Theo is a proud Greek-American from Charleston, South Carolina. He studied global food security at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, where he earned a master’s degree in 2023. For two years Theo has served as a research assistant for a USAID project studying famine typologies and trajectories, which forms … Read more

Host Organization: Catholic Relief Services First Year Placement Nairobi, Kenya and Somalia Theo supported life-saving nutrition interventions in pastoralist Turkana County, Kenya through Integrated Management of Acute Malnutrition and the provision of emergency Maternal, Infant, and Young Child Nutrition Practices. … Read more

Lora Boll holds an M.A. in Social Work, Policy, and Administration from the University of Chicago, focusing on child wellbeing, social policy formulation, and trauma-responsive care. She has served as a program administrator, social worker, youth mentor, and volunteer with organizations in the U.S., India, and Honduras, including Family Focus, … Read more

Host Organization: World Vision First Year Placement Bujumbura, Burundi Lora played a vital role in 17 natural disaster responses, coordinating food assistance, cash transfers, non-food item distribution, livelihood support, and construction projects. She worked closely with the Field Offices and … Read more

Peter Bowman graduated from the University of California, Davis in 2023 with a Master of Science in International Agricultural Development and a graduate certificate in Agricultural Extension and Science Communication. His master’s studies focused on how participatory extension can improve health and productivity of smallholder livestock in the Global South, … Read more

Host Organization: Land O’Lakes Venture 37 First Year Placement Nakuru, Kenya Peter supported efforts to increase equitable access to nutrient-rich and climate-smart forage rations through use of optimized forage among small-scale dairy producers. He led the development of a digital … Read more

Chika Kondo is a dedicated practitioner working at the intersection of agrifood systems, gender, and sustainable agriculture. She holds a PhD from Kyoto University in Japan, where her research focused on the impact of alternative food networks on promoting equitable food access and agricultural sustainability. Most recently, Chika served as … Read more

Host Organization: Oxfam First Year Placement Kampala, Uganda Chika served as the coordinator for the Urban Food Hives (UFH) project which is empowering single mothers and youth through urban agriculture and market linkages. This project is targeting food system transformation … Read more

Alaine Johnson graduated with her Master’s at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies focusing on Development, Climate, and Sustainability in South and Southeast Asia. As an agrarian scholar, her work focuses on organic agri-food systems, conservation, and regenerative agriculture. Alaine grew up in Seattle and then lived overseas for … Read more

Host Organization: ACDI/VOCA First Year Placement Tamale, Ghana As Data Analyst, Alaine led the developing and piloting the Smallholder Profitability tool (OBPro). OBPro provides smallholder households with a probability index for financial success across markets, based on their efficiency, adaptability, … Read more

Born and raised in Austria, Sarah holds a BSc in Nutritional Science with a minor in sociology from Pepperdine University. Sarah’s undergraduate studies were shaped by her involvement in projects aimed at improving the dietary quality of marginalized population groups facing food and nutrition insecurity. Motivated to understand and help … Read more

Host Organization: IFPRI First Year Placement Dushanbe, Tajikistan Sarah served the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) where she contributed to research efforts to improve dietary patterns and nutrition by strengthening food systems in Central Asia through food policy & … Read more

Theresa Fang is an experienced global health professional in the field of food security, agricultural development, and international nutrition. Her work has focused on Agricultural Supply Chains, Dietary Diversity, and Resilient Livelihoods across various countries in Southeast Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa including Bangladesh, Ghana, and Uganda. Theresa earned her Master … Read more

Host Organization: InterAction and CARE First Year Placement Washington, D.C. Theresa managed InterAction’s Food Security, Nutrition, and Agriculture (FSNA) working group, addressing global food insecurity and malnutrition. She collaborates with leadership and coalition partners to strategize on how to secure … Read more

Erin Mercado is a global sustainability researcher interested in working within the intersection of environmental justice and health equity. The start of her interdisciplinary career began during her time as a Healthy Schools Coordinator for Peace Corps Guatemala experiencing the dissonance and failure of health programs that did not integrate … Read more

Host Organization: IDE First Year Placement Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Erin designed and led exploratory human-centered design research on menstrual health and hygiene (MHH) in rural Zambia. Focus groups with menstruators and menopausal women, interviews with key informants, entrepreneurs, and MHH … Read more

Kaila Balch is a Park City, Utah, native and recent graduate of Duke University with a Master’s of Science (MSc) in Global Health. Her graduate work focused on the the impact of gold mining, mercury, and infectious disease in the Amazon, taking her to Peru, Ecuador and Guyana for fieldwork. … Read more

Host Organization: CARE First Year Placement Fort Portal, Uganda Kaila helped to advance the scale-up of CARE’s Farmer Field and Business Schools (FFBS), a proven model which enhances nutrition, livelihoods, women’s roles among small-scale farmers by boosting production, resilience, climate … Read more

Melanie holds a BS in Nutrition & Dietetics from Kent State University and an MSc in Nutrition for Global Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She began her career in nutrition as a registered dietitian focusing on food security and community nutrition in low-income areas of … Read more

Host Organization: Helen Keller International First Year Placement Dakar, Senegal Melanie supported a Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) program for children under five, by contributing to research, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. She created monitoring and evaluation plans and developed … Read more