Alumni Directory Display

Lindsey Stephens 2007-2008 Fellow with Harvard University AIDS Institute, Botswana Princeton University Class of 2007

Lindsey Stephens ‘07 is an anthropology major with an African studies certificate from Los Angeles, California. During her PiAF fellowship year, Lindsey will be working with the Botswana-Harvard AIDS Initiative Partnership in Gaborone, Botswana. She is deferring her entrance to medical school in New York City to pursue this amazing opportunity. While at Princeton, Lindsey was a member of the ski team, served on the executive board of the Student Global AIDS Campaign, and studied abroad at the University of Cape Town. While in Botswana she hopes to learn as much as she can about the challenges of public health in the international arena as well as meet new friends and have lots of travel adventures.

Corinne Stephenson-Johnson 2012-2013 Fellow with UN World Food Programme, Senegal Princeton University Class of 2012

Alumni Update:

Corinne spent her fellowship year (2012-13) in Dakar, Senegal working at the UN World Food Programme. 

Fellow Bio:

Corinne graduated from Princeton in 2012. As an undergrad, she was a Fellow at the Writing Center, Coordinator of the Breakout Program, and Artistic Director of Princeton University Ballet. 
Mark Stevens 2009-2010 Fellow with African Impact, Zambia Princeton University Class of 2006

Fellow Bio:

Mark is a religion major from Hartland, WI. At Princeton, he was an avid volleyball player, Aquinas member, Athletes In Action student leader, and Colonial Club member. He completed the Teacher Preparation Program to become a certified high school social studies teacher. Mark’s love for international travel was born at Princeton, starting with a trip to Rome with fellow classmates and culminating in his study abroad experience at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland with numerous excursions in between. Since graduation, he has been developing pre-college enrichment and community service programs for high school students in Wisconsin, Costa Rica, and Panama. Mark is excited to begin a new adventure embracing the culture and people of Zambia this fall.

Ian Stiehl 2022-2023 Fellow with Tanzania Education Corporation, Tanzania Dartmouth Class of 2022

Ian Stiehl graduated from Dartmouth College with a major in Astronomy and a minor in Mathematical Physics while completing the pre-medical track. His honors thesis integrated all three courses of study in a project that applied information theory to the field of extrasolar planetary science. He examined whether computational methods could distinguish between different types of planets (e.g., Earth vs. Jupiter) without the need for input physics. Involved in the Native American Program at Dartmouth, Ian spent three years working as a tutor and advising younger students on scholarship applications. Outside of school, he interned at Allegro Pediatrics in Washington state and researched how the musculoskeletal system responds to spaceflight with funding from the Stamps Scholarship. Originally from Seattle, he grew up loving the outdoors, an interest he maintained in college. He has led multiple backcountry canoe and hiking trips around the US and relishes the opportunity to explore northern Tanzania. In his free time, Ian loves running, racing on Dartmouth’s triathlon team all four years of college. In February of 2023, months of training came to a close as he participated in the Kilimanjaro marathon. With Tanzanian Education Corporation, Ian has served as a computer science teacher, an IT manager, a STEM project advisor and more. He started both a Girls in STEM program that meets weekly and a digital literacy development program for teachers at Tumaini Senior Secondary School (TSSS) where he works. Also in pursuit of bridging the computer knowledge gap, he initiated a partnership between TSSS and the International Certificate of Digital Literacy (ICDL). ICDL classes for A-level students are currently in the pilot phase for a full launch in July 2023. Ian has been grateful to his colleagues, students, and friends at TSSS for welcoming him into the school community.

Emily Stolfus 2017-2018 Fellow with Maru-a-Pula, Botswana Kansas State University Class of 2017

Emily graduated from Kansas State University in May 2017 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Elementary Education, a secondary major in International Studies, and minors in Spanish and Nonprofit Leadership Studies. In the summer of 2013 Emily taught English for a rural migrant community in Puebla, Mexico then headed to Valparaíso, Chile in spring 2014 to teach English in an urban public school. In the summer of 2016, Emily returned to Latin America to teach English at a local cultural center in Cuenca, Ecuador.  In between trips, Emily enjoyed working as a Program Leader and Intern for the Boys and Girls Club of Manhattan and as a teaching assistant for first semester college freshmen in the course Introduction to Leadership Concepts. Emily spent her final semester at K-State student teaching in a local kindergarten classroom and also finished her fifth year playing bass drum in the Kansas State University Marching Band. Moving forward, Emily is excited to teach at Maru-a-Pula and learn about the Botswanan education system. She hopes to use the skills she has gained throughout her collegiate experiences to challenge her students to think critically and creatively about the world around them.

Anne Stotler 2011-2012 Fellow with Save the Children, Ethiopia University of Virginia Class of 2011

Alumni Update:

Anne moved to New York City in July 2018 to work at ideas42, a nonprofit behavioral science design lab. Her work right now primarily focuses on economic mobility in New York City, but they do Africa-based work as well.

Fellow Bio:

Anne (UVA ‘11) graduated with a major in History. She is originally from Long Beach, CA. At UVA, Anne was the president of UVA’s chapter of Invisible Children, worked as a teacher’s aide in a local preschool, and participated in Sustained Dialogue. She studied abroad in Uganda and Rwanda through SIT and interned with Amnesty International in Washington, D.C. Anne is excited about returning to East Africa, learning about the unique history and culture of Ethiopia, attempting to master Amharic, and hopefully getting to travel around Africa.

Meredith Strike website photoMeredith Strike 2014-2015 Fellow with eleQtra, Uganda Georgetown University Class of 2014

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Meredith graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, majoring in International Political Economy with a Certificate in International Business Diplomacy. While at Georgetown, Meredith interned for the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Parvati Swayamrojgar microfinance in India, the Independent newsmagazine in Uganda, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the US-India Business Council within the US Chamber of Commerce, and the international brokerage firm Auerbach Grayson & Co. She has studied abroad in Durban, South Africa and Pune, India. While in Uganda this year, Meredith looks forward to returning to her favorite Kampala restaurants, traveling in East Africa, and learning about infrastructure development in frontier markets through her work with eleQtra.

Sophia Stylianos website photoSophia Stylianos 2014-2015 Fellow with Sanergy, Kenya University of Pennsylvania Class of 2013

Alumni Update:

In July 2019, Sophia started medical school at Emory University in Atlanta, GA.

Fellow Bio:

Sophia majored in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics. After graduating, Sophia worked as the Lead Mechanical Engineer at Uncharted Play, a social enterprise startup dedicated to addressing development issues with innovative and empowering play products. She helped design, develop, and manufacture a line of energy-generating products including their flagship soccer ball, SOCCKET, a jump rope called Pulse, and a variety of lamps. As a student, Sophia traveled with Penn Engineers Without Borders to Mbengwi, Cameroon and Pajomel, Guatemala, worked in a Bioengineering lab, and apprenticed at a vintage motorcycle shop in the Fishtown neighborhood of Philly. While in Nairobi, Sophia is excited to contribute to the sanitation field, explore East Africa, and find a soccer team.

Max Sugarman website photoMax Sugarman 2014-2015 Fellow with The Kasiisi Project, Uganda University of Washington Class of 2014

Max hails from Issaquah, Washington, and studied International Studies with an environmental studies concentration and Environmental Science and Resource Management. He worked with environmental education during Alternative Spring Breaks in Eastern Washington, and co-founded Empowered Eco-Education with UW’s Earth Club in South Seattle. When not entertaining kids with nature and science, Max conducted remote sensing research on wetlands, and spent a quarter in South Africa studying ecology and falling in love with the savanna, Venda culture, and birding. As a proud Canadian, Max has enjoyed travelling to Québec to study arctic climate change and work with the consulate of Canada in Seattle. While in Uganda with The Kasiisi Project, Max looks forward to befriending chimpanzees (from a distance), hiking in the Mountains of the Moon, learning Rutooro, and sharing his camera with Ugandans.

Elly Sukup 2011-2012 Fellow with UN World Food Programme, Ethiopia Iowa State Class of 2008

Alumni Update:

Elly is currently working for Mercy Corps as part of USAID’s Implementer-led Design, Evidence, Analysis and Learning (IDEAL) consortium as their Food Security Technical Officer. She is based in Washington, DC.

Fellow Bio:

Elly (Iowa State ‘08) graduated with a double major in Public Service and Administration in Agriculture and International Agriculture. A native of Sheffield, Iowa, Elly previously worked for the World Food Programme in Ghana as a 2010-2011 Princeton in Africa Fellow.  After such a positive experience the first time around, she was thrilled to receive the opportunity to do it all over again!  Prior to her year in Ghana, Elly worked for the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods and a small NGO in Liberia.  While she loved her time in Ghana, Elly is looking forward to experiencing a new culture, eating lots of Ethiopian food, learning a new side of WFP’s work (in Ghana she worked as a Programme Officer, in Ethiopia she will work in Public Information), and, of course, drinking lots and lots of Ethiopian coffee.

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