Alumni Directory Display

Alumni Update:

Ruba was the Outreach Coordinator for Princeton in Africa from February to September 2021. She is currently based in London, where she is attending The London School of Economics to get her master’s in international development and health.

Fellow Bio:

Ruba Idris is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Services, Certificates in Health Services and African Studies and a Minor in Economics. She is interested in foreign affairs, health and development and intends to pursue a Master’s Degree in International Development, and later in the future, a Masters of Public Health. Ruba originally hails from Sudan and her cultural duality as a Sudanese-American has provided her with a deeper cultural understanding of countries in the global north and the global south. She plans to return to the African continent where she is interested in translating economic and entrepreneurial potential present within the young population into concrete skills while reducing the health issues that impact the population and its productivity. She aspires to work for various organizations focusing on development such as USAID, the World Bank and the United Nations. Ruba is passionate about working with people from different backgrounds, exploring various cultures, examining and understanding trends and links within developing nations, and understanding holistic paradigms of development. These interests are portrayed through her panoply of courses, which encompass language, economics, health and history, amongst other topics, and the various activities she has participated in such as study abroad, research and student organizations. During her 4 years in undergraduate school, Ruba worked to cultivate her leadership skills through different leadership roles in student organizations, which include her positions as president of the African Students Organization and the vice president of Model African Union. She has also expanded her cultural competency and deepened her understanding of development through her study and work abroad in Tanzania, Ghana, and Honduras, and through her research work with local African communities. Other than academia, Ruba is also very passionate about fashion and owns a T-shirt business that aims to spread knowledge about the continent of Africa. She hopes to one day incorporate Fashion into the economic development of the continent by cultivating a robust fashion industry. Ruba is a critical thinker and loves to learn and improve her personal skills. She enjoys being mentally challenged and strives to understand other points of views. She hopes to develop into a well-rounded individual who can mold to any sector within the development realm.

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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.

Alumni Update:

Since leaving Kenya, Emma has been working as an Innovations and M&E Manager with One Acre Fund, helping to grow their program in Tanzania.

Fellow Bio:

Emma (Barnard ‘10) graduated with a degree in African Studies and a minor in Biological Sciences. Before attending Barnard, Emma worked in southern Africa with baboons, elephants and humans in several distinct capacities. She returned to Africa in the spring of her junior year where she studied wildlife management in southern Kenya. At Barnard, Emma worked as a writing fellow and explored New York City’s vibrant food and coffee scenes. A Princeton native, Emma has worked in many facets of the local food community, both growing and eating the best of central Jersey’s bounty. She is thrilled to be returning to Kenya where she hopes to improve her Swahili, learn more about livestock and make new friends.

Fellow Bio:

Jessica Lynn Inocencio ’05 is an Art and Archaeology major from Lytle, Texas, a small rural town outside of San Antonio. At Princeton, Jessica was the Student Supervisor at the Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, Art Editor of the Nassau Literary Review, Social Chair at the Colonial Club, pitcher/outfielder for Princeton Club Softball, and staff-writer for the Daily Princetonian. After graduating from Princeton in 2005, Jessica lived abroad in Port Elizabeth, South Africa where she received a Masters in Media Studies from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in April 2007. Upon returning to the U.S., Jessica began teaching 6th grade Math at the Garner Middle School in San Antonio and working to obtain an MBA from the University of Texas in San Antonio. During her free time, Jessica enjoys traveling, sculpting, scuba diving, gardening, tubing, videomaking, playing sports, and volunteering. Recent travel during the past year includes a roadtrip from Texas to Canada, caravan trip throughout Germany, and hiking trip to Machu Picchu in Peru, which were all inspirational landmarks in her life. Jessica cannot wait to start her fellowship at the Mpala Wildlife Foundation in Kenya.

Alumni Update:

Meg moved with her husband and newborn daughter to Zambia in the fall to work in the CDC office on PEPFAR-supported TB/HIV programs. She says to holler if you find yourself in Lusaka!

Alumni Update:

After returning from Uganda, Michaela worked at an International Affairs NGO in Prague, facilitating informal business talks between South and North Korea at that time. She later moved to Oxford in England, where she stumbled upon a job in technology transfer for Oxford University. She then did her Master’s in Geneva, Switzerland, including a semester exchange at the Fletcher School in Boston. Following her graduation she finally moved back to Slovakia (initially for a year or two) and ended up loving it. She’s a co-founder of the biggest startup event/competition in Slovakia, called the StartupAwards.SK which is now in its fifth year. She works full-time as an investment manager at Neulogy Ventures, the first regulated seed and VC fund in Slovakia. Unfortunately, due to their investment restrictions, no investments in Africa yet, but it’s in the works! She is in regular touch with her friends and adoptive family in both Uganda and Kenya. She also helps fund an orphanage in Nairobi and works as a part-time dilettante advisor to her TV news reporter brother, who travels to East Africa frequently to cover development aid projects run by Slovak NGOs.

Alumni Update:

Alec currently lives in Boston, where he is working for the Harvard Clinical Research Institute. In summer 2015, he will move down to New Orleans to begin his MD/MPH at Tulane School of Medicine.

Fellow Bio:

Alec (Tufts ‘10) studied Economics and Comparative Politics with a focus on developing regions. While at Tufts, Alec competed on the varsity swimming and diving team, as well as the varsity sailing team . He also spent a semester abroad studying at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. For the past year, Alec has been working for a public relations and communications firm specializing in the arts and non-profits. In Rwanda next year, he can’t wait to commune with the Mountain gorillas and sail on Lake Kivu.

Rohita graduated with a degree in International Affairs concentrating in African Studies as well as a minor in GIS/Cartography. She spent a summer in Ghana working with a small NGO empowering girls through sports as well as a semester in Rwanda studying post-genocide restoration. While in Rwanda she conducted an independent research project on local methods of conflict mediation by traveling around the country to observe dispute resolution processes. She’s also received the opportunity to intern at a variety of different organizations including All Africa Media, The Woodrow Wilson Center, as well as working on the Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of President Obama’s Young African Leaders Initiative. In her spare time, she works with a startup called Africa Talent Management, an organization that aims to connect local African talent with U.S. businesses expanding to Africa. Most recently she’s been working on the Digital and Strategic Communications team at Amnesty International USA designing emails in HTML, managing website content, and just learning more about non-profits in the digital space. Rohita is extremely excited to be going back to Ghana and doing Communications for the Global Shea Alliance.

Fellow Bio:

Elizabeth Jemison ’08 is a Religion major from Memphis, TN. At Princeton, Elizabeth was a leader of the Religious Life Council, Princeton’s multi-faith dialogue group, and an Easting Concerns Advisor through University Health Services. She was also a volunteer for the Student Volunteers Council, a member of Princeton Evangelical Fellowship, and a member of Colonial Club. Elizabeth has interests in studying questions of gender and race in religion in the long term, and she is very excited about the opportunity to work with mothers2mothers on issue of women and children’s health.

Clara graduated from Bates College in 2016 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and a minor in U.S. History. While attending Bates, Clara had the opportunity to study abroad for a semester in Rwanda and Uganda through the School for International Training’s program Post-Genocide Restoration and Peacebuilding. Upon returning to the States, Clara continued to cultivate her interest in East and Sub-Saharan Africa. During the summer of 2015, she received funding through Bates to work in South Africa, as well as to return to Rwanda to conduct independent research. While in South Africa, Clara gained hands on wildlife rehabilitation experience at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. She then traveled to Rwanda to research how the coffee industry has been utilized as a reconciliation tool. During her final year of college, she completed a senior thesis analyzing Rwanda’s gorilla tourism industry through a positive peace paradigm. With a strong interest in East Africa and having previously worked on farms, Clara is excited to return to Uganda to work as a Farm fellow at The Kasiisi Project. She looks forward to expanding her understanding of conservation work, learning Rutooro, and becoming a part of the Kasiisi community.