Alumni Directory Display

Eugenia Chow 2024-2025 Fellow with Mpala Research Centre & Wildlife Foundation, Kenya University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Class of 2024

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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 uplifting impoverished communities through 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.

Church_Jasmin_WebsiteJasmin Church 2015-2016 Fellow with eleQtra, Uganda Spelman College Class of 2010

Although a Trenton, New Jersey native (GO EAGLES!), Jasmin has lived in a number of states across the U.S. including Georgia, Maryland, Oklahoma, and West Virginia. While studying Economics at Spelman College in Atlanta, she was involved in a plethora of campus organizations such as the Young Democrats of America, Morehouse Business Association, East Coast Step Team and even the Miss Junior Pageant. After graduation, Jasmin was a member of PNC Bank’s Public Finance Group specializing in lending to government and nonprofit entities in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia area. From visits to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial in Japan to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, Jasmin has discovered her love for travel. Jasmin’s passion for service has led her to become heavily involved with Girls Going Global, Inc.  – a nonprofit organization that empowers teenage girls through travel and cultural exchange. Jasmin also enjoys dancing, music, food, and making her friends laugh. As the first Spelmanite to serve as a Princeton in Africa Fellow, Jasmin is excited to join the eleQtra (InfraCo) team in Uganda. She is most excited to experience the music, people and food while in Kampala!

Clarkson_Jessica_WebsiteJessica Clarkson 2016-2017 Fellow with Kucetekela Foundation, Zambia University of California, Berkeley Class of 2012

Jessica graduated with honors from UC Berkeley in 2012, obtaining a B.A. in Peace and Conflict Studies with a concentration in Africa, and minoring in Music. She joined the UC Berkeley Center for African Studies in October 2012, as a program coordinator and a student advisor for The MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program. She received the UC Berkeley Staff Achievement Award for her work serving 58 undergraduate and Masters students from all over sub-Saharan Africa on full scholarship. Since the program’s inception, she has played an instrumental role in the design of support services and policy development, both on campus and within the international network of partner institutions. A recipient of the FLAS fellowship in Swahili as an undergraduate, she has studied abroad in Germany, France, and Kenya, and speaks German, French, intermediate Swahili, and some Farsi. She has also spent time in Ethiopia, Zanzibar, South Africa, and Ghana. In her free time, she sings in choruses, dances the salsa and the blues, and directs opera productions. Jessica looks forward to using her experience in scholarship program administration in Zambia, and learning about both the day-to-day operations of a local NGO and some Nyanja!

R. Carter Clement, III 2006-2007 Fellow with BroadReach Healthcare, South Africa Princeton University Class of 2004
Samuel Clendon 2008-2009 Fellow with UN World Food Programme, Mauritania Princeton University Class of 2007

Fellow Bio:

Sam Clendon ’07 is a Woodrow Wilson School major and African Studies certificate from New Zealand by way of the Philippines. While at Princeton, Sam was a member of Tower Club, Whig-Clio and IRC, dabbled in field hockey (it’s a men’s sport in the Commonwealth), and studied abroad at Oxford his Junior Fall. Upon graduation, Sam returned to Oxford and has just completed his Masters (MSc) in Forced Migration in the Department of International Development. During his four years at Princeton, Sam spent his summers working in locations as disparate as the highlands of central Laos and New York City. Having grown up and traveled extensively around Asia/Pacific, Sam is excited to live and work in a new region of the globe. For the coming year with the World Food Program in Mauritania, he is excited about turning his academic pursuits into practical experience, navigating the bureaucracy of international organizations, and rediscovering the joys of living in warmer climes.

Jasmine Clerisme 2009-2010 Fellow with International Rescue Committee (IRC), Ethiopia Princeton University Class of 2002

Alumni Update:

After ending her fellowship in Ethiopia, Jasmine moved to Haiti, where she was involved in post-earthquake recovery efforts. She then attended Columbia University, graduating with an MPA in Economic and Political Development. Serendipity led her back to Sierra Leone in 2013, where she is now the head of Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy for Sierra Rutile Limited, the mining company she worked with in partnership with Africare during her fellowship year to establish a technical vocational training institute for youth living in the mining community.

Fellow Bio:

After leaving Princeton, where she was a politics major with a certificate in African American studies, Jasmine spent several years working in the field of healthcare administration. Though born and raised on Long Island, NY, she has maintained a strong connection to her family’s country of origin— Haiti. Jasmine has been actively involved in the development of a rural medical clinic in southern Haiti, volunteering onsite as well as raising funds back in the U.S. to support the clinic’s growth. Jasmine has worked in the Foreign Policy division of The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank based in New York City, and spent last year in Sierra Leone working with Africare and Sierra Rutile through PiAf.

Adrienne Clermont 2009-2010 Fellow with UN World Food Programme, Benin Princeton University Class of 2009

Alumni Update:

Adrienne is completing her final year of Medical School at Weill Cornell Medical College in NYC. She plans to apply for residency in Emergency Medicine and continues to incorporate global health into her career.

Fellow Bio:

Adrienne is from Ithaca, NY and majored in the Woodrow Wilson School with a certificate in Near Eastern Studies. At Princeton, she participated in Raks Odalisque (Princeton’s belly dancing group) and several international relations and political groups. She also volunteered regularly in Trenton helping ex-convicts to prepare for the GED. She plans to pursue a career in international development and is looking forward to getting her start in Benin!

Cochrane_Maggie_website resizedMargaret Cochrane 2014-2015 Fellow with Nyumbani Village, Kenya Princeton University Class of 2014

Maggie is from Harvard, MA and majored in Anthropology and earned certificates in African Studies and Environmental Studies. While at Princeton, Maggie spent a summer abroad in Tanzania studying Kiswahili at the University of Dar es Salaam and teaching ESL. She also worked in Southwest Kenya in the summer of 2012 and undertook anthropological fieldwork in Arusha, Tanzania for her senior thesis in 2013. She also had the amazing opportunity to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in June 2013 with friends and family. She has loved all her time in East Africa and is very excited to be going back through PiAf. Outside the classroom, Maggie was a D1 varsity athlete on Princeton’s rowing team, which took up most of her free time. However, in any spare time, she loves reading, watching bad reality television, and adventuring with her friends. While in Kenya this year, Maggie hopes to improve her Kiswahili, climb Mt. Kenya, meet lots of amazing new people, and contribute to the community through her work at Nyumbani Village.

Collins_Erin_WebsiteErin Collins 2015-2016 Fellow with UN World Food Programme, Malawi Georgetown University Class of 2013

Erin grew up in Buffalo, NY and received her BA in English from Georgetown University with minors in French and Psychology. While at Georgetown, she studied abroad in Strasbourg, France for one semester, and she also spent semesters interning at the Peace Corps Office of Inspector General, the U.S. House of Representatives and a juvenile justice nonprofit, Campaign for Youth Justice. Passionate about work in policy and advocacy, Erin stayed in Washington, D.C. after graduating and gained experience in the U.S. Senate. Most recently, she worked at an advocacy firm, The Sheridan Group, which gives policy advice and strategy to nonprofits looking to advance their missions through federal policy. There she worked as an associate on health policy for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Erin has also been fortunate to spend two separate stints working with the nonprofit organization, One Heart Source, in Hout Bay, South Africa where she volunteered and helped run education programs for elementary students living in the Imizamo Yethu township. While in Malawi, Erin looks forward to getting to know Malawian people and their culture, traveling to Lake Malawi, and hopefully playing some soccer!

Our History

In 1999, a group of Princeton alumni, faculty, and staff launched Princeton in Africa as an independent affiliate of Princeton University inspired by the University’s informal motto, “Princeton in the Nation’s Service and in the Service of All Nations.” In 2010, the program opened up to include graduates of any US accredited university in order to meet the growing demand from host organizations and allow more young professionals access to the unique opportunities afforded by PiAf. During the past 20 years, we have placed over 600 Fellows with more than 100 organizations in 36 countries, while developing more strategic partnerships across Africa and creating more opportunities for our alumni community to engage with the continent and with one another.

Testimonials

The International Rescue Committee has been so fortunate to have had a longstanding relationship with Princeton in Africa since our very first Fellows landed in Rwanda in 1999.  Whether it was Emily or Renee in 1999 or the 110 Fellows across 14 IRC countries over the years, we have been blessed by the relationship, the quality of the Fellows and the impact on what IRC does on the ground every single day.

Brian Johnson
Chief Human Resources Officer
International Rescue Committee

My fellowship has been the most impactful personal and professional development opportunity of my life. I wanted a post-college experience that would push my limits, expand my comfort zone, and help me discern the next steps in my career journey. And this has been the case.

Ryan Elliott
2014-15 Fellow
Baylor Pediatric AIDS Initiative in Lesotho

I can honestly say that this year has changed my life and my view of what’s possible for the future. Princeton in Africa isn’t just a one-year fellowship, it’s an introduction to a particular way of life and a new way of thinking about the world. I feel like so many doors are open now that I never would have considered before.

Katie Fackler
2010-11 Fellow
UN World Food Programme

My Princeton in Africa fellowship was everything I could have hoped for and much more. The myriad of experiences makes my head swim, and it has strengthened my desire to help underserved populations worldwide.

David Bartels
2006-2007 Fellow
Baylor Pediatric AIDS Initiative

Princeton in Africa was an invaluable experience for me. I learned an infinite amount through my work and through living in Uganda. I also realized that I want to continue working on African issues as long as I can.

Alexis Okeowo
2006-2007 Fellow
The New Vision

The International Rescue Committee’s experience with Princeton in Africa has been exceptional. Each Fellow brings excellent writing and analytical skills as well as unique interests and passions that enrich the program and the field office environment. We were so pleased we expanded the program to more field offices.

Susan Riehl
Human Resources, IRC

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation has been working in Africa for over 11 years through its Secure the Future program.  One common theme in all aspects of program implementation is having passionate, energetic individuals on the ground who can think outside the box and then transfer the skills for sustainability.  The Princeton In Africa Fellows have been a huge asset in this regard and our programs and patients have been better for it.

John Damonti
President, Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation