Kiva Fellows Program

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Kiva Fellows 9th Class

Ademayowa Adebukunola | Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO), Nigeria

B.S., Accounting, Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria

Taylor Akin | Women and Associations for Gain both Economic and Social (WAGES), Togo

B.A., McGill University

Mohammed Al-shawaf | Palestine for Credit & Development (FATEN), Palestine / Ryada, a partner of CHF International, Palestine

B.S., Walter A. Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley

Hanna Azemati | Faulu Kenya, Kenya

B.A., Economics, Dartmouth College

Born in Tehran, Iran, Hanna grew up in Wiesbaden, Germany, before moving to the Boston area in 1999. She studied Economics with a focus on International Economics, Finance and International Relations at Dartmouth College. After graduating in 2007, Hanna moved to New York to work as a Financial Analyst in the Leveraged Finance group at Citigroup, and remained with the organization until June 2009. During this time, she also volunteered for NYPACE, a non-profit organization of professionals who consult entrepreneurs in economically depressed areas of New York City. This past summer, Hanna worked as a volunteer for the 'Iran Inside Out' exhibition at the Chelsea Art Museum, where she conducted a series of interviews with artists, led exhibition tours, and organized exhibition-related events. Hanna is interested in exploring how art, journalism and finance contribute to social change and believes that microfinance in particular, by economically empowering individuals, can help them attain the political influence necessary to bring about important changes in their local and global communities. Hanna is fluent in Farsi and German and is currently studying French and Swahili.

Karl Baumgarten

M.A. with Honors, Economics, Edinburgh University

Originally hailing from the Motor City, Karl has spent the last three years studying economics at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Last summer, he worked at the Centre for Microfinance, a research institute evaluating the impact of various microfinance products across India. While there, he worked on a project studying the impacts of a rural microcredit with education program being implemented in marginalized villages around Uttar Pradesh. Prior to this, he also volunteered as a teacher at Incawasi, a small school for disadvantaged children in Cajamarca, Peru. His passion for international development led him to Kiva where he hopes his fellowship will guide the direction of his proposed dissertation studying the impact of microfinance on household decision-making. He is an avid traveler whose adventures have found him hitching to Morocco and blow dart hunting in the Ecuadorian rain forest. He is excited to see where his Kiva Fellowship will lead him, first to Costa Rica and then parts unknown.

Zal Bilimoria | Fundación ESPOIR, Ecuador

B.S., Economics, University of Pennsylvania - The Wharton School

Zal is a Product Manager at YouTube and has held similar roles at Google and Microsoft since graduating in 2004. Originally from Munster, Indiana, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Economics. While in college, he spent a summer abroad in Alicante, Spain and a semester abroad in Shanghai, China learning Mandarin. His senior thesis discussed the ethical factors influencing the flows of foreign direct investment into India and China. While at Google/YouTube, Zal developed and launched various rich media advertising products primarily for Fortune 500 brand advertisers. He also spent time in Brazil working to minimize Windows anti-piracy for Microsoft. An avid international traveler, Zal understands that his entrepreneurial ambitions will require exposure to all types of dynamic environments including countries, languages, individuals and situations. Zal speaks Spanish, Mandarin Chinese and Gujarati and is eager to return to South America, this time exploring the Andean region of the continent.

John Briggs | Local Enterprise Assistance Program (LEAP), a partner of World Hope International and World Relief, Liberia

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

Rachel Brooks | Faulu Kenya, Kenya

B.A., History, University of Washington

Originally from California, Rachel relocated to Seattle after attending the University of Washington. She worked as a technical writer and online producer for Adobe and Microsoft and volunteered with Children’s Trust Foundation and Childhaven. She has spent the last four years living in Paris and then Johannesburg, and recently settled in Nairobi. While in South Africa, Rachel volunteered with the Treatment Action Campaign, South African School Children’s Help Appeal, and Vuselela HIV Centre, in addition to editing loan descriptions for Kiva.

Agnes Chu | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD), Samoa

B.A., Finance and Accounting, University of Texas at Austin

Born and raised in Texas, Agnes graduated from the University of Texas in 2006 and worked for three years in energy finance. As part of the commercial banking group at Wells Fargo and private equity group at Liberty Energy, Agnes helped provide capital to independent energy producers. She was introduced to microfinance through Jacqueline Novogratz's book "The Blue Sweater" and since then, has been addicted to finding ways in which capital markets can help alleviate poverty. Agnes' past experiences include teaching math to urban eighth graders through Summerbridge, writing entertainment stories for her college newspaper, and entertaining kids as Chuck E. while working at Chuck E. Cheese's. She is excited to be serving as a Kiva Fellow at SPBD and is looking forward to being immersed in Fa'a Samoa, the Samoan Way of life.

Edward Coambs | Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc. (NWTF), Philippines

M.B.A., Finance, Queens University; Business Management, University of Houston Clear Lake

While Ed worked on his MBA he had the chance to go on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with his church. It was on his return flights lay over that he found microfinance. It was love at first. He found “A World Without Poverty” by Muhammad Yunus. It was after reading this book that Ed knew he could use his diverse background as a former fire fighter and current financial guy to make a difference. Ed is very excited to lean on his experiences from mission trips, being a fire fighter, and working in the financial services industry to help entrepreneurs create opportunities through microfinance.

Rebecca Corey | Tujijenge Tanzania Ltd, Tanzania

B.A., Anthropology, English, University of Georgia

Rebecca Elizabeth Yeong Ae Corey was born in Daegu, South Korea, and raised in Athens, Georgia. An adoptee herself, she traveled to Peru at age five to help her parents adopt her little sister. Witnessing extreme poverty and need at such an early age left a permanent mark and inspired her to search for solutions to poverty throughout her life. While pursuing a joint degree in Anthropology and English at the University of Georgia, Rebecca devoted much of her time to volunteering in the local community and abroad. Her past travels include journeys to Peru, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Switzerland, Tanzania, Zambia, Ecuador, The Galapagos Islands, Hungary, Romania, Austria, France and South Korea. While working as a volunteer in Tanzania in 2007, Rebecca co-founded the non-profit VolunteerAlliance, an organization that promotes volunteerism, cultural exchange, and sustainable development. While in Tanzania, Rebecca will be a graduate student at the Institute of Development Studies of the University of Dar es Salaam in addition to her work as a Kiva Fellow. If you find her in her natural habitat, she will probably be writing, practicing Swahili, playing guitar, watching soccer, or experimenting with her Canon Rebel T1i.

Alex Duong | TYM Fund, Viet Nam

B.A. Economics & B.A. Law, University of California Berkeley

Alex is often described by peers as calm on the surface but possessing an internal compass always ready for adventure. At UC Berkeley, his studies focused on international monetary theory and the interplay between law and societal development. He was most recently senior consultant with a global management consulting firm, providing risk management and operational improvement strategies as well as economic and statstical analyses. He has predominantly served North American and Japanese clients in the technology and consumer products industries. Alex has also been advisor to an online social media startup, volunteer swim instructor for children with disabilities through Special Needs Aquatics Program (SNAP), and a continuous role model for 20+ younger cousins. Born in France to Vietnamese parents who subsequently moved to Southern California, Alex embraces multiculturalism. He is naturally no stranger to traveling, each year strapping on a backpack to experience one country in which he has never set foot. Spare time is also spent enjoying water polo, rock climbing, and photography. Alex is conversational in French and Vietnamese. As a side quest while abroad, he hopes to discover the best street food vendors and promises to have recommendations for a variety of dishes should anyone visit.

Dennis A. Espinoza | Grounded and Holistic Approach for People's Empowerment (GHAPE), Cameroon

Economics, Wheaton College

Dennis A. Espinoza, born in Guatemala City, Guatemala, has spent the majority of his life in Chicago, IL. Upon graduating from Wheaton College with an Economics major, Dennis accepted a job with Discover Financial Services. He has spent the last four years working for Discover managing the development and implementation of strategic payment services. Inspired by family and friends who have worked in microfinance, Dennis has always had a passion for utilizing his skills and education to increase the professional opportunities available to those around the world. As a Kiva Fellow, he looks forward to assisting in the advancement of Kiva’s mission as well as supporting the development of Kiva’s individual field partners.

Nicola Goh | Senegal Ecovillage Microfinance Fund (SEM), Senegal

B.A. in French and Spanish, Cambridge University, United Kingdom

Nicki has been working as a management consultant since graduating in 2004. Her project assignments have taken her all over the UK and France to work for clients in a wide range of industries on various strategic issues. In 2007, Nicki took a career break to explore Latin America and spend some time with a charity operating in microfinance. It was during this time that she also first discovered Kiva and became more interested in the role of microfinance in providing the poorest people with better opportunities. On her return to London, Nicki took on various pro-bono projects with organisations working towards achieving equality of opportunity for all: both in terms of financial services and access to education. She hopes that a second ‘career break’ serving as a Kiva Fellow will give her a real insight into microfinance ‘on the ground’ and is excited to be returning once again to work in a Francophone environment.

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

Engineering degree, CPE (Chemistry Physics and Electronics)

After graduating in 2008 from CPE Engineering School in Lyon, France, Thomas travelled to Montreal in Canada to work for a year as a telecomunication engineer in a train manufacturing company. Previously, he had spent one and a half years in Barcelona, Spain, following the European university exchange program called Erasmus. He has always had the desire to work building partnerships between developed and developing countries. After unsuccesfully applying for such positions after his studies, he is looking forward to start his fellowship with Kiva in order to get a new experience that would help direct his career in this direction. Apart for his studies and work, he spends almost all his time playing music. Thomas practices guitar and harmonica every single day. He has had the chance to travel a lot lately and he is always trying to learn as much as he can from the local music of the place he is visiting. He is looking forward to learning tricks from the warm and captivating Caribbean rhythms.

Bryan Goldfinger

B.A., Business Administration, Cal Poly - San Luis Obispo

Bryan recently graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo where he obtained a B.A. in Business with concentrations in Accounting and International Management and a minor in Spanish. From 2004-2005, he lived, studied and volunteered at a local marine biology station in Puntarenas, Costa Rica. After returning to the U.S., he completed a sales internship with NBC in his hometown of San Diego. Since graduating, he has traveled extensively through Central and South America, and touched down in Europe and North Africa. Bryan brings a background in accounting having worked as an audit associate for KPMG LLP, where he developed an interest in microcredit. Desiring to combine his passion for travel with his background education and an inherent urge to help others, he accepted one of Kiva's first roaming borrower verification fellowships. In his travels around Peru, he hopes to pick a few words of Quechua, play soccer with locals and try to squeeze in a surf in the North.

Jed Goldstein | Pearl Microfinance Limited, Uganda

B.A., History, Georgetown University

Raised in New York, Jed recently graduated from Georgetown University with a degree in history. Ever since receiving a Kiva gift certificate a couple of years ago from his mom, Jed’s curiosity about microfinance evolved into a keen interest. When Jed studied in South Africa during his junior year abroad, he extended his stay on the continent and completed an internship with a microfinance operation in Swaziland. There, he observed firsthand how an MFI operates from the initial application review process, to loan disbursement, to on-site project evaluations. Jed is excited about heading to Uganda as part of the KF9 class, and he feels fortunate to be working with an organization that makes such positive differences in peoples’ lives on a daily basis.

Jennifer Gong | Youth Self Employment Foundation (YOSEFO), Tanzania

Business, Economics, University of Virgina

Margaret Gray | CEPRODEL, Nicaragua

B.A. History, Bowdoin College

Meg is a recent graduate of Bowdoin College, where she studied history and was involved in many activities including intramural sports and several mentoring programs. Until recently, she worked at a non-profit organization in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that promotes the healthy development of young children. Her work focused on organizing early literacy initiatives and supporting low-income families as they work to become self-sufficient. Her interest in microfinance began in an economics course in college, but working with low-income families drove home the importance of such initiatives. Meg is very excited to explore both the culture and cuisine of Nicaragua and is hoping to learn to cook a few local dishes.

James Han | Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea (AMK), Cambodia

Communication Studies, University of California, Los Angeles

James has worked for over two years as an analyst for Mercer Consulting’s Human Capital Group, helping his clients align their “people” strategies with their business strategies. Prior to working at Mercer, James built a successful legal insurance brokerage and also graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in Communication Studies. His interest in microfinance was sparked two years ago when he spent some time traveling with his uncle, who had just started a development bank in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. James is passionate about using business as a means for social change and he plans to get his MBA after the fellowship, with a concentration in social enterprise.

Anne Hector | Small and Micro Enterprise Programme (SMEP), Kenya

B.A., American Studies, Brown University; M.B.A., Yale University; B.S., Landscape Architecture, City College of New York

Anne Hector, who hails from San Francisco, is looking forward to working with SMEP in Nairobi, Kenya. Over the course of her career, Anne worked as a banker at Citibank and Merrill Lynch, as a management consultant at Analysis Group, and as a search consultant at Hodge Partners. She has a lifelong interest in landscape and design and has served on boards and worked with non-profits in that arena. Her life has been altogether too tame of late, and she is honored to have this opportunity to contribute to Kiva’s inspiring mission and help grow a new partner relationship.

Victoria Kabak | AFODENIC, Nicaragua

B.A., Social Studies, Harvard University

Victoria, a native New Yorker, graduated in 2009 from Harvard College, where she concentrated in Social Studies - an interdisciplinary program of studies based in the social sciences - with a focus on socioeconomic inequality and poverty. After previous experience related to poverty alleviation in the nonprofit and policy arenas, she is highly anticipating the prospect of working in microfinance and seeing its power in action. Victoria spent time living and volunteering in Costa Rica and in Peru several summers ago and has been planning for the past few years to return to the region for an extended period of time, especially after continuing to study Spanish throughout college and in Barcelona last year. As an undergraduate, Victoria also pursued her interest in writing by reporting and editing for the news pages of The Harvard Crimson; she is excited to be able to put some of these skills to use during her time as a Kiva Fellow.

Julia Kastner | Fundacion Realidad A.C (FRAC), a partner of World Vision International, Mexico

B.A. Economics with Political Science and Spanish, McGill University

Julia Kastner most recently served as project manager at the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), focusing on city-wide strategic policy initiatives and internal business analysis. While at NYCEDC, she was also the alumni mentoring program co-chair of the Beginning with Children Foundation (BwCF) Junior Board after having served as the alumni program associate. BwCF is a non-profit organization that supports the operations for two charter schools in Brooklyn. She is fluent in Spanish and proficient in French, and she received a BA in economics at McGill University with minors in political science and Spanish literature.

Brian Kelly

B.S., Commerce, Accounting, Santa Clara University

Brian grew up in Portland, Oregon, and attended Santa Clara University in San Jose, CA, while obtaining a BS in Accounting, and a minor in French and Francophone Studies. In college, he helped a friend in editing a student-written social justice magazine, which is where he first read about microfinance. Since graduating, Brian has lived in New York City working for the public accounting firm Ernst & Young, in the financial services practice. He has worked with varying hedge funds, investment banks, and investment management companies during his time in auditing. Brian has learned a great deal about the financial services industry while living in New York, but plans to use his skills to pursue new opportunities in the microfinance world or possibly with social entrepreneurship, a budding interest. Brian will serve his fellowship in Armenia and is looking forward to the new opportunities that lie ahead, as he hopes to pursue a possible career or graduate studies in microfinance or a related field in international development.

Adam Kemmis Betty

M.A., Latin American Studies, Institute for the Study of the Americas (University of London); B.A., History, Cambridge University

Adam has a long-standing interest in Latin American development, born of memorable trips to the Peruvian Andes in his teens. He worked as a researcher for the United Nations Development Program in Bolivia in 2006 and subsequently gained an MA in Latin American Studies. Since then he has worked as a consultant for banks and other financial institutions in Europe and West Africa, working on strategy, sales processes and risk management. Adam is looking forward to returning to Latin America for one year as a Kiva Fellow.

Ujwal Kharel | Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT), Philippines

B.E. (Engineering), Dartmouth College; A.B. (Major: Economics), Vassar College

Ujwal was born and raised in Kathmandu, Nepal. He lived in Kathmandu for 18 years before coming to United States for an undergraduate program in Vassar College. He majored in Physics and Economics and had a lot of fun at Vassar. He spent his junior year at Dartmouth College, as part of an engineering exchange program. After finishing at Vassar, he went back to Dartmouth to finish up my engineering degree and ended up getting a Masters in Engineering Management in June 2009. Before pursuing his plans to join a PhD program in economics, Ujwal wants to volunteer for Kiva and travel around the globe. He is very excited about his placement as a Kiva Fellow in the Philippines.

Jeremy Lapedis | FAPE, Guatemala

B.S., Neuroscience with a minor in Spanish, University of Michigan

Jeremy recently graduated from the University of Michigan where he concentrated in Neuroscience and Spanish. Having been born and educated in Ann Arbor, Michigan, it is no surprise that he has an itch to see more of the world. His interest in international development spawned from his passion for health and empowering others. While studying abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he developed a reproductive sexual education program that imbued him with the joy of collaborating with different cultures while exposing him to the interconnectedness of health and human rights. Upon his return from Argentina, he became more active in human rights advocacy work where he discovered, among other things, the incredibly powerful idea of microfinance. While he still plans on becoming a doctor, he hopes to approach this profession will a more holistic manner, exploring medicine's relationship to social and fiscal factors.

Jane Lim | XacBank, Mongolia

Industrial Engineering and Economics, Northwestern University

Nick Malouin | FECECAV, Togo

B.A., Economics, Tufts University, Boston

Originally from Toronto, Nick headed south for university to Boston, where he graduated with a B.A. in economics from Tufts in 2006. Since then he has worked in the financial industry in Boston and then back home in Toronto, where he recently completed a two year associate program in risk management at TD Bank. Outside of work, Nick's interest in entrepreneurship and volunteerism led him to realize the inefficiencies of volunteer recruitment and to create an online social application that helps connect charities and volunteers. Nick has been passionate about Kiva since he started making loans three years ago and is very excited about his upcoming fellowship, wherever it may take him.

Suzanne Marinkovich | CIDRE, Bolivia

B.A., Spanish and Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara

Suzy comes from a background in nonprofit fundraising, activism, and advocacy. She majored in Spanish and Political Science, with a minor in International Relations; during college, she also studied abroad in Barcelona, Spain. She organized a large awareness rally in Santa Barbara for Invisible Children and interned for two years at Direct Relief International in Corporate Relations. These experiences led Suzy to spend a summer in East Africa, teaching English and computer literacy to adult women and children. She then returned to her hometown of San Diego where she worked for a large health charity as an event coordinator and fundraiser. Suzy is also a member of the San Diego Padres' Pad Squad, a rally team of goodwill ambassadors with skills in the art of slingshotting t-shirts. She brings to Kiva her proficiency in Spanish and a wholehearted passion for the sustainability of microfinance. She plans to attend law school and pursue a career in human rights law.

Kelly McKinnon | Fundación Leon 2000, Nicaragua

International Development, American University

Kelly has roots in Chicago, but San Francisco is where she misses most while she lives on the east coast. Kelly holds a degree in International Development from American University in Washington, D.C. While at American, Kelly worked on issues of peacebuilding and conflict resolution while holding a part time job at the retail store Patagonia. Her studies and work fueled her strong belief in socially responsible business models. After her fellowship Kelly will seek an MBA in International Development and perhaps at last seek entrance to the professional world. Kelly also enjoys teaching ESL classes, volunteering with OneBrick.org, and building a National Frisbee golf course in D.C.

Stephanie Meyer | Lift Above Poverty Organization (LAPO), Nigeria

B.A., International Politics and Economics, Middlebury College

Stephanie is a native of upstate New York, but has called Vermont home for the past five years. She first became interested in development studies during her undergraduate years, and spent an exciting five months living in Kampala, Uganda, studying with the School for International Training and volunteering with several different organizations. She has never visited any continents except North America and Africa (although she someday hopes to hit them all), and is really looking forward to the chance to get out and see more of the world. Stephanie is currently studying to receive her Master's degree in Sustainable Development from the SIT Graduate Institute, and will be conducting research on the long-term effects of microfinance while working in the field. When she is not focused on Africa and development studies, Stephanie loves baseball (and the New York Mets), good coffee, learning languages, and reading.

Gemma North | CREDIT, a partner of World Relief, Cambodia

B.A., European History, Colorado College

Gemma grew up in Colorado and received a B.A. in European History from the Colorado College. Her interest in international development grew out of her family's travels to developing countries. Gemma became interested in microfinance after interning for Friendship Bridge, an organization that provides microloans for women in Guatemala, where she learned about the social and economic impact loans can have on families and communities. Over the past few years, Gemma has worked with Seedco Financial Services, a nonprofit community development lender, and AfricAid, an organization that supports girls' education in Africa. Gemma is fluent in French but hopes to pick up some Khmer on this new adventure. She is very excited to be a Kiva Fellow and to continue pursuing her interest in microfinance and international development.

Julianne Pachico | Fundación para la Vivienda Progresiva (FVP), a partner of CHF International, Mexico

B.A., Reed College

Julianne Pachico was born in Cambridge, England, and grew up in Cali, Colombia, where her parents worked for an international aid organization. In 2008, she graduated from Reed College, where she studied Latin American literature. She currently lives and works as a youth worker in Portland, OR. In the past, she has worked for non-profits in Tijuana and Ecuador, and hopes to apply for a masters this fall. Her interests include Argentinean authors and hunting for culinary mushrooms.

Robin Packer | MCC Mol Bulak Finance LLC, Kyrgyzstan

Modern and Medieval Languages, University of Cambridge

Avani Parekh-Bhatt | Small and Micro Enterprise Programme (SMEP), Kenya

B.A., International Affairs, George Washington University

Avani is a longtime resident of North Carolina, and a graduate of George Washington University. She has worked for several international and non-profit organizations, including the World Bank, and most recently worked in India for two years on an initiative to link diaspora Indians with progressive and interesting social entrepreneurs in India. She has a passion for the social sector working with a holistic approach on issues that face society. Her interest in microcredit stems from an independent study of urban and semi-urban microcredit schemes for women in and around New Delhi. She joins Kiva Fellows 9th class in order to learn more about the mechanics of running a microfinance organization, so she can start her own organization combining microfinance, income generation, and green living in South Asia.

Maia Pelleg | Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET), a partner of World Vision International, Kenya

B.A., Political Science, International Relations, Duke University

Maia graduated from Duke University in 2007, where she majored in Political Science and International Relations. Originally hailing from Minnesota, Maia has spent the past two years living in Boston working as a corporate strategy consultant. In this role, Maia developed many skill sets that will be useful to her as a Kiva Fellow, but more importantly discovered her desire for a future career that combines business and law in a non-profit environment. Maia became a Kiva lender after a three-month trip to Africa, where she witnessed how quickly flat monetary donations were squandered and failed to impact the projects to which they were bestowed. Seeing firsthand that microlending is a powerful and sustainable way to empower people to lift themselves out of poverty, Maia was inspired to delay law school for a year to play an active role in microfinance. Maia views her Kiva Fellowship as an ideal opportunity to combine her knowledge of business, love of traveling, and commitment to improving society through individual empowerment.

Adam Preston | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), Philippines

International Business, University of St. Thomas; Computer Science, Augustana College

Adam Preston comes to Kiva with more than a decade of global experience in deploying technology-based solutions. Adam holds degrees in Business Administration and Computer Science from Augustana College and a Masters degree in International Business from the University of Saint Thomas. Currently, Adam works as an Information Technology Consultant for IBM's Global Business Services. Taking a leave of absence from IBM, Adam hopes to assist local business in the Philippines better use their technology while gaining a first hand glimpse into the world of microfinance.

Kimia Raafat | Fundacion D-MIRO Mision Alianza, Ecuador

B.A., Biology and Spanish, Claremont Mckenna College

Kimia, a San Diego native, received her B.A. in Biology and Spanish from Claremont Mckenna College in 2008. During the summer of 2007, Kimia studied abroad in Santiago, where she researched Chile’s healthcare system and conducted clinical observations in urban hospitals and rural clinics. Last summer, Kimia was awarded the “Projects for Peace” grant, which she used to carry out public health projects for the Talibe in Dakar, Senegal and for USWA (AIDS association) in Ziguinchor, Senegal. Although her previous abroad experiences have been rewarding, Kimia sought out a more innovative and less invasive method of improving a beneficiaries' quality of life. This research led Kimia to microcredit and eventually the Kiva Fellows Program. Kimia looks forward to combining her passions for South America, microcredit and empowerment as a Kiva Fellow.

Mary Riedel | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), Philippines

B.A., General Business Management, Boston University

Mary is excited to begin her journey with Kiva into the fascinating world of microfinance. A business generalist by nature she has worked in various domains - advertising, technology and fashion - managing projects and stakeholders. Having spent several years at a software start-up, she has a soft place in her heart for budding entrepreneurship. Mary's most recent experience as a Project Manager in IT Operations at Genesys Telecommunications has made her adept at identifying and meeting business needs with process and technology. In 2007, she also helped start Genesys Make a Difference, a corporate community outreach program, which allowed her to work toward positive social change in an international context. Mary is a member of the World Affairs Council, volunteers with Dress for Success and loves to “culture watch,” hike, bike, watch theater, and take art classes. She plans to return to San Francisco (and her bicycle) after her time as a Kiva Fellow and work in microfinance to empower the working poor.

Sheethal Shobowale | Asociación Arariwa, Peru

M.S., Strategic Communications, Columbia University; Economics-Mathematics, Columbia University

After college, Sheethal worked in investment banking for Fox-Pitt Kelton and in investment management for Columbia Investment Management Company (the University endowment). After earning her Master's degree, she managed the New York data, analytics and research group of Media Contacts, an online media agency, and worked with large advertisers across varied industries. Combining her passions for social change, technology and community building, she recently founded Leap Work, a consultancy that works with non-profits in their online marketing communications. She plans to continue working with non-profits upon her return from South America. Sheethal also spends time volunteering at a local credit union, teaching financial literacy to youth and adults and coordinating her local block association. An avid rock climber and foodie, Sheethal is looking forward to scaling Andean peaks and learning all the Peruvian words for potato.

Ilmari Soininen | UIMCEC, a partner of ChildFund International, Senegal

Bachelor of Commerce, University of Toronto

Ilmari graduated from the University of Toronto in 2007 with a degree combining economics and management. In his final year, Ilmari had two excellent development economics professors who got him interested in development, especially its slow progress in Africa. As a Finnish citizen, Ilmari had to complete his national military service after graduation, and decided to apply to the RDF 1st Jaeger company, where Finland's international forces are trained. Following his conscription, Ilmari served with the E.U. peacekeeping force in Chad and Central African Republic. In 2009, Ilmari (happily) returned to civilian life, interning with the trade promotion arm of the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Tunisia. Ilmari speaks French and is looking forward to returning to Africa, though is disappointed that neither Senegal nor Finland will be competing in the World Cup.

Alana Solimeo | EDESA, Costa Rica

Political Science & Spanish, Western State College of Colorado

Originally from Medford, New Jersey, Alana moved to Gunnison, CO, where she obtained her BA in Political Science and Spanish from Western State College. During her scholarship in Colorado, she studied abroad in Chile, taught Spanish to elementary school students, interpreted eye doctor and dentist appointments for local doctors and their Spanish-speaking patients, and served as a translator for the city's Public Health Department. In 2007, she became a member of the National Hispanic Honor Society. After graduation, Alana moved to Boulder, CO, where she furthered her community involvement and gained valuable nonprofit finance experience as Finance Associate and Grants Administrator for The Community Foundation. She also volunteered for a local nonprofit that provides low-cost English classes to Boulder County community members. Alana loves dance, yoga, cities, mountains, music and numbers, and hopes to return from the Kiva fellowship in pursuit of a dual master’s degree in Finance and Economics.

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

M.B.A., UCLA Anderson School; Economics, Harvard University

Prem Thomas | Center for Community Transformation Credit Cooperative (CCT), Philippines

B.S., Business Administration, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Originally from Florida, Prem Thomas spent the past four years working n finance in New York City. Most recently, he spent two years as a Senior Associate at the New York City Investment Fund (NYCIF), a venture capital fund with a civic mission to help build and diversify the local economy, where he focused on investments in media and healthcare. Prior to joining NYCIF, Prem spent two years as an Analyst in Bank of America Securities’ Healthcare Investment Banking Group. While in New York, he also served as a junior board member and volunteer for StreetWise Partners, a non-profit dedicated to providing professional mentorship and workplace training to low-income individuals. Prem received his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was a Steamboat Scholar, and participated in the business school’s Global Scholars Program. He has travelled across Europe, Southeast Asia, India and Latin America and speaks conversational Spanish and understands Malayalam. Prem is excited to experience microfinance in the field and see how far local entrepreneurs can stretch a Kiva loan.

Suzanne Till

M.A., International Affairs, University College/Washington University in St. Louis; B.A., History, University of Missouri-Columbia

Joshua Weinstein | Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation, Inc. (NWTF), Philippines

Biology, Duke University

Originally from Massachusetts, Josh graduated from Duke University in 2006. As an undergraduate, Josh studied biology, with an emphasis on ecology and environmental science, and philosophy. Upon graduation, Josh embarked upon a tour of the Middle East, traveling through Israel and Turkey, before returning to Boston to work at a boutique consulting firm that specializes in market due diligence for private equity firms. In his spare time, Josh likes to travel, plays in a soccer league, and volunteers with a non-profit called GOTO in Boston. He has always had a strong academic interest in international economic development and is excited to gain experience working in the field and to serve such an innovative organization.

Josh Wilcox | Caja Rural Señor de Luren, Peru

B.A., Business Administration (Finance), University of Washington

Josh currently works in the Strategy and Operations practice at Deloitte Consulting and has experience assisting organizations across various industries in performance improvement, market assessments, and financial analysis. He will be taking a sabbatical from this full-time job to pursue his fellowship in Ica, Peru. He also received his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington Business School, studying finance, economics, and corporate strategy. He learned Spanish in school and while studying abroad in Granada, Spain, and has been a volunteer on the Kiva Spanish translation team since February 2009.

Eva Wu | Hagdan sa Pag-uswag Foundation, Inc. (HSPFI), Philippines

B.A., International Relations, Brown University

Eva hails from Washington, D.C., where she was working as a government IT consultant. Most recently, she worked on operations and data management for Recovery.gov, a large-scale transparency initiative which tracks the flow of $787 billion in stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Eva is interested in social entrepreneurship and activities that intersect both private and public sectors. She graduated from Brown University in 2006 with a degree focus on development studies, and hopes to put her degree, interest, and prior work experience to good use as a Kiva Fellow in the Philippines. Eva has lived in Taiwan, Israel, and Malawi in addition to the U.S., and is very excited about this opportunity to be a seminomad "off the beaten path" once again while making a difference and helping alleviate poverty, one life changing loan at a time.

Shereef Zaki | Edpyme Alternativa, Peru

B.A., Economics and International Relations, Bucknell University

Born in Cairo, Egypt but having grown up in the U.S., Shereef has always seen the potential in collaboration of transnational community. He attended Bucknell University and, to understand the interconnectedness of the world, studied economics and international relations. During Shereef's second year at Bucknell, he participated in the Bucknell Brigade, a service-learning based sustainable development trip, sparking his intrigue in contemporary Latin American development and leading to a semester learning, living, and adventuring in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil and Chile. Upon returning to Bucknell, Shereef went on to lead the Bucknell Brigade, further honing his interest in community-led development born of global community building. Since graduating, Shereef has worked in the office of International Fundraising at the University of Pennsylvania and co-led Putney GAIA El Salvador 2008 and Community Service Ecuador 2009. He is thrilled to return to Latin America and hopes to pursue a Masters in International Political Economy.

Kiva Fellows 8th Class

Alia Rafeh | Al Majmoua Lebanese Association for Development, 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.

Alison Carlman | Kisumu Medical & Education Trust (K-MET), Kenya

B.A. Integrated Media Communications, minor in Multimedia Design, Pepperdine University MPhil candidate 2010, in Community and Development, Stellenbosch University

Alison, a Colorado native, currently lives near Cape Town, South Africa where she is finishing her Masters of Philosophy in Community and Development at the University of Stellenbosch. Studying, volunteering, and "doing life" in South Africa has given her the opportunity to explore the issues surrounding poverty from an African perspective. Her time as a Kiva Fellow in Kenya will serve as a basis for her research about the possibilities for Web 2.0 and development. Alison was inspired to pursue development studies after living abroad during her undergrad years at Pepperdine University, where she studied communication and met her husband/Kiva Fellow companion, Joel Carlman. Passionate about women, art, community, and sustainable development, Alison is thrilled to be working with entrepreneurs and community volunteers at K-Met in Kenya.

Andrea Bouch-Dimonstein | Opportunity Fund, United States

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.

Andrew Whiteman | Alidé, Benin

B.A Political Science, Davidson College

Andrew Whiteman recently graduated from Davidson College with a B.A in political science. As a political science major, Andrew took courses on politics in Africa, the Middle East, and China and wrote a senior thesis on the politics of the AIDS epidemic in South Africa. During the fall 2007 semester, Andrew studied abroad in Madagascar, where he took classes and conducted research on community development projects around national parks. Last summer, Andrew spent six weeks in Cape Coast Ghana, taking classes at a local university and working with a local environmental NGO. After spending a significant amount of time in Africa, Andrew became interested in microcredit and applied to the Kiva Fellows Program. Andrew speaks French and looks forward to learning some Fon in Benin.

Ashley Nelsen | ADIM (Asociación Alternativa Para el Desarrollo Integral de las Mujeres), Nicaragua

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.

Athan Makansi | South Pacific Business Development (SPBD), Samoa

Senior, Davidson College

Athan is a senior Political Science major at Davidson College, North Carolina. Raised in the rustic rolling hills of Southeastern Pennsylvania, he spent his childhood climbing trees, chasing his younger siblings and playing with his cats. Athan recently returned from a semester in India where he studied the socioeconomic impacts of inflation on the auto-rickshaw drivers of Chennai. Additionally, he has travelled to Syria, Egypt, and Hungary. Deeply committed to service, Athan currently coordinates the Alternative Breaks Program at Davidson College. Moreover, Athan engages in many service opportunities. In the past he has worked with the National Homeless Coalition in Washington, DC, Piedmont Biofuels in Pittsboro, NC, and Mountain Housing Opportunities in Asheville, NC. Since first being introduced to microcredit issues at a Model United Nations Conference, microfinance has driven Athan's personal, academic, and professional interest in international development. Introduced to Kiva by a previous Fellow, the Kiva model for microfinance immediately captured his interest. Athan is thrilled to be volunteering with Kiva and he eagerly anticipates his Kiva Fellow experience as a way to continue service on a global level.

Boris Mordkovich | MCC Mol Bulak Finance LLC, Kyrgyzstan

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 | Fundacion Realidad A.C (FRAC), a partner of World Vision International, Mexico

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.

Cameron Morris | Hluvuku-Adsema, Mozambique

B.S. Economics, Santa Clara University

Originally from California, Cameron had the opportunity to live and play soccer in Brazil and Bolivia as a teenager. Upon returning to the US Cameron attended Santa Clara University, graduating in 2005 with a B.S. in Economics focusing on poverty and development. Since then he has bounced around the private sector holding positions at Google, a couple of start-ups and is currently working on a new venture, GABBA, with friends in Brazil and Europe. Cameron is looking forward to furthering Kiva's mission in working with Hluvuku-Adsema and intends on continuing to pursue issues of development both academically and professionally. Cameron speaks Spanish and Portuguese and hopes to pick up on some of the many indigenously spoken languages in Mozambique.

Cissy DeLuca | DINARI Foundation, Indonesia

B.A. International Business, College of Charleston

Cissy Graduated from College of Charleston in 2004, where she studied International Business and African Studies. After college, she was accepted into the Peace Corps and stationed in Ghana. Her primary assignment was working with The Carter Center in their efforts to eradicate guinea worm disease. She also collaborated with NGOs in the area, such as Worldvision, to implement projects revolving around health education and community development. After returning from Ghana, Cissy moved to San Francisco and worked as an investor relations analyst with Cabezon Capital Management, a global macro hedge fund focused on emerging markets. Cissy has been working as an intern in Kiva's San Francisco office since leaving her position with Cabezon in January. She is looking forward to her upcoming return to the developing world and the opportunity to make an impact as a Kiva Fellow in Indonesia.

Courtney Kemps | Manuela Ramos / CrediMUJER, Peru

B.A. Psychology, Georgetown University

Courtney is finishing up a Master's Degree in Law and Diplomacy at The Fletcher School, Tufts University with concentrations in Human Security and Humanitarian Studies. Courtney's experience in the Peace Corps working on a fish farming project in rural Zambia first piqued her interest in international development and poverty alleviation. Last summer she worked with a San Diego based NGO, Project Concern International, on public health and humanitarian assistance projects at their office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Courtney is looking forward to gaining experience in the world of microfinance and is excited to return to Latin America, where she had the opportunity to study abroad some years back.

Cynthia McMurry | Fundación ESPOIR, Ecuador

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.

Dave McMurtry

Master of Business Administration/Management, Stanford University

Dave McMurtry is a Silicon Valley high tech executive entrepreneur working in Technology, Executive Management and Corporate Development / Mergers & Acquisitions. During his career at Intuit, Mr. McMurtry held a number of key roles, including managing outsourced technical support, product development, international operations, and most recently corporate development - strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and business development. Mr. McMurtry is a Stanford Sloan Fellow and has a Masters of Business Administration from Stanford University's Graduate School of Business and a BS in Business Administration from California Polytechnic University. He is also President of HelpDaveChangeLives.org, a foundation to change lives around the world, as exhibited in the most recent project which raised $250,000 to build 40 houses for more than 200 victims of violence in a war-torn jungle village in northwest Colombia. In his spare time, he's an inveterate traveler who has lived in or traveled to over 120 countries, a volunteer pilot with Doctors without Borders, an advisor to Habitat for Humanity, an active participant with the World Affairs Council of San Francisco, a GED tutor at San Quentin prison, and a competitive doubles volleyball player and marathoner.

Drew Loizeaux | Alalay sa Kaunlaran, Inc. (ASKI), Philippines

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.

Hanh Tran | Fund for Thanh Hoa Poor Women (TCVM), a partner of Save the Children, Viet Nam

B.S. Marketing, B.S. Journalism and Mass Communications, University of Colorado at Boulder

Hanh is currently pursuing her Masters in Public Administration at New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. She is inspired by the use of storytelling, art and film as tools for advocacy and social change. Prior to starting her graduate studies, Hanh worked in healthcare consulting, communications and volunteer management. She spent a summer interning at a non-profit organization in Tanzania where she worked with refugee women who were contributing members of a fair-trade enterprise. She credits this experience for sparking her interest in social entrepreneurship and micro-finance. Having spent a semester abroad in Vietnam, Hanh is eager to return to the region. She looks forward to honing her Vietnamese language skills while learning first-hand about the impact of micro-finance.

Jaclyn Berfond

B.A. International Relations and Economics, Boston University; International Organizations M.B.A, University of Geneva.

Jaclyn first became interested in microfinance as an undergraduate student, where she studied international economic development. After spending a year working in finance, Jaclyn sought a career where she could apply her skills to a field she was passion about. In this pursuit, Jaclyn took a position as a Research Associate at the Council on Foreign Relations, a foreign policy think tank, where she researched issues of international political economy. Here, Jaclyn had the opportunity to learn even more about microfinance and hear inspirational speakers such as Dr. Muhammad Yunus, CGAP's Elizabeth Littlefield and Kiva's own Matt Flannery. With her commitment to microfinance strengthened, Jaclyn has used her specialized MBA program to learn more about how business tools can be used for social impact, with a focus on microfinance and social enterprise. Jaclyn is very excited to spend time in the field and sees the Kiva Fellows Program as an opportunity to gauge the impact of microfinance initiatives directly from the people who are receiving these life-changing loans.

Jenny Kim

B.A. Economics and History, Columbia College

Jenny is a credit and structured finance professional with over 10 years of experience. Most recently, Jenny was a Vice President in Merrill Lynch's Global Structured Finance and Principal Investments Group focusing on investments related to the acquisition and financing of consumer-based portfolios and companies. Prior to Merrill Lynch, Jenny spent three years in Singapore as a Director in CIBC World Market's Global Multimedia &Technology Group and Risk Management division covering Southeast Asian project financing transactions She is deeply interested in poverty alleviation and the role of technology in development finance. Jenny graduated from Columbia College with a concentration in Economics and History.

Jessica Chervin | FECECAV, Togo / Microfund Togo, Togo

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.

Joel Carlman | Kisumu Medical & Education Trust (K-MET), Kenya

B.S. Business Psychology and Administration, Pepperdine University, Masters in Development Finance candidate, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Joel was born and raised in a small town near Seattle, WA. At Pepperdine University, Joel was a Rhodes Scholar state finalist as well as a national finalist for the Simon Fellowship for Noble Purpose. He also received the Helen Pepperdine Volunteer Service Award in 2005. After working in the financial services industry for three years, Joel's passion for development issues has led him to the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa where he is doing research on the impact of microfinance in East Africa. He is excited to be partnering with K-MET in Kisumu, Kenya to make a difference in the field of microfinance, and couldn't be happier to be sharing this experience with his wife, Alison, who is also a Kiva Fellow.

John Briggs | Kenya Agency for Development of Enterprise and Technology (KADET), a partner of World Vision International, Kenya

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 | HOPE DRC, a partner of HOPE International, The Democratic Republic of the Congo

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.

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

B.COMM in International Business, University of Calgary

Laura recently graduated from Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary with a B.COMM in International Business with a linguistic focus in French. She spent 2007-2008 at HEC Paris Graduate School of Management in France as a visiting student and completed an undergraduate dissertation on International Law on migrant workers' rights in the Gulf and Mashreq states. In summer of 2008, Laura worked as a summer business analyst for McKinsey & Co. Canada and will return in the fall of 2009 as a full-time analyst. Laura has been an online lender through Kiva for some time now and always wanted to enter the microfinance sector after graduation, so before starting back at McKinsey & Co., she will head to Kigali, Rwanda as a Kiva Fellow. Laura is fluent in French and English.

Lee Bruner | Asociación Arariwa, Peru

M.A. Spanish, Middlebury College, A.B. Spanish and International Studies, Davidson College

Lee holds a master's degree from Middlebury College, which enabled him to study abroad in both Spain and Mexico. With a background in finance and education, he has worked in both international risk management and high school education throughout the past three years in the NYC area. Building on his own volunteer experiences in Guatemala during college, Lee is committed to teaching through service-learning and has chaperoned trips abroad to Honduras and Mexico for middle and high school students. Upon returning from his Kiva Fellowship, Lee will be using his experience to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum to introduce microfinance into high school language and mathematics classes.

Megan Montgomery | EDESA, Costa Rica

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.

Merrick Brown

B.A. Economics, University of Texas at Austin

Since graduating from the University of Texas in 2004, Merrick has worked as a strategy consultant in the United States and Australia. As a consultant, Merrick worked to understand and evaluate client businesses and identify areas for improvement. He is eager to put that experience to work at TLM. An avid traveler, Merrick has visited 35 countries on six continents. Seeing thriving small businesses throughout Southeast Asia and South America and reading about the impact microfinance has had inspired Merrick to join Kiva. Following his fellowship, Merrick will be returning to school to get an MBA.

Michael Kasseris | SEDA, Viet Nam

B.S. Economics and Finance, Bentley University

Michael earned his BA in Economics and Finance in 2006 from Bentley University. During a course on developmental economics Michael learned about microfinance and decided he wanted to actively participate in social entrepreneurship. Through various cultural organizations Michael had the opportunity of traveling abroad to places such as Greece and Argentina, immersing himself in local communities. There he received firsthand experience on social issues faced by people outside the U.S., which he brings to the organizations he is a member of in the Greek American Community. Prior to his fellowship, Michael started up a restaurant and worked in financial services. A Masters degree candidate in Environmental Management from Harvard Extension, Michael hoping to bring his interest in microfinance and entrepreneurship and sustainable and innovative solutions to current environmental issues. Michael speaks Greek, and is learning Spanish but he hopes to add Vietnamese to that list when he returns from his fellowship in Hanoi.

Milena Arciszewski | Community Economic Ventures, Inc. (CEVI), a partner of VisionFund International, Philippines

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.

Nancy Tuller | Sinapi Aba Trust (SAT), Ghana / Christian Rural Aid Network (CRAN), Ghana

Master of Arts in Sustainable Development, SIT Institute

Nancy Tuller is a recent graduate from the School for International Training, where she received her MA degree in Sustainable Development. Nancy completed her field work in Sri Lanka, where she worked on an economic development project with women in the tsunami-devastated community of Mirissa. The experience of working in a country also affected by conflict prompted Nancy to complete a certificate program in Conflict Resolution, complementing any future development work she undertakes. She has also interned with Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and with the Himalayan Institute of Environmental Research and Education in India, working with women in microlending activities in both countries. A lifetime advocate for peace, equality and justice, Nancy is committed to contributing to these goals. Towards that end, she seeks to specialize in microfinance solutions that help to alleviate poverty. An enthusiastic student of different cultures and ways of being, Nancy looks forward to her Kiva placement in Ghana, and to the new experiences and challenges that await her in Africa!

Nilima Achwal | Fundación AgroCapital, a partner of ACDI/VOCA, Bolivia

B.A. Economics and Spanish, University of Michigan

Nilima graduated in Economics and Spanish from the University of Michigan, with a special interest in the economics of development. She studied abroad in both Mexico and Chile, which ignited a passion for travel. Back on campus, she worked on the executive board of PALMA, an organization offering one-on-one English tutoring to Latino families in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her involvement with the local Latino community coupled with her travels across Latin America and Asia sparked an intense desire to make a social impact. Nilima is passionate about the ability of microfinance to empower individuals and stop the vicious cycle of poverty. Nilima speaks fluent Spanish and Marathi and some Hindi, and hopes to pick up some Aymara while in Bolivia.

Polly Banks | Patan Business and Professional Women, Nepal

M.A., Development Studies, the University of Melbourne (current), B.A., International Relations and Journalism, Bond University

Originally from Western Australia, Polly graduated from Bond University in Queensland with a Bachelor of International Relations and a Bachelor of Journalism in 2006. During university, Polly worked at a national newspaper in Vietnam and volunteered at an orphanage in Nepal. Upon the completion of her studies, Polly moved to Melbourne where she worked as the Assistant Coordinator of a homeless shelter and as a night shift volunteer at a domestic violence refuge for women. Her experience in community affairs prompted her interest in overseas development and led her to begin a Master of Development Studies at the University of Melbourne. As part of her studies, Polly recently completed an internship at the United Nations Headquarters and created a publication for World Vision; Australia's largest international NGO. Polly looks forward to returning to Nepal to gain experience in microfinance and improve her Nepali.

Robert Mittelman | EDAPROSPO, Peru

M.B.A. University of Oxford; PhD Candidate, Carleton University

Robert is a PhD in Management Candidate at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, where he is focusing on international business and entrepreneurship in developing countries. He is originally from Canada's capital of Ottawa. Robert has started a number of his own businesses (some successful, some not so much, he says) both at home and abroad. He has volunteered with MBAs Without Borders in Guatemala where he first came into contact with microfinance as well as having lived, studied, and worked in Chile, Peru, Mexico, and Nicaragua. In addition to his MBA from Oxford, Robert has a B.A. in Economics degree from The University of Western Ontario, and a Bachelor of International Business from Carleton University. He is fluent in Spanish and 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.

Sloane Berrent | Ahon sa Hirap, Inc. (ASHI), Philippines

B.A. Political Science, University of Vermont

Sloane Berrent was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and attended the University of Vermont where she received a B.A. in Political Science with a minor in Economics. Post-graduation Sloane worked at Ernst & Young in Boston, MA and then moved to Los Angeles where she worked first in fundraising and development for nonprofits and then in the technology sector at a startup that focused on web 2.0 technologies to bring people together to support causes and nonprofits. Sloane is also the Founder of Answer With Action, an LA-based organization that planned and executed volunteer and networking events for socially-conscious young professionals as well as The Causemopolitan where she blogs about philanthropy, social entrepreneurship and how to live a cause-filled life. As a "philanthropy matchmaker" Sloane matches individuals and companies to causes. Sloane has presented and spoken about social media for social good, community building and building online audiences and is honored to be a Kiva Fellow serving in the Philippines and diving into the world of microfinance.

Susan Arthur | CEPRODEL, Nicaragua

B.A. Spanish and B.S. Journalism, Ohio University

Susan Arthur loves helping people birth new projects, new businesses and new babies. For the past five years, she has worked with pregnant women, families and their newborns as a birth and postpartum doula and a prenatal and postpartum yoga teacher. She served as a deputy field organizer for Barack Obama's campaign in her hometown of Toledo, Ohio, and left her position as a grant writer and development associate at the Homeless Prenatal Program in San Francisco to serve as a Kiva Fellow in Nicaragua. Susan has 20 years of communications experience, including running her own public relations business, managing public relations at Yosemite National Park, and serving as West Coast bureau chief for PR Week. She also has served as community and media relations manager at the San Francisco Chronicle and editor at TravelAge West magazine. She looks forward to interviewing Kiva entrepreneurs in Spanish, writing their profiles in English and motivating Kiva lenders to make loans that change lives. Following her Kiva Fellowship, Susan hopes to pursue a Masters in Public Health.

Suzy Marinkovich | FINCA Peru, Peru

B.A. Spanish adn Political Science, University of California, Santa Barbara

Tamara Sanderson | XacBank, Mongolia

Business Honors, Baylor University

Tamara graduated summa cum laude from Baylor University in 2006 and soon after, started working for Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm. Over the past three years, Tamara has worked for clients in North America, Latin America and Europe, focusing on strategy and operations in the Aviation industry. Last fall, Tamara took a non-profit fellowship with Kiva in the San Francisco office, working on marketing and recruitment strategy for the Kiva Fellows and Kiva Translators programs (Oliver Wyman Kiva Blog<www.oliverwyman.com/ow/8996.htm>;). After recruiting for the program, Tamara is thrilled to actually be a Kiva Fellow! Tamara is an avid traveller -- she visited Antarctica last year, spent this spring traveling on the weekends in Europe and Northern Africa and is excited to explore Mongolia on her upcoming trip.

Velizara Passajova | Zene za Zene, a partner of Women for Women International, Bosnia and Herzegovina

B.A. 2010, Art History, German Studies

Velizara was born in Sofia, Bulgaria shortly before the hard times that switching to a Capitalist system brought. She grew up studying in public schools and after middle school was one of 130 to be accepted to the well-respected American College of Sofia. In the summer of 2003, Velizara traveled to Denmark in order to represent Bulgaria at the international Camp Rising Sun among 56 other girls from 42 different countries. In September 2006, Velizara moved to Hanover, New Hampshire to attend Dartmouth College. She has taken advantage of one of the best aspects of this prestigious institution--Foreign Study Programs. Velizara has studied Art History in Rome, Italy and Anthropology in Auckland, New Zealand. In September 2009, right after the KIVA Fellowship, she will spend two months in Berlin, Germany studying history, theater, literature, and culture. Throughout her Dartmouth experience, Velizara has been an involved leader in various diverse communities and she plans to keep exploring the different ways to facilitate social change.

Zev Lowe | DINARI Foundation, Indonesia

B.A. Computer Science and Anthropology, Dartmouth College; M.B.A. Finance, ESADE Business School

In the last five years, Zev has lived in Spain, the United States, Mexico, Malaysia and the United Kingdom. He has been part of a tech startup, worked in an investment bank, and served as a full-time apprentice at a martial arts school. Zev's interests include financial education for underserved populations, and scaling social ventures through technology. He is excited to meet the challenges of supporting Kiva's partners and borrowers in the field. Zev speaks Spanish and Indonesian and is learning French and Colloquial Moroccan Arabic.