Student Ambassadors

Leenah Alfalih is a Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School, focusing on business and government policy. She is dedicated to transforming education systems globally to help everyone reach their full potential. This past summer, Leenah interned at UNESCO, working on STEM education initiatives in several countries, including her home country, Saudi Arabia. Prior to coming to Harvard, Leenah was a consultant at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), where she developed strategies across various sectors including education, social development, and TMT. At Harvard, she served as communications chair at W3D, editor at the Student Policy Review, and co-organizer of several student conferences. As a CID Student Ambassador, Leenah aims to foster global development dialogue, connect diverse perspectives within the Harvard community, and promote CID initiatives.

Aditi is a second-year PhD student in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School. She studies barriers to female labor force participation and how social norms interact with economic shocks to perpetuate gender inequality. She was previously working as India Director at Development Data Lab, where she produced research on in-group judicial bias in India, upward mobility in South Asia, excess mortality during Covid-19 and implications of cultural distance on economic opportunity in India. She holds an MPA from Princeton University and a BA in economics and political science from Cornell University. When not trying to make sense of the world through data, she can be found cooking, painting, or on long runs with her husband.

Fernando is a physician dedicated to improving healthcare access and delivery among marginalized and impoverished populations worldwide. He is currently pursuing a Master of Medical Sciences in Global Health Delivery at Harvard Medical School, where he conducts research in Mexico, focused on analyzing the societal and economic forces associated with obstetric violence and the lack of access to dignified childbirth care in both private and public clinical settings from both the patient and health provider perspectives. His work at other Harvard-affiliated institutions addresses disparities in maternal health, neglected tropical diseases, and non-communicable diseases to make a profound difference in overcoming barriers that prevent high-quality healthcare for all.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Fernando works at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics at Harvard Law School, leading research on access to Benznidazole for vulnerable populations affected by Chagas disease in the United States. He also serves as a consultant at Brigham and Women's Hospital's Center for Integration Science in Global Health Equity. In this role, he collaborates with the World Health Organization to design integrated healthcare delivery streamlines using a time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) analysis approach for multiple non-communicable diseases, aiming to document better the delivery of care and optimize resource allocation in low-resource settings.

Fernando's previous experiences as a research associate at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) have significantly impacted pediatric hemato-oncology care in over 85 hospitals across five Latin American countries, touching the lives of over 10,500 children. His efforts have focused on reducing treatment delay-related complications and fatalities and improving clinical outcomes through the application of Quality Improvement (QI) methods.

Kevin Chen is a senior at Harvard College concentrating in applied math and economics. He was born and raised in Shanghai, China, but immigrated to the United States at a young age. He is passionate about U.S.-China relations, macroeconomics, and international development, particularly in the Asia region. As a CID Student Ambassador since freshman year, Kevin is excited to lead new initiatives at CID as the social lead and to share CID's work with more people on campus. Outside of CID, Kevin is involved in various student organizations doing pro-bono consulting and foreign policy research, and bartending in his free time.

Erik Dalaker is a sophomore at Harvard College concentrating in government and Near Eastern languages and civilization with a special interest in international relations and the modern Middle East. He grew up on the small remote island of Rennesøy on the west coast of Norway, but has always been drawn to global issues, particularly how to achieve peace and find a common ground through diplomacy and international development. In his gap year before college, Erik worked full time as a project coordinator for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), leading the highest performing fundraising team in Norway. He is passionate about language-learning and outdoor activities such as hiking, skiing, and climbing, and he plays as a midfielder for Harvard's varsity men's soccer team. This summer, Erik continued his Arabic studies in Amman, Jordan, while doing political research and directing a sustainable development program for a local Jordanian think tank.

Karla is pursuing a Master in Public Administration in International Development (MPA/ID) at Harvard Kennedy School. This past summer, Karla joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Regional Office in Chile as an intern through the Harvard Center for International Development Global Internship Program. Prior to HKS, Karla worked for three years at the Competitiveness, Technology and Innovation Division of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). She was born in Mexico City and received a BA in economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). After graduation this May, Karla hopes to continue working in an international organization where she can turn her passion for international development into measurable results.

Jasmin Higo is a doctoral student in Harvard University’s Global Health and Population Department, specializing in health systems and health economics. She holds an MPA degree in economic policy from Cornell University and was a Fulbright recipient. Jasmin is an experienced economist with multiple years of work experience at the World Bank, SIEMENS, and various NGOs. Her research seeks to apply economic methods and frameworks to examine how health and disease are distributed across different population groups, particularly in the face of various shocks. 

Sreela Srinivasan is a Master of Public Policy candidate at Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to Harvard, she drafted budget statements for the Government of Odisha, worked with UNICEF, and founded an initiative to support tribal artisan clusters in eastern India to promote indigenous handicrafts and textiles.  She is passionate about addressing gender inequality, strengthening inclusive governance and economic empowerment, and driving social innovation. Through her academic and professional endeavours at Harvard and beyond, she is dedicated to advancing CID’s mission of building a thriving world for all.

Giovanna Lia Toledo is a Master's in Urban Planning student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. She is a Brazilian civil engineer and architect who researches equitable housing within the urban environment and gender empowerment. She is also interested in social innovation and international development.

Jioni Tuck is a second-year Master of Science student in the Global Health and Population Department at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Jioni holds a BA in government from the College of William & Mary, where she had the opportunity to conduct research in Nicaragua and Tanzania and spent a semester studying human rights and history in Argentina. After graduating, Jioni served as a Princeton in Latin America Fellow in rural Guatemala, where she managed grants and evaluation for a community-based NGO. She then led the monitoring and evaluation team for an agricultural and nutrition-focused NGO in Guatemala for three years. Before starting graduate school, Jioni honed her policy skills as a Legislative Fellow at the U.S. House of Representatives, focusing on agricultural and maternal health policy issues. This past summer, Jioni was a fellow in USAID/Peru’s Migration and Health Office, focusing on global health security programming. She also conducted research in Brazil on malaria among indigenous people in the Amazon. Jioni is passionate about impact evaluation, reproductive health, and using her skills to improve international development outcomes. In her free time she enjoys reading and being outdoors. Upon graduating, Jioni plans to join USAID as a Foreign Service Officer.

Lili Vessereau is a CID Research Scholar, a teaching fellow at Harvard University, and a Master in Public Policy candidate, as well as a Fulbright and Dias Scholar, at Harvard Kennedy School. Currently a consultant for the World Bank's Development Research Group, she is also a research assistant at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government focusing on debt restructuring. Lili is a Bretton Woods 2.0 Fellow of the Atlantic Council and a Global Shaper of the World Economic Forum. Prior to HKS, she notably held positions within the French Ministry of Finances and at the U.N. Lili holds master's degrees from Sciences Po Paris (public affairs), La Sorbonne (law), and HEC Paris (finance). 

Rahul Yates is a sophomore at Harvard College pursuing a double concentration in economics and South Asian studies. This past summer, Rahul had the opportunity to be a CID Global Intern in Bengaluru, India, where he conducted impact assessment data analysis with Agastya International Foundation, an educational nonprofit organization that has reached over 25 million children in India. Rahul is excited to become more involved with CID and is interested in pursuing a career in international development, especially related to emerging economies and impact investing. On campus, Rahul is involved with a variety of groups, including the South Asian Association, Consulting on Business and the Environment, and the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative. In his free time, he enjoys watching Bollywood movies and practicing his French and Hindi speaking skills. 

Joannes is a seasoned youth development expert with over a decade of experience in international development, primarily focusing on empowering African youths with a mission to ensure that youths have access to quality education and skills necessary to drive economic growth and innovation. Joannes currently serves as the executive director (and founder) of Africa Skills Alliance, a think tank focused on democratizing data around workforce development in Africa to ensure that the African workforce is well equipped with the skills required for current and future job opportunities. His diverse career spans multiple countries, involving collaborations with governments, private sector, development organizations, and youths. Joannes' keen interest is in advocacy, and policy, particularly in education, climate finance, adolescent development, innovation, employability, entrepreneurship, and mental health. With a strong academic background in leadership and community engagement, Joannes brings a unique perspective to addressing global challenges with local solutions. While serving as lead for Generation Unlimited, a public-private-youth partnership with the United Nations, he played a pivotal role in supporting global initiatives which provided millions of African youths with essential skills and employment opportunities. Joannes is recipient of several international awards including the A.D. King Foundation Award and Queen Elizabeth II Young Leaders Award for his leadership and technology innovation contributions. Joannes is a published author, bilingual in English and French, engages in volunteer work, and serves on multiple organizational boards.