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.

Alumni Update:

After recently completing his MBA at MIT Sloan, he joined a leadership development program at Mastercard (Corporation) based in New York where he is focusing on developing new financial products for emerging markets.

Fellow Bio:

Mark (Tufts ‘10) graduated with degrees in International Relations and French. While at Tufts he ran the Hip Hop for Social Change Organization, was a member of the Zeta Psi fraternity, and played trumpet in a band. In the past, he had the chance to work and study in Cape Town, South Africa and Dakar, Senegal. In Zambia he is looking forward to getting to know new people and a new city, and working with the Kucetekela Foundation scholars.

Margaret is from Atlanta, Georgia and graduated from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!) with a degree in International Affairs and an emphasis in human rights. Throughout college she worked in international development by interning with a variety of NGOs, and most recently worked at CARE USA. Margaret is a “travel-aholic”; having volunteered and worked abroad in China, Nicaragua, Guatemala and the Philippines, she is excited to learn more about voluntourism and project development. In her free time, Margaret loves to read, travel, predict the next Bachelor winner, and is currently teaching herself how to use her DSLR camera. Having never been to Africa, Margaret is excited to explore the continent, learn more about Zambian culture, spend as much time by Victoria Falls as possible, and (hopefully) take some great pictures of it all.

Alumni Update:

Since her fellowship with African Impact, Kate moved to New York City to intern with the International Federation for Human Rights, a human rights group that conducts UN advocacy. She now works in Development for the International Rescue Committee, a refugee relief organization and PiAf fellowship organization. She will be attending graduate school this fall of 2015 for a Master’s in International Affairs, with a focus on International Law and Human Rights.

Fellow Bio:

Kate majored in International Studies with a focus on Africa and the Middle East. While at Emory, Kate was an officer of the Amnesty International club and Human Rights club, and a volunteer at The Village School, an elementary school for refugee girls. Kate has volunteered in Arusha, Tanzania, and studied Spanish and Political Science abroad in Salamanca, Spain. During her time in Atlanta, Kate has worked for the Amnesty International Southern Regional Office and the Carter Center. In Zambia next year, Kate can’t wait to see Victoria Falls, travel, and be inspired every day as a fellow at African Impact!

Alumni Update:

Jill is currently working at Hanover Research in their education research department. Though she has only been here for a short time, Jill is already excited by the exposure she is getting to the most pressing challenges facing higher and K12 educators. She won’t lie and say that she never thinks about returning to Africa-focused development work, but right now Jill is having a great time exploring education from a slightly different vantage point.

Fellow Bio:

Jill graduated with a degree in History, concentrating on Empires and Colonialism. She is originally from Chappaqua, NY but for the past five years has traded suburbia in for life in the big city. During college she helped found the Pre-Veterinary Society and was an avid member of Columbia’s Equestrian Club. Her interest in Africa was ignited when she studied abroad in Uganda and Rwanda, and developed during the spring of her junior year spent in Cape Town. Since graduating, Jill has devoted herself to tutoring, finishing up her Pre-Vet requirements, and exploring the New York City she never got to see while sequestered up in Morningside Heights. She can’t wait to begin working with the Kucetekela Foundation and delving into Lusaka’s hip-hop and Sunday brunch scenes.

Jessica graduated from Colgate University with a degree in Geography and Chinese. She graduated with honors for her thesis on the efficacy of malaria policy in Kenya. Throughout her undergraduate career, she developed a passion for global heath and conducted global health-related research in Uganda and Kenya. She has co-authored two papers on malaria and HIV, published in the Malaria Journal and Nature. Prior to the Princeton in Africa fellowship, Jessica worked in both the government and the non-governmental sectors. She has worked as the assistant to the director of the DC Department of Human Services. Subsequently, she was a senior program assistant on the policy and advocacy team at PATH, an international non-profit that uses innovation to deliver health services to resource limited settings, where she gained a deeper understanding of data analytics and data visualization. In her free time, Jessica loves to cook and try new foods. She is looking forward to joining Healthy Kids/Brighter Future in Zambia as a member of the monitoring and evaluation team.

Alumni Update:

Jessica is currently the Development and Community Relations Coordinator at New Door Ventures based in San Francisco where her work focuses on leading individual giving development and New Door’s volunteerism program. She resides in San Francisco. 

Fellow Bio:

Jessica, a native of Hartland, Wisconsin, graduated from Macalester College with a B.A. in International Studies, minors in Anthropology and Political Science, and concentrations in African Studies and Human Rights and Humanitarianism. Jessica’s interest in Africa began when she volunteered at a children’s home in South Africa when she was 13 years old. She has worked with the home for over 8 years. That inspired her to create her own non-profit organization, 15:30 Project, providing the children she works with opportunities for higher education. Her work has been highlighted in local media outlets and earned her several nationally recognized awards. At Macalester, Jessica interned with the U.S. State Department at the embassy in Mozambique where she helped draft the 2016 Human Rights Report. Then, Jessica interned with Kakenya’s Dream in Washington, D.C., advocating for girls’ education and against female genital mutilation in Kenya and assisting with advocacy initiatives. She studied abroad in Gaborone, Botswana where her semester focused on urban development. In Botswana, she conducted human rights research about discrimination against people with albinism. Jessica is interested in the intersection of education, human rights, and diplomacy particularly in the Southern African context. 

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!

Alumni Update:

Jamie is the Manager of College Access Partnerships at a nonprofit called The Opportunity Network, which prepares high-achieving, underrepresented students for success in college and careers. He is also in a graduate program at Teachers College, Columbia University, studying Higher and Postsecondary Education.

Fellow Bio:

Jamie is a Government and Legal Studies Major and English minor at Bowdoin College. He is from Leominster, MA. At Bowdoin, Jamie was actively involved in the McKeen Center for the Common Good, volunteering at a legal service nonprofit in Portland, attending and leading Alternative Spring Break trips to Guatemala, and acting as President of Bowdoin’s volunteer Corps. He studied abroad in Cape Town. Jamie has also been a tour guide, RA, and drummer for a campus cover band. Next year in Zambia, Jamie looks forward to learning about education and the local culture and is excited about a new adventure!

Gordon graduated with a degree in Finance. During college, Gordon was a member of the Texas State Men’s basketball team. He served as the Chief of Staff of the student body and was awarded the Lyndon B. Johnson Outstanding Senior Award. Additionally, five years ago, Gordon started a non-profit organization called Focused, which was founded on the principles of mentoring and accountability. Since graduating, Gordon has worked as a Business Technology Analyst in Deloitte’s Consulting practice. He has worked in a variety of industries, but has recently been aligned with the consumer goods sector. Gordon looks forward to learning Bemba, meeting/making new friends and enjoying the local cuisine.