Student Ambassadors

Manasa is a Master of Urban Planning candidate at the Graduate School of Design. She has previously completed her bachelor's in Economics and a post-graduate studies in Liberal Arts from India. She worked for several years with Indian state governments in systemic transformation projects on mandates related to education and service delivery. Immediately prior to GSD, she was working in philanthropy consulting and grant management on issues related to urban governance, gender, sanitation, skilling, among others. Manasa hopes to improve quality of life for citizens in Indian cities and informal settlements by improving the ability of public systems to undertake better urban planning.

Ana Alvarez is a second year dual degree student pursuing the MPA/ID candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School and the MBA at MIT Sloan School of Management. She is currently incubating Vaiven, a startup that aims to reduce the gap in financial inclusion and financial literacy in Latin America, at the Harvard i-lab and the MIT Sandbox. Prior to coming to HKS, Ana served as Director of Financial International Liaison at Mexico’s Ministry of Finance, coordinating and formulating the Ministry’s stance at International Financial Standard-Setting Bodies. She represented Mexico as Co-chair of the Markets and Payment Systems Subgroup of the GPFI, supporting its work to reduce remittances costs and promote digital financial inclusion. Earlier in her career, Ana co-founded Fonpico, a FinTech platform, to provide loan access to small and medium firms. At HKS, Ana is hoping to focus on the intersection between technology and international development, gender, and inequality. Ana holds a BA in Economics from ITAM.

Jukta is a dual degree student pursuing MPA at the Harvard Kennedy School and MBA at Wharton Business School. She is passionate about socioeconomic mobility and access to higher education in developing countries and is currently incubating her venture in the Harvard innovation lab. Prior to coming to HKS, Jukta worked with McKinsey & Co in the San Francisco office. Earlier in her career, she worked with the Tata group supporting C-suite across 4 different industries – retail, CPG, tech and social impact. She led brand marketing and strategy for one of India’s largest retailers with 2000+ stores and won International customer experience awards in 2018. She hopes to marry her training in engineering, business and policy to create sustainable solutions for the developing economies, especially India.

Zeineb Ben Yahmed is a Master in Public Policy candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School. Previously, Zeineb was working at the World Bank, supporting early childhood development operations in the MENA region. Prior to joining the WB, She was a research analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where her research was focused on political economy and state-society relations in Tunisia and the MENA region. Zeineb holds a master’s degree in Comparative Politics from the LSE and a bachelor with a dual degree in Economics and Politics from SOAS, University of London. She is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.

Emmanuel Birba is a Mid-Career MPA student at the Harvard Kennedy School. For about a decade, Emmanuel has been working on developing greenfield infrastructure that improves people’s lives. Initially based in France, he relocated to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in 2015, where he led the development and financing of the country’s first privately procured geothermal power producer. The project will provide electricity for over two million households, unlocking substantial social dividends as Ethiopia industrializes. Emmanuel is passionate about economic development and urban resilience. He has a strong interest in delivering solutions that promote public and private sector collaboration, particularly in the Caribbean and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Kevin Chen is a freshman at Harvard College concentrating in Economics and a possible secondary in Government. He was born and raised in Shanghai, China but came to the US when he was 12 for education. He is passionate about macroeconomics and developmental economic policies, and he is excited to meet everyone in the CID community and beyond.

Sarah Deonarain is a junior at Harvard College concentrating in Economics. Sarah enjoys researching how international migration law can be improved to better meet the needs of refugees and immigrants around the world. Sarah also participates in public service and social impact work in the areas of women’s and children’s rights, especially regarding human trafficking and gender-based crimes. With aspirations to become an attorney and legislator, Sarah recently served as a legal intern for the Immigration Center for Women and Children, where she provided affordable immigration services to underrepresented immigrants, specifically children who are abused, abandoned or neglected and immigrants who are victims of violent crimes.

Kerianne DiBattista is a Master in Public Policy candidate at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. She is a Teaching Assistant for the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Course: Implementing Public Policy and a Course Assistant for the Harvard Kennedy School Course: Resources, Incentives, and Choices I: Markets and Market Failures. She is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer who served as a Math Teacher Trainer and Financial Coordinator in Mozambique. Her professional interests focus on international development at the local level, policy design and implementation, and child protection and youth development. In addition, Kerianne served as the Finance Chair for the International Development Professional Interest Caucus, a Student Organization at Harvard Kennedy School. She was recently honored with the Francis Bator Public Service Fellowship and the Caroline Cady Hewey Scholarship for Diplomacy.

Sandra G. El Hadi is pursuing her PhD in Human Development, Learning, and Teaching at Harvard University. Prior to joining Harvard, she worked with United Nations (UN) agencies, governments, and multilateral organizations. She received her master's degree in General Linguistics and Comparative Philology from the University of Oxford and pursued her undergraduate studies in Political Science and English at the American University of Beirut. Her interests lie primarily in developmental psychology, language acquisition, and early childhood education.

Alejandro Gaytan Zepeda is a sophomore at Harvard College concentrating in Neurobiology, with a secondary in Physics and a citation in Portuguese language/literature. He is currently conducting research that focuses on the parallels of artificial intelligence and neurobiological processes. Some of the issues he is interested in lie at the intersection of climate change, the implications of urbanization, and public health across Latin America. At HKS CID, Alejandro is looking forward to strengthening his think tank approach to broader global issues and learning from experts in international development, with the hope of applying his background in bioartificial systems to some of Latin America’s most pressing issues.

Maryam Guerrab is a first-year at Harvard College studying Government and Economics. Currently, Maryam is a policy researcher at the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative working in collaboration with the Kingdom of Morocco on transitional justice efforts in Africa. In the past, she has worked with non-profits such as Youth Empowered Solutions and NC Child in her home state of North Carolina to advance policy surrounding issues that impact people of color and children. Maryam is passionate about international development and hopes to leverage her studies and experiences to drive sustainable and equitable development practices. In her spare time, Maryam enjoys volunteering, meeting new people, and reading a good book.

Sohee Hyung is a Master in Public Policy candidate and John F. Kennedy Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Upon graduating from Princeton University in 2016 with a degree in politics and political economy, Sohee joined an agriculture social enterprise in Myanmar as a Princeton in Asia fellow and helped to develop and launch a corporate training program for 900+ employees. Since then, she led digital transformation initiatives and established a data analytics team to transform the decision-making process and grow the organization. Her passion for international development and rural economic development stems from her experience growing up in rural Tanzania. At HKS, Sohee hopes to expand on her experience and learn more effective ways to scale solutions to rural poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.

Zainab is a Master’s in Education candidate at Harvard University from London, United Kingdom. Following completion of her bachelor’s degree at the London School of Economics (LSE), she participated in the Teach First Leadership Programme where she taught in an inner-city London school for two years. Zainab was most recently a Management Consultant at Deloitte, where she worked with and advised a range of clients across the public and private sectors. Zainab is passionate about education and development, and is interested in addressing education inequities and socioeconomic disparities at a global level. 

Mandla Isaacs is a Mid-Career Master in Public Administration and Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School from Johannesburg, South Africa. He is passionate about accelerating inclusive growth and sustainable development in Africa. Mandla is a former senior public servant in the national government of South Africa, where he worked on immigration, economic and fiscal policy as head of research and speechwriting for the Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Finance. In his previous career as a management consultant in McKinsey & Company’s Johannesburg office, he advised businesses and governments across Africa on economic development and strategy topics. He holds a BA Political Science from Howard University, and MA International Relations from Wits University.

Yogesh is a Mid-Career Master in Public Administration and Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is social entrepreneur, working towards creating a gender just society in India. Gender equity and building an inclusive workforce for future are his areas of interest. Yogesh has been leading a variety of gender initiatives across India over the last eight years. He founded Even cargo in 2016, India’s first all women last mile logistics company, a social enterprise that trains women from resource-poor communities for employment opportunities with major e-commerce companies. He was also a visiting faculty at Ambedkar University, Delhi. He is an engineering graduate and holds a master’s degree in social Entrepreneurship.

Kisimbi is pursuing Master’s degrees and fellowships in International Development, Public Administration and Business Administration from the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He is a senior public health expert who has more than 17 years of experience driving large-scale transformative change, working in partnership with governments on a variety of health issues including reproductive health, maternal and child health, community health, health systems strengthening, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. His work spans across Africa, parts of Asia, and Latin America, with organizations including the Clinton Foundation, The UN, Gates Foundation, The Global Fund, GAVI, KPMG, Oliver Wyman Health, and The Aspen Institute. He has served as a senior advisor to top government officials in multiple governments on their ambitious strategic health plans. He has supported the institutionalization of data-driven decision-making and strengthened collaborations among private-public partnerships, governments, development partners, donors, academics, and other stakeholders to release hundreds of millions of dollars for impact. Kisimbi is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.

Eiffy is a Master in Education candidate at Harvard Graduate School of Education studying Learning Design, Innovation, and Technology. Her passion for education and international development stems from her experiences working in a youth camp in Nairobi, Kenya, and in the underdeveloped area of Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture in her hometown Sichuan, China. She is currently a Research Assistant at The Next Level Lab and conducting research on how technology can promote education equity and facilitate innovative learning design in adult learning and workforce development. Prior to grad school, she interned as a journalist at The New York Times, Reuters, and TheStreet, covering education and business sectors. Later She served as a Research Assistant at Stanford University, and a Marketing Manager at Princeton University Press to share global thinking and advocate cross-cultural communication to enrich human conversation.

Liza is a first year MPA/ID candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School. Prior to HKS, Liza worked as a consultant at the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity practice in Nepal helping manage and deliver the first of its kind 100-hour data literacy program to journalists, academicians, and civil society members. Liza also supported the field operations and analytical work for South Asia Regional COVID-19 rapid monitoring phone surveys. Earlier in her career, Liza worked as a business analyst at McKinsey & Company where along with client work, she led initiatives to connect junior consultants with seasoned partners and mentoring potential candidates from minority backgrounds. At HKS, Liza is hoping to focus on the role of data and digital technologies to help governments deliver better public programs and policies. Liza currently sits on the board of Hollaback! a NY based non-profit working to end harassment in all forms. Liza holds a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Smith College, Northampton, MA.   

Aqil is a first-year student at Harvard College intending to pursue a concentration in History & Science with a Medicine and Society focus. In previous years, he has conducted research with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the Democratic Republic of Congo’s 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic. Aqil most recently investigated teenagers’ knowledge of COVID-19 and published his analysis report with the Harvard Public Health Review. Beyond evaluating global health, he has collaborated significantly with the refugee community of Clarkston, Georgia, in efforts to ease newly-arrived families' transition into the U.S. His interests also include podcasting as he has produced his series Operation Status Quo with the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Making Caring Common Project. Through his position at the CID, Aqil hopes to further his involvement in such fields and learn more about the nuances of poverty alleviation initiatives and particularly humanitarian crises response efforts.

Daniel is a student at the Harvard Kennedy School pursuing the Mid-Career Master in Public Administration (MC-MPA) program. Prior to Harvard, Daniel spent a significant portion of his career working in investment and commercial banking for the largest privately owned bank in Ghana and in New York and Delaware for JP Morgan Chase. He is currently an entrepreneur and a founder of a private investment company where he oversees interests in healthcare, energy and real estate. He is passionate about economic development and has a strong interest in creating solutions that promote public and private sector collaboration particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. He holds an MBA from Drexel University and a Bachelors degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Ghana. 

Devangana is a first-year at Harvard College aiming to concentrate in Economics and pursue a secondary field of study in Government. She is passionate about exploring the intersection between economic development, social change, and youth empowerment especially in the context of countries in the Global South. Devangana previous experience includes working with the Indo-German Biodiversity Program HP-FES Project in India, where she conducted research on sustainability and the protection of local forest ecosystem services in the Indian Himalayan region where she is from. She has also interned with the City of Urbana’s Community and Economic Development Services Department to aid in creating a 20 year comprehensive plan in aim of making the city more equitable for all residents. She hopes to apply her learnings from Harvard College and CID in tackling socio-economic inequality at a global scale. 

Harsh Vardhan Sahni is a Mid-Career MPA student at the Harvard Kennedy School. He also holds graduate degrees from the University of Oxford and Delhi School of Economics. For about a decade he has been working on development in India, mostly public health, with international agencies, research organizations and grassroots nonprofits. Most recently he has been consulting such organizations on strategic management, organization development, advocacy and communications and other aspects, to meet their objectives. Harsh is passionate about sustainably scaling up impactful interventions and would like to pursue this calling at a global scale after Harvard.

Nicah Santos is a graduate student in the Education Leadership, Organizations, and Entrepreneurship Ed.M. program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, where she is concentrating in Global, International, & Comparative Education. She is an educator who believes in the potential of education to close equity gaps, correct historical injustices, and foster peace. Having grown up in Manila, Philippines, she is particularly passionate about harnessing the power of education for poverty alleviation and decolonization. As she prepares for a career in international educational development, Nicah hopes to use her experiences as a CID Student Ambassador to expand her worldview and connect with colleagues in the field.

Maryam Tourk is a first-year at Harvard College studying Government and Ethnicity, Migration, and Rights. Currently, Maryam serves as a representative for Harvard’s Islamic Society and for Harvard South Asian American’s in Public Service. She also works with the Institute of Politics’ CIVICS and Politics of Race and Ethnicity initiatives. In the past, she has worked to reform educational systems to support refugee and immigrant populations, foster national civic empathy, and initiate interfaith dialogue. She is passionate about addressing the systemic injustices that face globally underrepresented populations, particularly through community empowerment, dialogue, and combating ignorance with education. Maryam hopes to use her experiences at the CID and Harvard to further these pursuits as well as address global humanitarian crises in a sustainable and empathetic way.

Jamar Williams (he/him) is a first-year joint MPP/MBA candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School. Upon graduating from Yale in 2017 with a degree in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, he joined Deloitte’s Government and Public Services consulting practice. At Deloitte, Jamar worked on international development and social impact projects, ranging from designing a pay-for-results prize mechanism in the West African agriculture sector to helping organizations in Cambodia better support survivors of trafficking. He also served as a Public-Private Partnership Funds Manager for the United States’ leading initiatives focused on defending the human rights of vulnerable communities around the world. At HKS, Jamar hopes to discover more effective and innovative approaches to addressing global humanitarian crises.

Christina is a Master in Education candidate at the Graduate School of Education. She holds a BA from Northeastern University in English and International Affairs. Prior to Harvard, Christina worked in child protective services in Germany serving unaccompanied refugee minors, and in her most recent role she worked with international students at Columbia University in New York. She is passionate about youth development and educational equity in multicultural contexts. With her background in refugee work, she founded an organization in 2017 to provide tutoring services for young refugees during displacement. She is a former fellow for the Clinton Global Initiate University.