2016 Cohort

 Charlie Mitchell Charlie Mitchell

Charlie is a BA candidate at Middlebury College completing an Independent Scholar degree in Food Systems. Along with his studies at Middlebury, Charlie volunteers as Chief Administrative Officer of Middlebury Foods, a student-run nonprofit that provides 200 families every month with affordable and convenient access to wholesome, often local produce, meat, cheese and eggs through partnerships with schools, legions and other community organizations. Prior to coming to Middlebury, Charlie spent his summers harvesting vegetables on a small organic farm in his hometown in northeast Massachusetts.

As an Ambassador Corp intern this summer, Charlie will be working with the Andean Alliance for Sustainable Development in Peru.

 

 Courtney Kemp Courtney Kemp

Courtney is a dual-degree candidate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) seeking an MBA in Social Enterprise and Finance and an MA in International Policy and Development. In addition to her studies, Courtney works closely with the Center for Social Impact Learning on campus where she is the co-President of Net Impact and helps coordinate the school’s B-Corporation Consulting Team. She also works for the United Way of Monterey County where she helps bring positive community impact to disadvantaged areas. Prior to coming to MIIS, Courtney worked for international development organizations in Tucson, Arizona and northern Tanzania. She holds a BA in the Applied Political Economy of Sub-Saharan Africa as well as a BA in French from the University of Arizona. In the future, Courtney is determined to employ innovative financing and private sector techniques to improve human lives around the world.

This summer, Courtney will be working in Bangladesh with the  Grameen Bank, one of the pioneers of the concept micro credit for poverty eradication.

 

 Daniel Cho Daniel Cho

Daniel Cho is part of the Class of 2019 at Middlebury College in Vermont, studying Philosophy and Global Studies. Alongside his studies, Daniel is an intern at Middlebury College Organic farm, where he works with the director and other interns in managing, constructing, planning the garden work. He is also highly involved with the mindfulness movement in the college campus. Through Prajñā and Mead Chapel, he meditates with fellow students and Laurie Patton, the president of Middlebury College. Some of his hobbies include sports and art; Dan is a varsity sprinter on the Middlebury Track and Field team and an avid street and documentary photographer.

As an Ambassador Corp intern this summer, Daniel will be in India working with the Goodweave, which is a social enterprise that works to end child exploitation in the handmade carpet industry.

 

 David Rayudu David Rayudu

David is a Government and History Major at Hamilton College in Upstate New York. Growing up in suburban Los Angeles, David was exposed to a wide variety of different cultures and ideas that fostered a love for exploring history. In high school, David gained a unique perspective on how cultural background connects with community engagement by working as a City Hall finance intern and on political campaigns. These experiences showed him that social good is most effective when it happens through persistent institutional reform. At Hamilton, his dual major has allowed him to appreciate the value of political history and institutional arrangements in developing a society.

As part of Middlebury’s Ambassador Corp program, David will be spending this summer in the Philippines working for the non-profit Kaya Collaborative and their work in supporting the sustainable development of Filipino social entrepreneurs. Through his internship, he hopes to explore the connection between the culture and history of a local community, and how that connects to understanding how best to addressing a community’s delicate needs and concerns.

 

 emma
Emma Dunlap

Emma Dunlap is a BA candidate at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont specializing in Political Science, History, and Arabic language studies. Along with her studies at Middlebury College, Emma is a writer for the Middlebury weekly newspaper, a Tourguide at the Middlebury Admissions Office, a Co-Chair of the Middlebury Speakers Committee as a part of the student activities board, and works at the University of Washington’s Center on Reinventing Public Education where she assists the research and communications teams. Prior to coming to Middlebury College, she attended high school in Seattle, WA where she pursued her interests in journalism, global education, language, and received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to travel abroad to Azerbaijan.

Through her involvement with Ambassador Corps this summer and her internship with Alkilah in Rwanda this summer, Emma is hoping to build off her previous studies and experience to learn about women’s education in Africa and international development on a grassroots level as a method for positive social and political change. Emma aspires to work abroad in international development in the future, helping grassroots organizations that aim to foster political change, aid fair political processes, and encourage political engagement and participation.

 

 

Jack 
Jack Gebbia

 

 

Bio coming soon!

 

 Julia Silva Júlia S. de Athayde Silva

Júlia S. de Athayde Silva is a current freshman at Middlebury College, planning to major in Economics and Computer Science. Júlia was born and raised in São Paulo, Brazil´s biggest city, and attended one of the UWC schools in Victoria, Canada for the last two years of high school.

Her most significant and inspirational experiences prior to coming to Middlebury were participating as a facilitator in Peace by Piece— a summer program about peace education in Bosnia & Hergovina, and a semester sailing with the Semester at Sea program. These experiences provided her with a broader perspective of the world and gave her inspiration to get involved with social entrepreneurship and women empowerment.

 

 Katy
Katy Wilson

Katy is a dual MPA and International Education Management candidate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), where she focuses on educational equity and scholarship programs that serve communities devastated by war and conflict. While teaching English culture and civilization at a French engineering university, Katy co-founded a linguistic and professional development group for students and young professionals trying to increase their international ties. As part of this experience Katy worked closely with refugees and became interested in international education rights for stateless youth. Katy aspires to design and evaluate scholarship programs that contribute to peacebuilding and development. Katy serves as part of the Amnesty International chapter at MIIS.

 

 Kyle Blodgett Kyler Blodgett

Kyler Blodgett is in his third year as a B.A. candidate at Middlebury College, specializing in International Politics and Economics and Mathematics. His academic work centers on comparative growth strategies, African politics, and data analysis with STATA and R. He has studied African development during a semester at the Middlebury C.V Starr School in Yaoundé, Cameroon, while conducting data-driven research with a female-focused microfinance organization. Locally, he is involved with several community development efforts centered on youth, from positive male mentoring to literacy skill building.

During his Ambassador Corps internship,  Kyler will work in Rwanda with Resonate, which uses storytelling to empower women and girls to build self-confidence and unlock leadership potential.

 

 Marjeela Marjeela Basij-Rasikh

Marjeela Basij-Rasikh is a current student at MIIS, getting her MA in International Environmental Policy with a focus in Business and Sustainability. Marjeela was born and raised in Kabul, Afghanistan. In 2009 she moved to Massachusetts to attend Brooks Private Boarding School. Later on, in 2015, she got her BA in Environmental Studies with a focus in Policy at Middlebury College in Vermont. By being part of an intellectually-stimulating community at Brooks School and then at Middlebury College, all while surrounded by the awe-inspiring four seasons and the Adirondack Mountains in VT, she developed an extensive appreciation of nature. Her belief in global citizenship and the importance of global socio-environmentalism was supplemented by Middlebury College’s rigorous educational efforts to teach its astoundingly-diverse and highly motivated students.

Marjeela believes strongly in the power of young entrepreneurs (the future leaders and problem solvers), and is a strong advocate of women entrepreneurs and empowerment in particular.

 

 Naomi Naomi Eisenberg

Naomi is a sophomore majoring in Economics and minoring in Hebrew from Newton, Massachusetts. She is interested in social justice through an economic lens, specifically through social entrepreneurship. As an alumna of the Global Scholars Program at African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa, she has a deep interest in how collaboration and ideation can spark changes that cause impact, both small and large. This past summer she worked in an at-risk youth village in southern Israel with teenage girls who were fleeing domestic violence. There, she taught English and dance classes while also learning about minority groups across Israel.

This summer Naomi will work in Morocco with NEST, a social enterprise that works toward social and economic advancement of global artisans and homeworkers through supply chain transparency, sustainable business development, and widespread industry advocacy.

 

 Processed with VSCOcam with g3 preset Nicole Beck

Nicole is a graduate student at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. She is currently pursuing a degree in International Education Management and completed her undergraduate studies at Auburn University in 2014 where she majored in Foreign Language Education-Spanish. Nicole studied abroad in Spain while at Auburn University and has traveled throughout Europe as well as Central and South America.

Prior to beginning her studies at MIIS she taught high school Spanish I & II in her home state of Alabama. In addition to foreign language study and international education, Nicole is passionate about social entrepreneurship, and thinking of innovative ways to use business for social impact. This summer she will work with the nonprofit organization Nica Nadadores in Managua, Nicaragua.

 

 Robert Robert Kalish

Robert is currently a junior at the University of Delaware pursuing a degree in marketing with a minor in management information systems. In addition to his studies, Robbie is currently working as a leasing agent for a new housing project developing his sales and marketing skills. Previous work experience of note includes working for the Houston Rockets, specifically for the team travel coordinator, during the summer 2014.

Robbie has traveled extensively from trekking the Andes in Peru, to scuba diving in the Cenotes of Mexico, exploring the Jungles of Belize, and navigating the canals of France. He has developed a broader view of the environment and the world at large. Robbie brings an engaging strong work ethic, organizational skills and an interest in cultural differences in developing countries around the world. This summer Robert will work in Nepal with the Himalayan Climate Initiative.

 

 

sarah
Sarah Cowen 

Sarah Cowen is a second year Peace Corps Masters International student in International Environmental Policy with a concentration in ocean and coastal management as well as a focus on the conflict resolution certificate.  Recently returned in October 2015 from a 27 month Peace Corps service in the central region of Mexico where she served as an environmental education volunteer. In Mexico she gained experience working on awareness through environmental camps, programs, murals, school gardens, while gaining experience working with Mexican government counterparts for CONAFOR (national forest commission) as well as successful management of a grant to facilitate the construction of a community park. She has a background of working for an NGO in Peru with Indigenous groups on environmental outreach in schools and has been actively participating in MIIS classes to gain further knowledge in environmental ethics, conflict analysis and peace building, and many other environmental policy and research design courses.  She is currently working for the Dance of the Deer foundation, which in part is the umbrella organization of the Huichol foundation. Sarah holds an enthusiasm for education, leadership, and a keen sense of cultural understanding. Sarah is also working as a consultant for a business accelerator called Think Beyond Plastic, as the MAR coordinator to eliminate plastic on the Bay Islands of Honduras. She has a love for travel and the ocean with an over all appreciation for the connection communities can have with nature.

This summer Sarah worked on a project for Ambassador Corps with an NGO in Costa Rica called ASEPALECO, working towards bettering their ecotourism and tapping into the american market. The adventure of working in an ecolodge of Costa Rica was an incredible experience, and the successful completion of their brand new website design shows only half of the summer’s accomplishments.

 

 Steven Steven Li
Born in New York City, Steven has lived all around from China to California before finally settling in Seattle, his hometown. The last two years of his high school were spent at United World College Costa Rica, basically a high school United Nations, where he was exposed to many different cultures from all around the world. There, he realized not only the vast injustices that plague the world, but also the sheer and vast possibility for change. The defining lesson of the experience was the Golden Rule: what you wish upon others, you wish upon yourself.

At Middlebury, Steven is pursuing a degree in Political Science and Geography as he believes that any sort of change will center around the issues of power and space.

Steven eventually wants to work for the United Nations. Last summer, Steven worked in street children education and rehabilitation in Ethiopia and Kenya. This winter, Steven participated in a study of the effects of climate change on high-altitude indigenous communities in Peru.

 

 Thomas Thomas Chamberlin

Thomas Chamberlin is an MA in International Environmental Policy candidate at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS), specializing in Sustainable Development. Along with environmental policy and development economics, Thomas’s studies include social entrepreneurship and impact accounting. Prior to MIIS, Thomas’ studies and professional experience focused on sustainable city planning and civil engineering.

Through his time at MIIS, Thomas hopes to acquire invaluable and pragmatic knowledge on emerging trends of international development and environmental sustainability. By combining technical engineering knowledge with environmental economics and social entrepreneurship, Thomas hopes to create a truly sustainable philosophy of development. Thomas received his Master 1 in City and Regional Planning from the University Aix-Marseille and his B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Davis.

 

 Yingshi Yingshi Liang

Yingshi Liang is a second-year undergraduate student at the Middlebury College; she has not declared her major but she is thinking about Sociology. Along with her studies at Middlebury, Yingshi interned for Eco-Reps Program at University of Louisville last summer where she participated in an innovative summer leadership program designed to develop understanding of food systems and policies. Prior to coming to Middlebury, Yingshi worked as student translator in San Francisco for four years, where she translated newsletters, notices, and flyers from English to Chinese as well as interpreted for counselors and parents.

Through her studies and time at Middlebury, Yingshi is hoping to build off her experience in strong writing, communication and critical analytical skills and develop the skills necessary to harness businesses as a vehicle for positive social change. This summer Yingshi will work in Rwanda with the Aegist Trust, an organization that conducts and encourages research about genocide to improve the practice of prevention.

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