Krista is a psychology major who was born and raised in Washington, DC. Her academic focus was social and cultural psychology. In her free time, she enjoys learning new languages (Swahili) and performing Middle Eastern dance with Raks Odalisque. Krista first traveled to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, with her Swahili class in the summer after her junior year and she can’t wait to return. During her fellowship, she hopes to visit the friends she made last summer in addition to making new ones!

Khaleelah graduated from New York University with a degree in Individualized Study, concentrating on Globalization, Media Expression, & Education Inequality and minoring in Global Education. She was born in Jamaica and immigrated to the United States at a young age. Having experienced, firsthand, the inequalities within the academic system in several states, she shifted her academic coursework to explore issues of global educational inequality. Her active involvement in mentorships on campus with minority students propelled her to investigate knowledge and power as tools to manipulate academic institutions. She spent a year abroad at NYU Accra, where she intimately studied the academic and cultural effects of globalization. During her time in Ghana she worked with several NGOs working on curriculum formation, instruction, and literacy projects. As part of her internship with World Education Ghana, she developed an environmental project to educate children on climate change. She went on to volunteer with VLF-Ghana at an annual reading clinic developing literacy and oratorical skills with primary school children. Through the use of media like dance, song, and oration, Khaleelah helped students tap into their creativity and connect with their identities. She is looking forward to joining IEFT’s Orkeeswa school, building leadership skills, exploring Tanzania, and fostering community.

Born in Nagasaki, Japan, Kelsie split her childhood almost equally between Japan and New Jersey; but having spent the last seven years in Washington, DC, the District now feels like home. Kelsie graduated from Georgetown University in 2012 with a BSFS focusing in Global Health. Outside of the classroom, she volunteered as an EMT with Georgetown´s student-run ambulance service and served as Executive Director of the world´s largest student-run Model UN conference. After graduation, Kelsie served as an AmeriCorps volunteer in a medical clinic for homeless men and worked as a federal consultant assisting with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act. She is currently living in Chile, teaching English at a public high school through an initiative conceived by the Chilean Ministry of Education and supported by the UNDP. Kelsie is passionate about access to health care, health education, and education as a tool for poverty eradication. She is also passionate about baking, music, sunshine, quotes, crafting, and hiking. She is very grateful and excited for the opportunity to further explore her interests while serving as a Princeton in Africa Fellow, and she can´t wait for the adventures, learning, and new friends that await her in Tanzania!

Alumni Update:

After completing her fellowship, Katherine stayed in South Sudan for another 2 years, working as the Program Manager for the IRC’s child survival program. She then relocated to the UK to pursue an MA in Conflict, Security & Development from King’s College London. More recently, Katherine had the unexpected pleasure of returning to the New Jersey area to work as the Director of Operations with the Segal Family Foundation, where she manages impact assessment and grantee reporting for their growing network of 200+ innovative grassroots partners throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. She and her husband have put down roots in Morristown, NJ, but she gets to spend several months a year working out of SFF’s offices in Nairobi, Kigali, Lilongwe, and Dar es Salaam.

Fellow Bio:

Katherine is an anthropology major from Oakmont, PA (outside of Pittsburgh). She earned a certificate in African studies and studied Swahili at Princeton. Outside of academics, Katherine worked as the executive editor for photography for the Daily Princetonian and served as treasurer of the International Relations Council. Through the International Relations Council, she was also involved in the annual Princeton Model United Nations Conference and the Princeton Interactive Crisis Simulation. This past year Katherine worked with Tanganyika Christian Refugee Service in western Tanzania through PiAf.

Alumni Update:

Jordan is the research lead for Youth Development Labs (YLabs), a public health human-centered design studio that seeks to improve the health and financial futures of young people in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. She uses her background in epidemiology to develop the research, monitoring, and evaluation strategy for each individual project in their portfolio, as well as the general evidence-based framework through which they approach their work.

Fellow Bio:

Jordan hails from Los Angeles and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with degrees in public health and psychology. While in school, she served as a university health worker, a teaching assistant in the Department of Public Health, and a member of the Cal Dance Team. Jordan spent her senior year working in inner-city elementary schools through an urban gardening non-profit organization, which solidified her passion for community health outreach. After graduation, Jordan moved to New York City to pursue her Master’s of Public Health in Epidemiology at Columbia University. During this time, Jordan interned at the Population Council, where she wrote her thesis on access to family planning media campaigns in Liberia. Upon receiving her MPH, Jordan moved to San Diego and worked as an epidemiologist for the U.S. Department of Defense, where she conducted behavioral health research for the military. She also served as a monitoring and evaluation consultant for Project Concern International, supporting their US-Mexico border health initiatives. Jordan is thrilled to continue her career at PSI, where she hopes to use research to inform the development of successful public health programs and to bridge the gap between data and decision-making.

Alumni Update:

After staying on at at her fellowship organization, CCBRT in Tanzania, for an additional eight months, she moved to Washington, D.C. to work on the East and Southern Africa team at Chemonics in April 2019. She is still exploring how she can apply all she learned at CCBRT to continue serving women and girls, especially the most vulnerable, at home and abroad!

Fellow Bio:

Joelle graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Dual B.A. Program between Columbia University and Sciences Po (Institut d’études politiques de Paris) in May 2016, receiving bachelor’s degrees from both institutions. She studied Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where she was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society and received Departmental Honors. In her senior year, she was granted the Global Fellowship in Sustainable Development to conduct research for her thesis regarding safe water accessibility in arsenic-impacted areas of Bangladesh. During her time in France, she studied Political Science and specialized in the Middle Eastern region. Since graduation, Joelle has worked at Global Health Strategies, an international consulting firm specializing in global health communications and advocacy. Joelle is excited to explore Dar es Salaam next year and practice her Swahili. She is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the amazing work of CCBRT in promoting maternal health.

Fellow Bio:

Jessie Cronan ‘07 is a religion major from Boston, MA. During her PiAF fellowship year Jessie will be working at the Rift Valley Children’s Village in Karatu, Tanzania. She is an avid traveler and spent the fall of her junior year studying abroad at St. Andrews University in Scotland. On campus Jessie was the Class of 2007 secretary and a member of the Cottage Club. She is excited to spend next year in Tanzania.