Kiva Fellows Program

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Kiva Fellows 7th Class

Abigail Gray | UIMCEC, a partner of Christian Children's Fund, Senegal

B.A. Political Science and International Comparative Studies, Duke University

Abby graduated from Duke University in 2006, where she studied Political Science and International Comparative Studies. During college, she conducted independent research while living abroad in Kenya and India, interviewing various legal, social and political figures on the subject of Muslim Law and the implications of its inclusion in the legal system of both countries. After graduation, having heard about microfinance through her studies and travels, Abby worked as an intern at the Center for Empowerment and Economic Development, a domestic microfinance institution in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She then worked as a Compensation Consultant at Watson Wyatt in New York, where she helped design a global training program to teach associates how to analyze industries, businesses, and set performance metrics. Abby speaks conversational French and is looking forward to furthering her bilingual abilities and returning to the field of microfinance as a Kiva Fellow in Togo.

Alia Rafeh | Al Majmoua Lebanese Association for Development, a partner of Save the Children, Lebanon

B.A. Economics, University of Michigan

Alia has called England, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, and Italy home. She has also travelled extensively throughout the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. After attending high school in the UAE, Alia graduated from the University of Michigan, where she studied Economics focusing on International Development. This is where she first became interested in microfinance and its role in creating sustainable economies. After college, she worked as a Project Manager and Consultant for two Bay Area tech companies. Alia is also a mentor and a volunteer for two local charities – City of Dreams and Mama Hope. Alia is fluent in Arabic and speaks conversational French and Italian. Alia is also an avid sports-fan and though her college football team had a rough season, she remains optimistic for next year – kinda.

Andrea Bouch-Dimondstein | FAPE, Guatemala

B.A. Communications & Latin American Studies, UC San Diego

Andrea Bouch-Dimondstein was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to warmer temperatures to study at the University of California, San Diego. During her studies she developed a passion for Latin American culture and upon graduation left San Diego to follow her heart from Chile to Mexico - living, volunteering and trekking through Latin America while improving her Spanish along the way. She then returned to the Bay Area to take a job as an Associate Industry Marketing Manager with Internet search giant, Google. Desiring to mingle the skills developed in her career with her enthusiasm for microfinance and Latin studies, she is taking a leave of absence from Google to participate in the Kiva Fellows program in Guatemala. Andrea is very excited to delve deeper into the world of microfinance in the heart of her favorite culture.

Ashley King-Bischof | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE), Cameroon

B.A. Business Economics, Brown University

As an avid student of entrepreneurship, Ashley plans to use her Kiva Fellowship to better understand and help entrepreneurs in developing countries, namely Cameroon. Ashley’s home is the San Francisco Bay Area and from a young age has lived and traveled abroad. Immediately following her studies at Brown University, Ashley played professional basketball in the Czech Republic. Having been an athlete and coach, Ashley maintains that given the opportunity, people will rise to any challenge they face. From an early age, Ashley has been very interested in helping developing countries face their challenges with extreme poverty. Inspired by a lecture at Brown about the non-profit TechnoServe, she has since believed that there can be real solutions to poverty when they are coupled with self-empowerment. Ashley has a great respect for anyone trying to lift him or herself out of poverty and believes that microfinance can be a viable method in which to do so.

Ashley Nelsen | Esperanza International, a partner of HOPE International, Dominican Republic

B.S. Environmental Science, University of Missouri, Kansas City

Originally from Lathrop, Missouri, Ashley is currently pursuing a M.A. in international environmental policy at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Ashley spent three years living in El Salvador working as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a rural community where she worked in small business development and agroforestry projects. Her Peace Corps experience took her traveling all over Central America. After returning from living abroad, she was inspired by Kiva's transparency and the ability to connect lenders and borrowers all over the world. She hopes to return from her Kiva Fellowship to work in Washington, D.C., in environmental policy. Aside from graduate school and traveling, she enjoys the outdoors, music, documentaries, and non-fiction.

Bernice Wong | Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (TCVM), a partner of Save the Children

B.A. Commerce, University of Toronto

Bernice recently achieved her Bachelor of Commerce degree with a focus on Strategy and Finance from the University of Toronto. Upon her graduation, she joined Oliver Wyman, a global management consulting firm, where she has since been engaged in strategy development for businesses across a broad spectrum of industries and geographies. With roots in Hong Kong, Bernice is looking forward to being back in the region as a Kiva Fellow in Vietnam. She shares a love of economic theory and market dynamics with many of her peers and is excited to observe and apply these principles through the world of microfinance.

Boris Mordkovich | MLO Humo and Partners, Tajikistan

B.A. Entrepreneurship & Small Business Management, Baruch College

Boris Mordkovich is a serial entrepreneur who has launched and sold several successful technology and media start-ups. The first time he came across Kiva, he couldn't get it out of his mind for weeks and knew that he wanted to get involved with the organization and in micro-finance. A year after the initial encounter, he sold his latest business and signed up to become a Kiva Fellow. He is excited about contributing to Kiva, learning first-hand about the impact of micro-finance, and the unknown that lies ahead. Boris is fluent in Russian, loves long-distance bicycle touring and enjoys starting new businesses and working.

Brent Zettel | AFODENIC, Nicaragua

B.A. Government, Harvard University

Brent is a California native with a background in non-profits focused on grassroots social change. He worked as a community organizer outside Boston and was the statewide grassroots coordinator for the Citizen’s Campaign in New Jersey. He spent several years working with New York’s immigrant communities as an organizer with 1199 SEIU, where his team helped thousands of home care workers establish unions and campaign for livable wages and health care. Brent has traveled extensively, volunteered with a community health program in India, and refuses to return from this fellows placement without learning to cook at least one delicious local dish. He was drawn to Kiva by his longstanding desire to do more for poverty in developing countries, and his enthusiasm for innovative ideas that empower more people to improve their lives. Brent graduated from Harvard University with a degree in government, and plans to pursue an MBA focused on social enterprise.

Brett Dobbs | Kisumu Medical & Education Trust (K-MET), Kenya

A.B. International Relations, Vassar College

Brett comes from a background in media, where he specialized in Foreign Policy and Entrepreneurship, and is eager to learn as much as he can during his Kiva Fellowship. He plans to attend law school in the fall in order to ground his international work in legal doctrine before pursuing a career in international development, something he first gained passion for while studying abroad in Cairo, Egypt. Brett began his professional life leading canoe trips with kids before becoming a researcher for Charlie Rose on PBS. Most recently, Brett helped build web start-up BigThink.com where he interviewed global leaders including Muhammad Yunus, who inspired him to apply for a Kiva fellowship. He also has worked for political action committees, an international consulting firm and performed comedy in New York and LA. He is eager to get back out from behind his desk and into the field.

Cory Lee | Pearl Microfinance Limited, Uganda

B.A. Computer Science, UCSD; M.A. Learning Theory and Product Design, Stanford University

Cory was previously an engineering volunteer at Kiva. He became inspired to work in microfinance after a summer trip to Ethiopia, where he helped teach and write grant proposals for schools and nonprofits in education. After coming back to the US, he enrolled in graduate studies at Stanford in Learning Theory and Product Design. It was there that he first heard about Kiva and was blown away by the concept. Immediately deciding to volunteer, his contributions have since included the first version of email invites and KivaVision, a Google Maps visualization of Kiva lenders around the world. He holds a degree in Computer Science from UCSD.

Cynthia McMurry | Asociación Arariwa, Peru

B.A. in Spanish and International Relations

Cynthia recently graduated from Tufts University with a B.A. in Spanish and International Relations. While in college, she spent several years working at WBUR, Boston's National Public Radio station, and from 2006-2007 lived, studied and wrote for a local newspaper in Santiago, Chile. After returning to the US, she wrote a senior honors thesis about the controversy over government provision of emergency contraception to women in Chile and the opposition of the Catholic Church. Cynthia hopes to make a career out of journalism and/or development work in Latin America. She speaks Spanish and some Portuguese, and hopes to pick up Quechua while in Bolivia.

Diana Rodriguez-Wong | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER, Peru

B.A. International Development Studies, UC Berkeley

Diana Rodriguez-Wong grew up in Quito, Ecuador. Wanting to do something about the disparities she experienced in her home country, she went to U.C. Berkeley where she studied International Development. Upon graduation, Diana worked in the area of gender-based asylum law where she learned about the abuses women experience in developing countries and the lack of protection they receive from their governments. Wanting to tie her passion for women's empowerment with her interest in international development, Diana will be working with Movimiento Manuela Ramos in Peru to look at how microfinance can help women borrowers. After completing her Kiva fellowship, Diana wants to pursue a Masters in Public Policy with an emphasis on gender and international development.

Drew Loizeaux | Hattha Kaksekar Limited (HKL), a partner of Save the Children, Cambodia

B.S. Accounting, St. Michael's College

Drew, originally from New York, initially became interested in microfinance after a service trip to an orphanage in Comayagua, Honduras during his final year at St Michael's College. Following graduation in 2006, he began work as an accountant in a field office of the US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) in Colchester, Vermont. While there, he helped resettle and serve refugees from many parts of the world. He continued to be involved with the refugee community after work by volunteering to help with tax returns and computer training. In the fall of 2007 he was transferred to USCRI's headquarters in Washington, DC where he provided support to all of USCRI's field offices. Drew is excited to begin his Kiva Fellowship and is looking forward to being able to contribute to the Kiva community. Following his fellowship, Drew hopes to attend graduate school to obtain a master's degree in developmental economics.

Emily Sweeney | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER, Peru

B.A. Business & Economics and Global Studies, UC Santa Barbara

Emily graduated from the University of California at Santa Barbara where she studied Business/Economics and Global Studies with an emphasis in Latin American socioeconomics. During her senior year in college she lived abroad in Santiago, Chile, where she studied Latin American economies and volunteered at a small non-profit where she helped plan workshops and events that promoted community development. Emily’s passion for travel led her on backpacking trips through Latin America and Europe, where she eventually settled in Barcelona, Spain and taught English to adult professionals for one year. For the past two years, she has combined her love of running and her desire to work for a prominent non-profit by managing the Team in Training Marathon program in San Francisco for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Emily is excited to gain first hand experience in microfinance and plans to pursue an MBA and career in international development. She speaks Spanish and hopes to pick up some Quechua while in Peru.

Erica Dorn

B.A. Spanish and Latin American Studies, Colorado State University

Erica has traveled to five continents as a student and as a teacher. After finishing her Spanish degree, she worked as an English teacher to the Chilean Navy and has enjoyed various forms of teaching ever since. It was through her work with New Orleans that she became interested in community development and was inspired to form a Brooklyn based fundraising and public education organization. Erica is thrilled to take part in a Kiva Fellowship where she plans to contribute her Kiva education to economic sustainability. Much of her determination comes from her undying curiosity and her love for dance.

Evangeline Marzec | Paglaum Multi-Purpose Cooperative (PMPC), Philippines

B.A. Philosophy, University of Washington

Evie has recently completed an MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and hails from the video game industry. Her passion is for using technology in international development. She first became inspired by microfinance and sustainable humanitarian aid through Project Artemis, a program in which Thunderbird gives business education and small loans to women in Afghanistan. Born in the US, she's been an exchange student to Japan and to France and has traveled throughout Europe and Asia, developing a particular love for Cambodia and Thailand. Evie is conversational in French and is now learning Russian. She'll be a Kiva Fellow for a year, working in Ukraine, Cambodia, and parts unknown.

Jeff Zira | CREDIT, a partner of World Relief, Cambodia

B.S. Chemistry, UC Santa Barbara

Jeff recently returned from Japan, where he spent two years leading the effort to create funki.jp , a college-based social networking website. Before that, he worked at Roche as a research chemist, and contributed to the creation of a new drug that fights urinary incontinence. More recently, he changed career directions again after discovering himself through meditation, and now wants to use his interests in science, entrepreneurship, and the internet to work on poverty. Jeff believes that in practice, microfinance is the most effective method available for enabling the poor to escape poverty, and is excited to see how it has helped impoverished entrepreneurs in Cambodia. He will use his experience as a Kiva Fellow to guide his studies at business school starting in September.

Jessica Chervin | Soro Yiriwaso, a partner of Save the Children, Mali

A.B. French, Dartmouth College

Jessica graduated from Dartmouth College with an A.B. French, with a particular emphasis 20th century literature. She comes to Kiva with a background in financial services, gained through internships in real estate private equity and investment banking during her college years, and from a year on both the investment and management sides of a large, global macro strategy hedge fund after her graduation from Dartmouth. Inspired by what she learned from Muhammad Yunus' Banker to the Poor, Jessica developed a deep interest in microfinance and in the evolving models that facilitate it. As a Kiva Fellow, Jessica is eager to witness first hand the human impact of microfinance, and to put her previous experience to work. Jessica is fluent in French, is currently learning Mandarin Chinese, and hopes to pick up a bit of Bambara while in Mali.

John Briggs | Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI)

B.A. East Asian Area Studies, University of Wisconsin - Madison

Before volunteering for Kiva, John was Assistant Managing Editor at Yahoo! News. During his time at Yahoo, he managed the editorial team responsible for continuous news coverage on the home page, and helped shape News’ editorial standards and practices, products, and strategy. From 2006 to 2007, John joined a class of 20 journalists from around the globe as a Knight Fellow at Stanford University. Over the years, his travels have taken him to every continent except Antarctica. He also studied and worked in Japan for four and a half years. John was inspired by Kiva the moment he heard of it, and after learning more about micro-finance and social entrepreneurship, he applied to be a Kiva Fellow. He's excited by the opportunity to serve Kiva, its partner MFIs, and most of all, its small entrepreneurs in the field.

John Soleanicov

B.A. Economics and B.A. Political Science, Columbia University

Originally from Romania, John (or "Ionut") graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in Economics, Operations Research and Political Science. After working in investment banking for the Global Healthcare Group at Lehman Brothers in New York, John moved to Washington, DC to join the Health and Education Department of the International Finance Corporation (the private arm of the World Bank). After two years in Washington, John spent an additional year in Mexico City, Mexico and six months in Cairo, Egypt. While in Washington, John co-founded a branch of StreetWise Partners, a non-profit organization he had volunteered for while in New York. John speaks Romanian, Spanish and French.

Julie Picquet | MAXIMA Mikroheranhvatho Co., Ltd., Cambodia

B.A. Political Science, University of California at Berkeley

Julie Picquet graduated from UC Berkeley in 2007 with highest honors, where she studied Political Science with a focus in Asia. Previous to her Kiva Fellowship, Julie worked at Google, Inc. in traditional media sales and marketing. A long-time enthusiast of microfinance and sustainable development, Julie was the Public Relations Associate for the Bay Area Chapter of Wokai.org, a start-up China microfinance organization. Upon her return, Julie plans to explore the intersections between policy and international development and will attend law school in Fall 2009.

Julie Ross | Vision Finance Company s.a. (VFC), a partner of World Vision International, Rwanda

B.A. English Literature, Tufts University

Julie's love of travel has taken her to five continents and more than 20 countries, including a year spent studying abroad in England at University College London. After completing her B.A., Julie moved to Washington to work in politics where she most recently served as an aide to a Congressman. An eye-opening trip through Ethiopia showed her extreme poverty as she hadn't witnessed before and inspired her to follow through on a long-standing goal of working in a developing country to help alleviate poverty. Julie is looking forward to witnessing the power of microfinance firsthand and hopes to continue to devote herself to poverty alleviation and economic development after completing her fellowship. She speaks French and is excited about learning Swahili

Kalie Gold | Esperanza International, a partner of HOPE International, Dominican Republic

B.A. International Relations, Brown University

Kalie is a recent graduate of Brown University, where she concentrated in International Relations with a focus on Global Security. She originally hails from Washington, DC. Previously, Kalie has worked and volunteered internationally with Amigos de las Americas, in both the Dominican Republic and Mexico. During her collegiate studies, Kalie mixed her interest in international development and her involvement with rugby as a co-coordinator for Brown Women's Rugby groundbreaking trip to Kampala, Uganda (2006). Kalie's passion for international development through genuine partnership first brought her to Kiva as an online lender, and subsequently to the Kiva Fellows Program. Kalie speaks Spanish and hopes to learn a bit of Haitian Creole during her upcoming trip.

Katie Davis | AMK, Cambodia

B.S. General Management and International Studies, Boston College

After working in the financial sector for the past 3.5 years, Katie is eager to channel her energy into a more compelling social mission. She graduated from Boston College in 2005 and went to work as an analyst at Citigroup in New York City. After completing a rotation with the bank's trade finance team, Katie took an assignment in the cash management group, where her focus on the Public Sector market crossed paths with Citigroup's Microfinance Initiative. After spending two years at Citigroup, she wanted to better understand capital markets and gain experience in another realm of finance. To this end, Katie took a job with TPG Credit, a distressed debt hedge fund based in Minneapolis, and spent a year working on the trading desk. She loves to travel and is looking forward to the challenge of living and working in Cambodia for a substantially greater length of time than any of her previous international adventures (which include 20 countries across 4 continents). Originally from Burnsville, Minnesota, Katie enjoys running and has recently dabbled in mountaineering, with climbs on Mt. Rainier and Cotopaxi. She will be applying to business schools upon her return to the states in the fall of 2009.

Kristan Callahan | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE), Cameroon

B.A. International Development and Economics, New York University

Kristan Callahan graduated from New York University in May of 2007, where she studied international development and economics. As a sophomore, she had the opportunity to work for a non-profit organization that focused on maternal and child healthcare rights in developing countries, which furthered her interest in international development and sustainable development. And for both semesters of her junior year, Kristan studied in Paris, where she sharpened her French language skills. While abroad, she traveled throughout Morocco and fell in love with the country, cementing her interest in Africa as a whole. When Kristan returned to New York City, she interned for a U.S. Congressman's district office, where she grew more interested in both law and foreign policy. In the future, Kristan plans to attend law school, and ultimately, to continue working in the field of international relations.

Liz O'Donnell | Caurie Microfinance, a partner of Catholic Relief Services, Senegal

B.A. English Literature, Princeton University; MBA, Stanford University Graduate School of Business

Liz has spent the majority of her career, which has spanned marketing, strategic consulting, and banking, working on growing US businesses overseas, most recently as LinkedIn's international director. She brings over 15 years of experience to Kiva, as well as an interest in international development that was first sparked by traveling throughout Southeast Asia on her way home from living in Japan. A decade later and working in Silicon Valley, Liz became a Kiva lender in 2007 with four loans to Cambodia and a strong belief in entrepreneurship as a way to develop local economies. She speaks French and some Japanese. Having lived and worked in the US, UK, France, Japan, and Australia, and traveled widely beyond that, Liz is looking forward to working in Senegal and discovering some great Senegalese music.

Lori Gibson Banducci | Asociación ASDIR, Guatemala

B.A. Economics Stanford University; M.B.A University of California Berkeley

Lori has almost 30 years of business, management, marketing and entrepreneurial experience in a wide variety of settings---including large corporations, non profits, academia and small businesses. Most recently, she started her own business working with women’s cooperatives in Latin America to market their products in the U.S. Originally from El Paso, Texas she has lived in Boise, Idaho since 1979 where she raised her three (now grown) children. She has always believed in the power of capitalism and the free market to positively impact lives and communities.

Mark Bulliet | XacBank, Mongolia

B.A. Creative Writing, Columbia College

Mark has spent the last seven years as a reporter and editor at newspapers in New York City. He became interested in international development while spending seven months in South Asia during college. While studying Bengali and teaching English in Calcutta, he got to see the jubilation that swept through the city as their hero, Amartya Sen, won the Nobel in economics. (The Bengali people would, of course, get a second helping of pride when Muhammad Yunus won his Nobel eight years later.) Mark has also visited Pakistan, Greece, Britain, Belize, Holland, Spain, France, Israel, Mexico, Nepal and Bangladesh. He is currently studying Azeri to prepare for his Kiva Fellowship in Baku, Azerbaijan. After Azerbaijan, he plans to continue his fellowship in another country. He is inspired by microfinance because it lets strivers in the marketplace, rather than outsideexperts, find solutions to poverty. In his free time, Mark enjoys Muay Thai, chess, reading and coffee.

Maya Mylavarapu | ADIM, Nicaragua

B.A.A Finance and Management, minor in Spanish, Emory University

Maya graduated from Emory University with a BBA in Finance and Management, and a minor in Spanish. Upon graduating, she worked at Bank of Montreal, a middle-market investment bank, and later at Storm Exchange, a weather derivatives startup. Eager to make a larger impact on the world through her work, she moved to the Bay Area to work in and learn about microfinance and social enterprise. Maya loves to drink soy lattes while documenting her journeys athttp://www.mayamylavarapu.blogspot.com. She hopes to gain field experience,practice her Spanish and explore the gorgeous beaches and rainforests while in Nicaragua.

Megan Montgomery | ADEPHCA, Nicaragua

B.A. Latin American Studies, Government, and Spanish, The University of Texas at Austin

Megan served as a Kiva Fellow in Guatemala in the summer of 2008. Having seen how effective, inspiring, and educational Kiva and the Fellows Program can be, she now returns to the field to work with field partners in Nicaragua and Costa Rica. Megan earned a Bachelor of Arts in Latin American Studies, Spanish, and Government from the University of Texas in 2003 and has studied in Venezuela and Mexico. After graduation, she participated in a six-month internship at the Andean Information Network in Cochabamba, Bolivia, researching and evaluating the impact of U.S. anti-drug policy in Bolivia. Megan then moved to Guam for two and a half years where she worked in Contract Administration and traveled extensively throughout Southeast Asia, Australia, and the Western Pacific. Megan’s work with Kiva has confirmed her passion for poverty alleviation work, and she plans to pursue a Masters in International Development following her fellowship. Megan is proficient in Spanish and has studied basic Portuguese.

Milena Arciszewski | Kisumu Medical & Education Trust (K-MET), Kenya

B.S. Economics, University of Virginia

Milena has worked for two years as an investment banking analyst at J.P. Morgan in New York, structuring, syndicating and monitoring loans. Prior to her time on Wall Street, she graduated from the University of Virginia, where she volunteered with kids through Children's Hospital, taught English to migrant farm workers and collected books to replenish libraries in Afghanistan. She has traveled to Europe, South America and China, and speaks Polish and basic Spanish. She is inspired by the possibilities of microfinance, and hopes to capture the individual stories behind the loans through writing and photography.

Nathan Cutler | SEDA, Viet Nam

B.A. International Relations and Economics, University of California, Davis

Nathan graduated from UC Davis in 2006 with degrees in Economics and International Relations. While studying, his global emphasis was on Africa where he was very interested in the post-colonial political landscape. When he had the chance to study abroad he went to the University of Ghana in Legon where he conducted an independent research project on Ghanaian International Migration Patterns. His conclusions and experiences led him to believe that individuals seem to have a greater impact on localized development than governments and large organizations such as the IMF. Upon graduating from UC Davis, Nathan became a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch and later started the Account Management program for a green-minded start-up called TheGreenOffice.com. Nathan's plans after being a Kiva Fellow in Hanoi, Vietnam include earning his M.A. in International Development to eventually pursue a career in microfinance.

Nemr Kanafani | Ameen s.a.l., Lebanon

B.Sc. Economics, Truman State University; M.A. Economics, University of Missouri – Columbia

Nemr holds a masters in Economics and worked as an economist in a commercial bank in Kuwait for over ten years. In Denmark, he continues to do freelance research, conducting a variety of business and economic research. He has joined Kiva’s Fellowship program with the hopes of expanding his firsthand knowledge of microfinance and possibly doing a PhD within the field in the near future. During his time in Lebanon, Nemr hopes to gain a deeper insight into the kind of obstacles entrepreneurs face in that country. Nemr’s passion lies in making economics serve ordinary people through appropriate policy and private sector initiatives. Nemr has lived in five difference countries and has traveled extensively. He speaks Arabic and Danish fluently, in addition to English, and can manage a conversation in French and Spanish.

Nicholas Roose | DINARI Foundation, Indonesia

B.A. Political Science and History, Skidmore College

Nick developed an early love for travel while attending grade school in London. He first became familiar with microfinance while pursuing a degree in political science and history from Skidmore College and was impressed by its unique ability to blend sustainable international development with a positive social component. After graduation, Nick traveled throughout the inner United States and lived in Colorado for a winter. Coming back home to Boston, he did an internship at ACCIÓN International, a microfinance organization, which gave him an inside perspective on the industry and allowed his interest in microfinance to mature. The Kiva Fellowship provides an opportunity to further focus this passion for microfinance within the vibrant Kiva community while providing a positive outlet for his love for travel and adventure. It is unique because it offers unparelleled access to microfinance "on the ground" - in all its successes and hardships. Nick speaks Spanish and will study Bahasa Indonesia during his fellowship. He plans to begin a Master's in Foreign Affairs with a focus on geopolitics and international development in the fall of 2009.

Nick Cain | Fundación Paraguaya, Paraguay

B.A. American Studies, Columbia University

Born and raised in San Diego, Nick left California to pursue his undergraduate studies at Columbia University. While at Columbia, Nick completed multiple internships with the New York City government, volunteered extensively for two Harlem-based non-profits—Project HEALTH and the William J. Clinton Foundation—and had his first taste of international travel during a semester abroad in Seville, Spain. After graduating in 2006, Nick worked as a legal assistant at a small civil rights litigation firm in Washington, DC. Eager to broaden the scope of his international experience, in 2008 Nick moved to Kigali, Rwanda for a six-month internship with Orphans of Rwanda, a non-profit that provides comprehensive university scholarships to young Rwandans whose families were affected by the genocide of 1994. Nick’s experience in Rwanda inspired him to continue learning about international development and the complexities of global poverty and to pursue additional work abroad—he can’t wait to get to Paraguay to help Kiva make the world a smaller place.

Rob Cavese | Community Economic Ventures, Inc. (CEVI), a partner of VisionFund International

B.S. Business Administration and Accounting, Washington & Lee University; M.B.A. Corporate Finance, University of Georgia

Rob has traveled throughout the world visiting 20 countries on five continents. Most recently, he traveled to Peru and saw firsthand the face of rural poverty in the developing world. Prior to becoming a Kiva Fellow, he held finance and business development roles with Symantec and Hewlett-Packard. Rob started his career in commercial and investment banking and found Kiva's approach to microlending as a perfect fit with his experience in finance, technology and international travel. He's looking forward to working with local microinvestment funds and furthering Kiva's mission.

Samuel Baker | Apoyo Integral, El Salvador

B.A. Finance, Santa Clara University

As a recent graduate of Santa Clara University, Sam developed an interest in microfinance and Kiva while working to create the school's first business immersion program to El Salvador. As an experience for young undergraduate business leaders, the immersion introduced Sam and several of his peers to the idea that entrepreneurs everywhere can positively impact the future of their communities. While Sam has already traveled on five continents in over 30 countries, he is hopeful that his interest in international development will continue introduce him to a diversity of people and perspectives. Sam presently speaks fluent German as well as Spanish and basic French.

Sarah Forbes | BRAC Tanzania, Tanzania

B.A. Politics with a Cert. in International Business, Ithaca University

Sarah holds an Honors B.A. in Politics with a Minor in French and a Certificate in International Business from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. Her interest in microfinance was sparked during an international development course, and she is excited to learn more about the field of microfinance and to see its effects on individuals' lives firsthand. Having studied abroad in Paris and traveled throughout Europe (most recently in Croatia, Serbia, and Bulgaria), Sarah looks forward to traveling in Africa for the first time, living in Kenya, and hopefully learning some Swahili! Becoming a Kiva Fellow is the perfect opportunity to combine many of Sarah's interests - international development, traveling, writing, and photography, among others.

Sean Calhoun | Fundación Leon 2000, Nicaragua

B.A. International Studies and Environmental Studies, Emory University

Sean graduated from Emory University in 2006, having focused his degree, study abroad experience in Buenos Aires, and summer internships in the burgeoning realm of sustainable development. Through these endeavors, Sean sought to fully comprehend the nexus between international political economy, environmental policy, and economic development. Sean brings a professional background in federal policy consulting, urban planning, and financial analysis, having worked at ICF International in Washington DC, Shepley Bulfinch in Boston, and NextFoods, Inc. in Boulder, Colorado. Following his fellowship with Kiva, Sean will begin a graduate degree in Public Policy and hopes to make a career out of policy creation and management, with specific interest in urban revitalization and community economic development. He speaks Spanish, enjoys adventure travel, and once attended a ten-day meditation course in complete silence.

Shisir Khanal | Patan Business and Professional Women, Nepal

B.A. International Political Economy and Diplomacy, University of Bridgeport; M.A. International Public Affairs, La Follette School of Public Affairs

Shisir Khanal is Executive Director of Sarvodaya USA, a Madison, Wisconsin based non-profit organization. Sarvodaya USA supports programs in Nepal and Sri Lanka through Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, the largest grassroots development and peace movement in Sri Lanka. Sarvodaya Movement supports 15,000 communities in Sri Lanka and is considered one of the best community based organizations in the world. Sarvodaya's outstanding tsunami relief work won the United Nations honor in 2005. A native of Nepal, Shisir graduated with a degree in Masters in International Public Affairs (MIPA) from La Follette School of Public Affairs in 2005.

Sierra Visher | Emprender, Bolivia

B.A. Inernational Studies, UCSD

Sierra graduated in 2006 with a B.A. in International Studies, and moved to DC to work as a paralegal. Outside of her professional work, Sierra directs an English program that offers four levels of free, nightly English classes to recent DC immigrants. This program has brought a lot satisfaction to her life, as the students and volunteer teachers are wonderful motivated people. Previously, Sierra studied abroad in Spain, traveled extensively in Europe and Central America, and is nearly fluent in Spanish. She volunteered with Project Concern International and the Embassy of Nicaragua in Washington, DC. As a result of these various experiences, Sierra is devoted to the idea that we are all part of the same global community, and are financially and personally bound to each other. She is committed to working alongside aspiring entrepreneurs.

Stephanie Koczela | Pearl Microfinance Limited, Uganda

B.A. International Development Studies

In 2008, Stephanie graduated from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she studied International Development with a concentration in African Studies. As a part of her education, Stephanie lived in Nairobi, Kenya, from September 2006 to June 2007, working in Mathare Valley, one of the oldest and most densely populated slums in Africa. During this time, she formed close partnerships with a women’s micro-business (Witethye) and an extremely successful community-based school (Valley View Academy). Seeing these organizations at work taught Stephanie about the capacity of the poor to innovate and lead. After graduation, Stephanie continued to work with these organizations to help them gain access to donors and buyers outside their community. Stephanie speaks some Kiswahili and is looking forward to learning Luganda during her upcoming posting in Uganda.

Teresa Dunbar | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), Philippines

B.A. Cultural Anthropology and Spanish, Saint Mary's College of California

Teresa has studied in Spain and Central America, and has traveled for work and pleasure to 15 countries across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Prior to her Kiva Fellowship, Teresa worked for The Christensen Fund, a California-based grant-making foundation that supports stewards of biological and cultural diversity around the globe. In her four and a half years with the Christensen Fund she worked to help fund indigenous, tribal and minority groups, and a diverse array of NGOs, in Central Asia, Northern Australia, Melanesia, the Southwest U.S. and Mexico. During her Kiva Fellowship, she hopes to gain deeper insight and skills in building small local businesses in developing economies. She is currently applying to MBA programs with a potential joint degree in environmental studies. Teresa speaks Spanish and is currently studying Khmer.