pivotal role mangrove played in coastal communities led Maya to study wave attenuation from mangroves at the Army Corps of Engineers Research and Development Center and inspired the topic of her senior thesis on mangrove restoration, using the case study of Corozal. Originally from Minnesota, Maya likes to spend her free time hiking and talking with friends.

Jessica is a Charleston, South Carolina native and graduate of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. She started her career in humanitarian work as an intern at the International Rescue Committee in Atlanta, GA assisting resettlement division caseworkers and aiding newly arrived refugee families. Later, Jes spent the summer in DC with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service as a refugee/immigrant advocacy intern in the midst of the family separation crisis. There, she drafted written materials for the advocacy team, created digital media content, and engaged in Princeton Office of Religious Life research examining the relationship between the organization’s faith-based foundation and refugee resettlement. As a creative mind, freelance photographer, and global citizen, Jes seeks to combine creative and analytical problem solving in the humanitarian sector. She aims to produce digital media material for humanitarian organizations as a way of promoting awareness for global issues and inspiring engagement from worldwide audiences. Motivated by a deeply rooted love for language, culture, and learning, you’ll find Jes constantly on the move. This year, she’s excited to join Gardens for Health International – camera in hand – as a communications and development fellow in Rwanda.

Leah graduated from Northwestern University in June 2019 with a double major in Journalism and International Studies. In the spring of 2019, Leah was a reporter for Pacific Standard, a California-¬based news organization that focuses on social and environmental justice issues. Previously, Leah completed a journalism project about environmental justice issues in Panama. During the summer of 2018, Leah interned in La Pista, Guatemala, consulting for a community organization on environmental challenges in La Pista. At the end of the internship, Leah and her teammates created a trash collection program in collaboration with the local government to reduce the burning, burying, and littering of inorganic trash. Leah and a teammate returned to La Pista in December with a research grant to conduct independent research on the impact and sustainability of the trash management program. For fun, Leah served as the co-director of the radio station’s media team at Northwestern, which involved photographing, interviewing, and writing about underrepresented music. Leah ultimately hopes to pursue a career in environmental law and policy with an emphasis on human rights.

Alumni Update:

Stephanie is currently working as the Global Partnerships Manager for Muso, an NGO building and advocating for proactive community health systems. She is based in Bamako, Mali.

Fellow Bio:

Stephanie graduated with a major in Political Science and a minor in Africana Studies, and has been excited about international politics and development since living in Arusha, Tanzania for six years while growing up. Originally from Waterloo, Iowa, Stephanie currently lives in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where she is teaching English for university scholarship students, learning Haitian Kreyol and becoming a Capoeirista. While at Vassar, Stephanie was an avid participant in the Model United Nations program as a delegate for both ECOSOC and the International Court of Justice, and was a member of an all-female collaborative theatre ensemble, whose plays dealt with topics from women in conflict to gender and sexuality. While in Rwanda next year, Stephanie hopes to learn Kinyarwandan, cook amazing food and make a return trip to Tanzania.

Alumni Update:

Renee is Professor of Emergency Medicine and Health Policy at the University of California San Francisco, and is also co-Director of the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for Emergency and Trauma Care, which focuses on the provision of emergency services in sub-Saharan Africa.