Alumni Directory Display

Katharine graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a B.A. in Economics. She has always been fascinated by learning about international development. After growing up in Southeast Asia, Australia, and on both the East and West coasts of the U.S., Katharine considers herself a culturally inquisitive wanderer who is beyond thrilled to be returning to the equator. Fully embracing her “liberal arts education,” Katharine confused the masses with a senior honors Economics thesis analyzing education reform in sub-Saharan Africa. As an undergraduate, Katharine was fortunate to gain first-hand experience in social entrepreneurship and microfinance development in East Africa by pioneering a goat-selling enterprise in rural Rwanda and evaluating a microfinance organization in northern Tanzania. She also worked in Washington, D.C., exploring and promoting the role of tertiary education within the context of sub-Saharan Africa. A cello enthusiast and trivia nerd, she is eager to explore Nanyuki, Kenya, as a Monitoring and Evaluation Fellow for The BOMA Project, and to master her Swahili!

Fellow Bio:

Tal is a Woodrow Wilson School major with a regional concentration in the Near East, and a second certificate in French Language & Literature. At Princeton she acted with l’Avant Scene, a French Theatre troupe, and was an active member of the International Relations Council. She studied abroad her junior fall in Jerusalem after her anticipated stay in Cairo was cut short by the Egyptian Revolution. She spent that following summer interning with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the country’s largest and oldest human rights organization. Tal looks forward to returning to Rabat, Morocco as a research intern with the Amadeus Institute, where she hopes to deepen her knowledge of North Africa and its special intersection with greater Africa, the Mediterranean region, and the Islamic world.

Yara El-Khatib is a recent graduate of Yale University, where she studied global affairs and global health studies. As an undergraduate, she has grown passionate about strengthening health systems and their resilience through equitable, community-led, evidence- driven development and public health interventions. Prior to her senior year, she worked as an Associate Consultant Intern at Bain & Company, where she supported the integration of two biotech companies during COVID-19 through her role in communications and change management. She also previously served as a project management intern with VillageReach in Lilongwe, where she helped VR transition the operations of a healthcare hotline program to the Ministry of Health. At Yale, she  worked on qualitative research projects focused on various public health topics, notably: health interventions to manage noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) following natural disasters in the Caribbean; an effective NCDs prevention strategy for youth in Angola to be implemented by UNICEF and AstraZeneca; and, most recently, state and local policies in Connecticut that mitigate and adapt to climate change while simultaneously promoting health. She is excited to build upon these undergraduate experiences as a Regional Health Fellow with Population Services International in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, where she will support the implementation of various sexual and reproductive health (SRH) projects. Yara enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, singing a cappella, and spending time with family and friends in her free time. 

Jada Elder is a recent graduate of Temple University and is passionate about issues related to law, community development and human rights. Jada graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 2020, and a Master of Arts in English in 2021. Her academic research is primarily grounded in the study of postcolonial literature. Before starting her MA, Jada completed a year of service with AmeriCorps, making a positive impact on youth development organizations throughout the city of Philadelphia. She also spent time as an intern at the District Attorney’s Office of Philadelphia conducting legal research concerning family law and civil issues. Most recently, she interned at the Public Interest Law Center where she executed substantive legal projects and assisted in tenant organizing initiatives with Renters United Philadelphia. Jada is excited to pursue her interest in the intersections of education and public policy advocacy at Equal Education!

Michael is from Stanwood, Washington and graduated from Claremont McKenna College in 2015 with a B.A. in Science and Management (an inter-disciplinary major focused on biology and economics) and a sequence in Human Rights, Genocide, and Holocaust Studies. After his sophomore year in college, Michael worked with ThinkImpact for two months in eastern Rwanda where he collaborated with a team of community members to develop a social enterprise focused on promoting small-scale agricultural projects. In the fall of 2013, Michael interned in the finance department of the San Francisco-based biotechnology company FibroGen. The following summer he worked at Stiftung Solarenergie, a non-profit solar energy company in the Philippines, where he led healthcare workers in orientations for solar energy systems and researched the response of development organizations to Typhoon Haiyan. During his senior year at CMC, Michael was a fellow at the Mgrublian Center for Human Rights, where he completed a thesis analyzing the economic and public health effects of progressive drug policies. In his free time, Michael enjoys backpacking, longboarding, and trying weird new foods. While in Ghana this year, Michael is extremely excited to learn more about infrastructure development in emerging markets through his work with eleQtra.

Ryan is originally from the Central Coast of California and majored in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with certificates in Global Health & Health Policy and Latin American Studies. Over the past few summers, he has served as a community outreach intern for TropicalClinics in Kenya, conducted his senior thesis research on Chagas disease in Colombia, served as a Global Impact Fellow for Unite For Sight in Honduras, volunteered as a humanitarian worker with infant and youth programs in Uganda, studied abroad in Spain, and interned with Camp Hapitok in California. He also spent a semester studying abroad in Panama for a tropical biology program. While at Princeton, Ryan served as the Founder/President of the founding TropicalClinics for Rural Health chapter, as Co-chair of the Community House Executive Board, and as Co-founder/Co-president of the Princeton Quest Scholars Network. He was also a member of the Quadrangle Club and the Episcopal Church at Princeton. Ryan is tremendously grateful for and humbled by the opportunity to serve in Lesotho next year, and is excited to learn some Sesotho, have lots of hiking adventures, and make meaningful contributions to BIPAI’s impactful pediatric AIDS programs.

Dalia graduated from the University of Bristol, where she earned an MSc in Development and Security with the support of the Fulbright program. As a Fulbright scholar she lived in Bristol, England and worked with Bristol based non-profit organizations. In addition to her studies, Dalia conducted field research on refugee securitization and identity at the Skaramagas camp in Athens, Greece. Her work in migration and humanitarian emergencies began early in her undergraduate career during her exchange in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she worked with refugee youth and asylum seekers. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a BA in International Studies and a BA in Anthropology, completing her degrees in three years. Dalia was awarded her university’s prestigious Golden Bull award in recognition of her work with refugees in Denmark, leadership with Initiatives of Change in Switzerland, ISIS research at the Carter Center, and international religious freedom advocacy in the Department of State. Dalia is incredibly passionate about grassroots programs and continues to develop her skills with plans of starting one herself. She is a dual Egyptian and American citizen with a serious case of wanderlust, a major chocolate addiction, and a love for dancing, swimming, and reading.

Alumni Update:

Razan is currently a management consulting associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), where she works in the firm’s advisory practice focusing on cybersecurity and data privacy. She is based in Denver, USA.

Fellow Bio:

Razan Eltayeb graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Political Science and International Studies, with a concentration in the Middle East and North Africa. She co-founded and acted as President of Global Awareness and International Affairs, an organization dedicated to fostering international awareness and career development through networking opportunities, leadership projects and real-world experiences. She won the William & Jean Griswold Award for International Studies for recognizing the need for this platform and contributing to the greater CSU international community. With an interest in public policy, Razan interned for state Senator Andy Kerr and has joined him in advocating for bills such as funding for full-day kindergarten, aiding in his participation in committees and communicating with his constituents. She worked with the global health nonprofit, PATH, coordinating department touchpoints across various program and country offices. Razan learned project management skills by leading the communications rollout for the project management community within PATH, curating a monthly newsletter. She has completed the Project Management for Development Professionals training, receiving her certification in 2017. As a Learning Fellow with Population Services International in Nairobi, Razan is excited to sharpen her analytical and communication skills and hopes to contribute to PSI’s global portfolio.

Alumni Update:

Neal is currently living in NYC.

Fellow Bio:

Neal is a Biochemistry major from Pittsburgh, PA. While at Northwestern, he captained the men’s ultimate frisbee team and designed global head education curricula for GlobeMed, a nonprofit that pairs college students and grassroots health organizations. In addition, he has written for the Atlantic and spent a summer helping to update a community health worker program in Liberia. Next year, Neal looks forward to learning about public health, picking up some Sesotho, and exploring Lesotho – be it on foot, bike, or pony.

Alumni Update:

Mgbechi is currently a 3rd year medical student at the University of Iowa’s Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine. Since her fellowship year, she has been working hard to finish medical school in hopes that she might return to the continent very soon! Mgbechi’s first published short story titled “Rabid Morula Seed” was conceived during her time in Botswana and is one of the stories that gained her an acceptance to the Iowa Writer’s Workshop for an MFA in fiction in the fall of 2014.

Fellow Bio:

Mgbechi completed her senior year in 2010 at Princeton University as a pre-medical student and Anthropology major with certificates in Creative Writing and African Studies. She is the eldest daughter of Nigerian parents and lives in Millstone, NJ.  Mgbechi is also the former president of Akwaaba, the Princeton African Student Association and received the Ward Prize for an internship with the New Yorker Magazine’s Function Department. While in Botswana next year, Mgbechi looks forward to finally connecting her dreams for Africa and global health with on-the-ground experience, and to forming new friendships with wonderful people (kids and grown-ups!).