Class of 2013
SARAH DAWSON BROOKS
Sarah, from Richmond, Virginia, recently finished serving as a Community Development volunteer in Thailand with the Peace Corps. In Thailand, Sarah worked to strengthen youth groups, start a recycling center, and help create small businesses for those living with HIV/AIDS. Before Peace Corps, Sarah worked on a presidential campaign and for an advocacy group focusing on children and youth. Sarah received her B.A. in Religious Studies and Chinese from Rhodes College in 2008, where she enjoyed studying abroad in Namibia and China. Her development interests include youth development and empowerment and small business development targeted towards women and people living with HIV/AIDS. Sarah loves to travel, learn about different languages and cultures, sail and spend time with family and friends.
ANNA ELLIS
Anna is from Minnesota, where she received a B.A. in History from the University of Minnesota with a concentration on the study of immigrant populations in the United States. After graduation, she tutored GED students in English and math; she also volunteered at a shelter for homeless youth. Her interest in travel and education led her to volunteer with WorldTeach as an English teacher on a remote atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. She continued her work with WorldTeach as the Field Director of their Bangladesh program in partnership with the Asian University for Women. In its inaugural year, she developed the pre-university education courses for underserved women from six different Asian countries. Anna’s development interests include maternal and child health, education and empowering communities to serve themselves. Anna enjoys reading, baking, hiking and gardening.
NAFISA FERDOUS
Nafisa received her B.A. from Sarah Lawrence College in political economy and ethnic studies in 2008. She has been an organizer and youth worker with CBOs and initiatives in NYC since being a youth herself. She has facilitated year-round social justice programs in public schools, youth spaces as well as in outdoor/environmental programs. In 2009 she accepted the AIF-William J. Clinton Fellowship to work for a grassroots women’s rights NGO in Calcutta, India. As a fellow she supported projects in sustainable rice cultivation, community-owned microfinance and farmer-led direct action campaigns. Nafisa has also worked on domestic workers rights campaigns in Bangladesh. Her research interests include participatory action research and gender and empowerment with a focus on Asian communities. In her free time she loves to karaoke and paint.
TRINITY FINDLAY
Trinity, from Durham, NC, received her B.A. in Spanish from Davidson College in 2006. She first became interested in development while writing her thesis about El Salvadoran refugee children. Upon graduating, she moved to Colombia, South America to volunteer with a non-profit organization that focuses on outreach to families displaced by the war. While in Colombia, she traveled to over fifteen pueblos working mostly with children and teenagers. The highlight of her travels was living with the indigenous Tikunas during a two month trip to the Brazilian Amazons. There, she experienced first-hand the great need for health and education-related development programs. After eighteen months abroad, Trinity returned to the States and served as a high school Spanish teacher for two years at a charter school in North Carolina. Her research interests lie in the role that political violence plays in poverty and development, especially in the lives of women and children. Trinity’s favorite pastime is speaking Spanish, but she also enjoys cooking with her husband, learning to play the guitar, and watching old M*A*S*H episodes.
ALIYA FIROZVI
Born in Karachi, Pakistan and raised in various parts of the United States, Aliya received her B.A. in English Literature from Michigan State University. She owes her interest in development to her experiences and travels abroad as well as a plethora of post-colonial literature. While in college, she tutored in underserved schools in her community, and also served as a counselor in an English summer camp for the underprivileged in Karachi. After graduating from MSU, she went to Peru, where she volunteered as an English teacher and then to Bangladesh, where she was a field study intern at a major non-profit organization called Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB). Besides traveling, Aliya has a long list of interests that include music, reading, drawing, being outdoors, hiking, and observing the South Asian diaspora.
ESTHER JOE
A California native, Esther graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2010 with a B.A. in International Development Studies. She is also a recipient of the 2011 Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship. An aspiring journalist, Esther spent her initial undergraduate years anchoring for UCLAradio.com and reporting for Daily Bruin Television. While covering a broad range of stories dealing with sensitive interethnic issues, she yearned to learn more about the world and went abroad to Ghana her freshman year summer to work for a local newspaper in Accra. During college, Esther served as an intern in South Korea, where she taught North Korean defectors English and spent one semester as an exchange student and Gilman Scholar in Brazil where she also volunteered in the favela of Vidigal. She also served as an intern with USAID in Washington DC and with the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. Esther loves traveling and learning languages (she speaks Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, and some Chinese). She also enjoys hiking, swimming, dancing, writing, and horror films.
KALIE LASITER
Kalie had the wonderful opportunity of growing up in various areas, including Tennessee, Vancouver, Thailand, Singapore, Illinois, Georgia, Russia, and finally Indonesia where she graduated high school from the Jakarta International School. She then received a Bachelor's of Arts in Anthropology, with a minor in Political Science, at the University of Delaware in May 2010. After graduation, Kalie joined AmeriCorps Public Allies of Delaware - a 10 month long non-profit leadership development and apprenticeship program. She was placed at Wayfarers' House of Meeting Ground, Inc., a transitional homeless shelter for single women and women with children, where she did continuous case management with the residents there, as well as volunteer management and community development. Her MDP interests include gender and economic development, especially in Southeast Asia. She also enjoys cooking, reading and fishing.
KATHARINE MELMAN
Kate grew up in Washington, DC and graduated from the University of Vermont with a B.A. in Sociology and Latin American Studies. One of her most formidable experiences as an undergrad is the two semesters she spent in Argentina, where she explored social movements/struggles, the eccentricities of Argentine society, and Jewish youth. During her last semester she interned at the Community and Economic Development Office in Burlington, VT. After graduation, Kate moved to Austin, TX for an AmeriCorps position at Casa Marianella, a non-profit that works with immigrants and refugees from around the world. While serving at Casa, she visited grassroots organizations along the Texas/Mexico border as well as Bogota, Columbia. Her three years at 'Casa' were nothing less than life-changing and she credits her experiences there as the springboard into international development as a profession. She also worked with domestic abuse survivors and pro bono attorneys at Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas and volunteered at the Multicultural Refugee Coalition. Kate plans to focus her practice on immigration, refugee populations, and human trafficking. Kate enjoys the outdoors, festivals and markets, documentaries, music, unique architecture, researching, and laughing with friends.
CONNOR STEVEN RADKEY
Connor comes to Emory from the Pacific Northwest, having been born in Spokane, Washington, and receiving his BA in International Studies from the University of Washington in Seattle. While at the UW, he had the opportunity to study development politics at Sussex University in Brighton, England through an exchange program. Upon graduation, Connor served as a United States Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland where he worked to build awareness and support for HIV/AIDS issues and those affected within his community. He extended his experience in Swaziland with the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs (ICAP), working to establish a safe water initiative with rural clinics. His interests in development include health structures, law, disaster relief and complex emergencies. Connor enjoys Seattle Mariners baseball and hip-hop.
JAMES RAMSEY
James Ramsey graduated from the University of Oklahoma where he studied International and Area studies with a concentration in East Asian Studies and Japanese language. After graduation, he first taught English in Akita, Japan through the JET program and then at the University of Oklahoma's CESL. James is currently an ESL teacher for Lutheran Services of Georgia, an organization offering resettlement services to refugees in the Atlanta area. He became interested in development during his time in Japan, where he did volunteer work for Room To Read - a non-profit that raises money to construct schools and provide scholarships for girls throughout Asia and the Indian subcontinent. His research interests include human rights, natural resource management, and education.
LARISSA SANFORD
Raised in Calhoun, Georgia, Larissa received her B.A. in Anthropology from Wake Forest University in 2008. She first became interested in development while studying abroad on Roatan Island, Honduras. While conducting ethnographic field research, Larissa became fascinated by the island's sudden tourism boom and its effect on the local Garifuna people. Upon graduation, Larissa accepted an internship position with the Shanti Trust, a community development project in rural Malawi that aims to improve local access to education, healthy living, and the sustainable use of resources. Larissa's role with the Trust was to coordinate the development of the Chikumbuso Museum and Culture Centre. Working with a committee from the local village, she gathered works from local artisans, traditional hunting and fishing tools, and even musical instruments for public display. Since her return to the states, Larissa has worked with a private local clinic devoted to providing health care and equipment to those who are uninsured. Larissa's research interests range from the effects of western tourism in developing countries to indigenous rights. In her free time, Larissa can be found playing team trivia, doing crossword puzzles, or experimenting in the kitchen.
KRISTIN TANIS
Kristin recently moved to Atlanta from Michigan where she worked as an Art Director at an advertising agency. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Aquinas College, she joined Peace Corps Paraguay where she worked as an Agriculture Extension Volunteer. During her service she helped form a committee made up of local women. Together they designed a sustainable chicken project that increased meat and egg production and added an additional source of income for each family that participated. She also worked with the local agricultural committee to educate farmers about soil recuperation techniques and with PLAN Paraguay to repair the running water system. After completing her service, she returned to Michigan where she was involved in several local community development projects. Kristin intends to focus on social responsibility, human rights and community development. She enjoys running, cooking and working in her garden.
ANNA TARRANT
Anna received her Bachelor’s degree from NYU in politics and history with a minor in French. In college, she became interested in international development while studying abroad in Accra, Ghana. While there, she was part of a team that filmed and produced a documentary called “The Milk” about a free health clinic in the northern city of Tamale. After graduation, Anna interned at Amnesty International’s Southern Office where she was involved with grassroots organizing for Demand Dignity, a campaign that exposes the link between human rights abuses and poverty. Anna also interned for the ACLU’s LGBT/AIDS Project. Her personal interests include French cinema, cooking, travelling and gardening.
MYRIAM VAN DORP
Myriam was born in Cameroon, West Africa and spent most of her younger years between Indiana and Massachusetts. She received her BA in Religious Studies at Indiana University where she completed her thesis on the religious culture of Brazil. While in Brazil, she became acutely aware of the importance of advocacy and empowerment. Since then, she has worked as a Curriculum Specialist for adults with Disabilities and as the Youth Programs Manager for the Oakhurst Community Garden Project. Through her work in the garden, she is able to interact with a diverse community of people teaching self-reliance, sustainability, and asset-based development. She enjoys spending time with her family, playing Capoeira Angola, crocheting, feeding people, and traveling.
JIABING WANG
Jiabing Wang, was one of the first cohort graduates majoring in Development Studies of China. After graduating from China Agricultural University, Jiabing worked in the NGO field for over 8 years where he managed and co-managed dozens of projects, many of which focused on citizens’ capability-building and rights protection. Although these projects differed in specific topics and activities, all of them shared the similar goal that ordinary citizens could know more about their lawful rights and be able to protect them. Due to the nature of this work, Jiabing has become more and more familiar with such topics as China's political transformation, development process, historical development of Chinese NGOs, the situation of vulnerable groups' rights, and development of grassroots democracy. Jiabing’s current interests are in peoples' participation, the relationship between institutions and project sustainability, and the management of NGOs and his personal interests include photography and traveling.
LINLING ZHONG
Linling graduated from University of Wisconsin Madison, majoring in International Relations, Economics and Asian Studies. Since 2010, Linling has worked as Assistant Program Coordinator for The Carter Center's China Program. During her time with the Carter Center, Linling went to China to observe village elections, where she helped supervise the election process and gave feedback to the local government. Linling also built the China Africa website for the Carter Center, a bilingual website that serves as a platform for scholars and officials to share comments and opinions on issues related to China-Africa relations. In addition, she served as volunteer for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and interned as an assistant to the vice mayor of Hangzhou City, China. Linling was born and raised in China and moved to San Diego when she was 17. She enjoys traveling, reading, eating good food and being with others.
Inaugural Class of 2012
LISE AFOY
Born in the Caribbean (Guadeloupe) and raised in Paris, Lise has studied international relations and anthropology at the City College of New York and Columbia University. She has served as a project coordinator for CARE in Ghana, Togo and Benin, where she organized community-based teacher trainings and developed a project on the prevention of HIV/AIDS among gold miners. Lise founded and directs a non-profit organization that provides assistance to school-age orphans in Algeria and Benin and has developed community-building programs for hospice patients in New York City. Her vision as a development practitioner is to help reshape the role that non-governmental organizations play in developing countries. Lise is fluent in several languages and likes swimming and volleyball.
JENNA BLUMENTHAL
Jenna received her B.A. in government and politics and French from the University of Maryland at College Park. She began studying French at an international magnet elementary school, where her interest in global issues began, and she pursued studies in the French language and literature at the University of Nice (France). In college, Jenna tutored elementary school students in reading at a Title I (underserved) school. She also worked with her university’s Office of Sustainability on efforts to teach students strategies to reduce their impact on the environment. Jenna served as an intern at a Baltimore newspaper, the Department of Education, and with a U.S. senator on Capitol Hill, where she became interested in policy issues. In addition, she traveled to South Africa where she learned about human rights and HIV/AIDS. Born and raised in Baltimore, Jenna enjoys running and yoga.
MIRANDA BODFISH
Miranda comes to Emory from Seattle, where she coordinated a citizenship preparation program for low-income immigrants and refugees. She graduated from Denison University in Ohio in 2005 with a degree in International Studies and Black Studies. She studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal where she conducted research on the role of Islam in rural development. After graduation, she volunteered for Heifer International in California, teaching community groups about global poverty and leading agricultural service projects. Miranda’s development interests include gender and economic opportunities for women as well as non-profit management and program evaluation. Miranda loves bicycling, running, cooking and making handmade paper.
GRAY CLEVENGER
Gray was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, where he developed an interest in international affairs and world traveling. Upon graduating from Furman University with a B.A. in History, Gray taught English in the Japanese public school system in Ishikawa Prefecture as a participant of the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. He has also worked in the health care and corporate sectors for an international law firm. Gray has traveled extensively through East and Southeast Asia, as well as Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. His interests range from providing health services to underserved populations to children's education. Gray enjoys playing the guitar and banjo, photography, and biking.
ALICIA CLIFTON
Alicia hails from Houston, TX, and received her B.A. in Intercultural Studies and Linguistics from Houghton College in western New York and a certificate in non-profit management from SUNY at Buffalo. Before joining the MDP Inaugural Class, Alicia served as the Director of Health and Family Services at Jericho Road Ministries, a community development organization in Buffalo, NY, where she had also previously served as an AmeriCorps VISTA member. At Jericho Road Ministries, she focused on perinatal health, early literacy, and refugee resettlement issues. She has engaged in service travel in many countries (Mexico, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Guyana, Peru, India, Papua New Guinea, and others) and spent a semester in the Middle East, where she practiced her knowledge of Arabic. She is the lead author of a scholarly article on facilitating the self-empowerment of women at-risk in healthcare encounters (Gender Issues, 2009). Alicia's interests include the nexus between conflict resolution and development, as well as the linkages among community nutrition, sustainable agriculture, and global commons issues. She likes painting, gardening, sailing with her husband, and being an aunt.
JENNIE V DOWDLE
Jennie V comes to the MDP program from her home in Western North Carolina. She has a B.A. in Spanish and philosophy from Western Carolina University and spent the last two years as a College Readiness Coach in low-income schools and teaching adult education and ESL. In addition to working with various international communities and programs in theUnited States, Jennie V spent a semester in Ghana and a year in Costa Rica as a Rotary Scholar, working on environmental, housing, health, and education projects. Her development interests include community development and social and educational programs directed to underserved youth. In her spare time, Jennie V enjoys hiking and contradancing.
MIA GALLEGOS
Mia graduated from Wake Forest University in May of 2009 with a degree in political science and is completing a certificate in Community Preparedness and Disaster Management from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. While in college, she studied and volunteered in multiple developing countries, including Honduras, Vietnam, Jamaica, Thailand and Tanzania. Since her graduation, Mia has worked as a teacher and youth program coordinator in the greater Atlanta area. Her interests include migration, social policy, poverty reduction, human rights, and disaster assistance. Besides traveling, Mia loves the outdoors; hiking, kayaking, swimming, and scuba diving as well as drawing and painting.
HALEY HOLT
Haley graduated from Carson-Newman College with a BA in Applied Psychology, a minor in Mathematics, and a concentration in Conflict and Justice Studies. She also studied at the Imperial College of the University of London. Haley has worked as a certified teacher in mathematics in underserved U.S. secondary schools and has served as a tutor, mentor, and supervisor for many youth programs. Haley’s considerable international experience includes teaching English and Swahili in rural Tanzania, providing health education to women in Myanmar and Thailand, and working with orphans in South Africa. These experiences instilled in her the desire to work with development organizations that seek to provide opportunities for people who do not have access to adequate education and healthcare. Haley enjoys travelling, working out, dancing, reading, cooking, and chocolate.
BETSY ROOT
Betsy’s interest in development began when she studied abroad in Ecuador through the Minnesota Studies in International Development program. In Ecuador, Betsy spent time in a rural town working with a women's cooperative and teaching in an elementary school. Betsy graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa in 2006 with a double major in Political Science and Spanish. After graduation she volunteered in Santiago, Chile with the nonprofit organization VEGlobal, which seeks to expand children's educational and social opportunities. After returning to the United States, Betsy taught Spanish for two years in Washington, DC as a Teach for America Corps member and earned a Master Degree in Education from the American University. Before joining the MDP program, Betsy was teaching Spanish in Atlanta, her hometown. She is particularly interested in the role of education in development.
ATIENO MBOYA SAMANDARI
Atieno is an international lawyer with degrees from Georgetown University and the University of Nairobi (and admitted to the New York Bar). Originally from Kenya, she has worked in several African countries in various capacities and was a MacArthur Foundation Visiting Scholar at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa. She served as a consultant for the UNICEF and the World Bank on issues related to family law, gender equity, human rights, peace and development. She has also authored over twenty books for childrens’ food, health, and legal rights, which are widely used in UNICEF’s programs. Atieno has also worked in Israel on human and labor rights. Her development interests lie in the intersection of law, poverty and development. In addition to her professional experience, Atieno is an accomplished, award winning musician.
CLAUDIE SOSSAH
Claudie is originally from Togo, West Africa and is interested in health, education, community development and social entrepreneurship. She graduated from the University of Paris II and the University of Pennsylvania with a specialization in non profit management. She has significant work experience in project development and grants management with universities, non-governmental organizations and foundations. Prior to joining the MDP, she worked with the Women’s Health Coalition on reproductive health and rights and with the International Institute of Education, managing grants on critical languages programs. As an IFESH Fellow, she implemented community based programs on onchocerciasis control, health education, adult literacy and income generating activities in Nigeria. Claudie is currently assisting an orphanage in Benin, West Africa, to become financially self-sufficient and provide education to the children. She is fluent in French and English and plans to learn Arabic. An experienced hairdresser and tailor, Claudie also hopes to master the art of fine cuisine.
STEPHANIE STAWICKI
Stephanie graduated from Lafayette College with a B.A. in both international affairs and Russian and Eastern European studies. While in college, she studied abroad in Australia, Russia, Poland, Kenya, and Tanzania. Upon graduation, she worked as a district representative of immigration for a U.S. Congressman. In 2007, she joined the Peace Corps and served for two years as a health and community development volunteer in The Gambia, West Africa. While in The Gambia, she worked with women’s groups to revitalize their community gardens and organized maternal and child health campaigns focusing on malaria and diarrhea prevention. Stephanie also served as lead trainer for the Peace Corps administration to design, implement, teach, and evaluate training for Peace Corps trainees and volunteers. Stephanie’s development interests include public and environmental health, community assessment methods, appropriate technology, and training curricula and tools for development practitioners. In her free time, she enjoys biking, hiking, painting, and cooking.
MOLLY WINSTON
Molly has a Bachelor's in Political Science and Sociology from Fordham University. Molly has worked as an intern with an international philanthropy consulting firm, with the American Red Cross in Greater New York and with Senator Hillary Clinton's constituent affairs office. In addition, she worked with the NGO Unite For Sight to improve vision care among the youth in Ghana. During her college years, Molly has studied abroad in Italy, Australia and China. Born and raised in a small town in upstate New York, Molly plays guitar and loves music.