Alumni Directory Display

Joan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012, where she majored in International Relations, and Economics, and minored in African Studies and French. After graduation, she served as a Teach For America corps member, and taught for over two years at a public elementary school in a low-income community in Miami, Florida. Originally from Ghana, Joan has lived in both Nigeria and Syria for extended periods of time and acquired a passion for global development. In the summer before her senior year at Penn, she completed two internships in Ghana. Joan was an international development intern for ILC Africa, where she coordinated the final data collection for the firm’s monitoring and evaluation consultancy. She also worked with The Abusua Foundation, where she was part of a team that trained young entrepreneurs for a Civil Society Incubator. Joan enjoys travelling, watching TV dramas, and learning about creative solutions to local issues in developing nations. She is excited about her fellowship with the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg and is eager to explore a new region of the continent, while working to build up a generation of leaders that will transform Africa in the future.

Kathryn (Katie) recently graduated from Tulane University with a dual-degree in international development and finance through the University’s Altman Program in International Studies and Business. Through the program, she spent the summer after her freshman year in Vietnam and split her junior year between Senegal and France. A Boren scholarship supported her study of Wolof, spoken in Senegal, Gambia and Mauritania, at both the University of Florida and in Senegal. During her time in Dakar, she worked for Social Change Factory, an organization that provides professional and educational programs for youth in nine West African countries. After her junior year, she worked for The Carter Center on the Independent Observer team of the 2015 Peace Agreement in Mali. On this team, she contributed to the production of a public document overviewing the Agreement’s implementation status and to the development of a conflict event mapping database for the country. Building upon her academic and professional experiences, she is excited to critically analyze the role a humanitarian organization can play in supporting post-conflict societies in West Africa through her fellowship with the International Rescue Committee Sierra Leone.

Alumni Update:

Thomas is finishing his Master of Forestry degree at Yale University. His focus has been on Forest Landscape Restoration–specifically surrounding strategies which can provide long-term benefits for both humans and wildlife. His future post-degree is still uncertain but he would love to get back to high-altitude forests of East Africa.

Fellow Bio:

Thomas is a biology major from Northfield, MN. At Whitman, Thomas enjoyed working as a gardener for the campus, volunteering time with several cultural groups and playing soccer with friends. He has spent two summers working for the Forest Service, first as a wilderness ranger in northern Minnesota, then helping a crew of botanists on rare plant surveys in eastern Oregon. Thomas is prepared for an exciting year in Yetebon making friends, eating plenty of great food, and dancing to beautiful Ethiopian music.

Alumni Update:

Theresa successfully defended her PhD on insectivorous bat communities in the northern Namib Desert (northwestern Namibia) in April 2019 and has started a 2 year postdoctoral fellowship on pollinating bats in the New Mexico bootheel. She hopes to work on grant applications to continue research on bats in Namibia.

Fellow Bio:

Theresa ’10 is an Ecology and Evolutionary Biology major at Princeton University. She originates from Ocean City, NJ, and has two younger sisters. At Princeton, Theresa was a member of the Women’s Rugby team, an Outdoor Action Leader, and a student manager in the Butler/Wilson dining hall. She spent a summer volunteering in a geriatric clinic in Cusco, Peru, with Awaiting Angels in 2007. Through Princeton, she studied abroad in Panama during the spring semester of 2009 and in Kenya for her senior spring semester of 2010. Theresa conducted her thesis research on crocodilian diets in the Peruvian Amazon during the summer of 2009. In Kenya next year, Theresa looks forward to picking up some Swahili and hopefully conducting more field research while learning more about the field work conducted in Mpala.

Fellow Bio:

Nike Lawrence ’06 was an Operations Research and Financial Engineer major from Alexandria, VA. At Princeton, Nike was the Artistic Director for a tap dance group, a member of Cap and Gown Club, and a member of the National Society of Black Engineers. Since graduation, Nike has been working at Morgan Stanley in New York City doing research on hedge fund trends and has been a member of the steering committee for the Morgan Stanley Microfinance Forum. In her free time in the city, Nike enjoys dancing and playing the bass guitar. A native of Liberia, Nike is looking forward to returning to Africa. She is excited to be working in South Africa to understand the challenges and successes of the country’s social entrepreneurs.

Fellow Bio:

Alicia LeClair (Whitman ‘11) just graduated as a gender studies major with a concentration in race, gender and reproduction, and an education minor.  Originally from Seattle, WA, Alicia enjoys running, hiking, and meditating in her spare time.  At Whitman, Alicia founded a meditation club, taught at a local high school, studied abroad in Mali, and led local at-risk youth in outdoor adventures. While in Cape Town next year, Alicia looks forward to immersing herself in South African culture, exploring the natural beauty of the country, and forming many long-lasting friendships.

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Renée Ledoux is graduating from Tufts University in May 2023 with a B.S. in Biology and Community Health. While studying for a semester in Copenhagen, Denmark, Renée focused her studies on healthcare abroad compared to the U.S. During her undergraduate years, Renée focused on public health initiatives and providing support to those is strengthened by her internship with the Kasiisi Project, an education, health, and conservation nonprofit based near Fort Portal, Uganda. She is responsible for conducting grant research, writing grant proposals, and assisting with the development of programming for the mobile clinic and girls’ health. Renée loves the outdoors and has led backpacking orientation trips for Tufts University. She plans to pursue a career as a physician following the Princeton in Africa Fellowship.

Chelsea graduated in 2012 with a major in Political Science and a minor in International Leadership and Development. Originally from Port Charlotte, Florida, Chelsea spent the two years since graduation working for nonprofits in Nashville. During that time, she served as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Better Health 4Kids, where she created a program that provides access to healthcare for uninsured children and connects their families with local health resources. She also headed up the Communications Team for iStandAbove, which works with disadvantaged young people in Africa and the U.S. on developing leadership, teamwork, and innovation skills to empower them for future growth. While at Vanderbilt, she was involved in Model United Nations, interned with The Mocha Club, and spent a formative semester studying and volunteering in Cape Town, South Africa. She loves travel, coffee, baking, and naps. Chelsea is thrilled to be returning to Cape Town and is looking forward to learning some Xhosa, exploring more of the region, and deepening her understanding of development and public health at mothers2mothers.

Michelle graduated from Connecticut College majoring in International Relations with minors in French and Global Islamic Studies. While in college, she studied abroad in Kigali, Rwanda. She also interned with Fondation Artisans de la Paix et du Développement au Rwanda, a grassroots development organization, where she helped manage the distribution of 2,000 energy-saving stoves. Michelle concluded her college career by writing an honors thesis on the role of UN Peacekeeping Operations leadership in shaping organizational culture to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse. After college, Michelle worked as a program assistant at the Social Science Research Council where she helped administer international fellowships for PhD candidates, contributing to grants management, report writing, data analysis, and communications. Outside of work she takes Kiswahili lessons and completed Population Works Africa’s e-learning platform on decolonizing development. Michelle is excited to work with the Kupona Foundation and learn more about community-based healthcare programs in Tanzania.