Assignment: Market Knowledge Insights, FATE Foundation and Lofty Inc. Lagos, Nigeria
Degree Program: Master of Public Administration
From: Reno, NV
Languages: English and French
Spring 2011
Yi-Ching Hwang
Assignment: V-Shesh, First Light Ventures of Gray Ghost Ventures
Location: Chennai, India
Degree Program: Master of Business Administration
From: Taiwan & San Diego, CA
Languages: English, Mandrin, Spanish, Taiwanese
Komla Doe Dotse
Assignment: LoftyInc PLC.
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Degree Program: Master of Public Administration
From: Kpadapé, Togo
Languages: French, English, Ewe
Cynthia Verges
Assignment: Lofty Inc.
Location: Lagos, Nigeria
Degree Program: Master of Arts in International Policy Studies
From: Monterey, CA
Languages: English, French
Rachael Sanborn
Location: Tanzania
FMS Partner: Choice Capital Management – Dar es Salaam
Rachael Corinne Sanborn is focusing on Sustainable Development and Business Strategy in the MBA program at MIIS. Ms. Sanborn’s passion for International Development has led her to study sustainable business to aid social challenges in the developing world. Ms. Sanborn is please to serve MIIS as a distinguished Watson Fellow.
Ms. Sanborn has worked as an entrepreneur for the last 5 years in California and started two successful retail businesses and managed a start-up, import-company. Ms. Sanborn’s passion for international development is due to extensive travel and work experience in India, the Middle East and Central America. Ms. Sanborn has most recently worked with a consulting firm in Mainz, Germany where she helped develop and implement business strategy for a major pharmaceutical company. In 2010, she completed a long-term strategy for a major fresh foods distribution company. Ms. Sanborn is pleased to have completed an internship with Choice Capital, a finance and business consulting firm and Root Change, an international business development platform in Dar es Salaam as part of the Frontier Market Scouts pilot program.
Ms. Sanborn is particularly interested in the role culture plays in developing sustainable business strategy and empowering business leaders to create their dreams for a better future. After graduating from MIIS, Ms. Sanborn plans to continue working with business ventures in the developing world to encourage capacity building and creative solutions to big challenges.
Christine Robinson
Location: Nigeria
FMS Partner: Pan African University / The Nike Art Gallery
About Christine…
Christine Renee Robinson is 24 years old and is from Virginia. She received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish from Washington and Lee University. During her time in undergraduate school Christine studied the language and cultures of several countries through study abroad opportunities in Spain, Morocco, India, Jordan, and the Dominican Republic. Christine is currently pursuing a Masters in Public Administration and Arabic at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She is highly motivated to use language and culture to provide positive social impact through for profit models domestically and internationally.
In the Field…
As a Frontier Market Scout, Christine R. Robinson traveled to Nigeria and worked with two entities. She consulted for The Nike Art Gallery, and focused on streamlining the gallery’s function through business model refinement and human resource advising. She also worked for the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan African University, where she assisted the staff of that program in linking entrepreneurs to global markets and domestic training. She completed her FMS assignment in Lagos, Nigeria working with the Nike Art Gallery and the Pan African University.
Ravi Kurani
Location: Mumbai, India
Village Capital Partner: Dasra Social Impact
Village Capital Investee: Under the Mango Tree
About Ravi…
Ravi Kurani is from Riverside, California and attended the University of California, Riverside (UCR). He received his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Energy and Environment. Ravi gained his interest in international development and business during two expeditions he took to Peru and Brazil, where he worked at an orphanage to provide basic medical care and educational supplies. Ravi then decided to attend the Monterey Institute of International Studies and graduated in May 2011 with his Masters in Business Administration in International Finance. At MIIS, Ravi was the student council MBA representative and helped spearhead the MBA Student Association (MBASA). After graduation, Ravi worked with HUB Ventures, in The Bay Area (SoMa), on refinement of stakeholders and development of the social enterprise space. With the completion of a Sustainable Energy and Storage Conversion Certificate from Stanford University, Ravi began to work for BuildingWise – a high performance energy efficiency engineering consulting firm in San Francisco. Read more
Jennifer Nguyen
Location: Vietnam
FMS Partner: The Spark Program and Root Change
About Jennifer…
Jennifer is a fourth semester MBA student at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She received two bachelor degrees in Communication and Sociology, Organizational Studies from University of California, Davis in 2006. As a Vietnam native who became a United States citizen ten years ago, Jennifer has managed to maintain relationships with friends and families in Vietnam. Additionally, she works closely with the Vietnam Fund, a non-profit organization that provides educational opportunities to ethnic minority groups in Vietnam. Through her close family and professional ties, Jennifer developed a deep interest in improving Vietnam’s international business climate. Jennifer’s long-term plans are to continue working in business development in Asian countries and help to contribute to their economic growth and infrastructure. Read more
