Kiva Fellows Program

Overview | Meet the Fellows | Fellows Blog | Frequently Asked Questions | Apply!

Kiva Fellows 9th Class

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.

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

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

Originally from the Colorado, Adam pursued higher education in the beautiful prairies of South Dakota and later Minnesota. Following graduate school, Adam moved to the Windy City and joined the world's largest information technology firm as a Consultant. Between consulting engagements, Adam partnered with a New York based non profit organization called Reach the World to bring technology solutions with a global perspective to the under served classrooms of Chicago's South Side. Adam found this to be an enriching experience which has further lead him to learn more about how access to information technology can unlock potential for those disadvantaged members of our society. During his Kiva Fellowship, Adam hopes to gain experience in how another enabler, microcredit, is being used in the same way. When Adam is not in front of a computer he enjoys playing obscure (and in his opinion under-appreciated) British sports such as Squash and Snooker.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Originally from Canada, Gavin spent the first 5 years of his career working in venture capital and then became an entrepreneur. Most recently, he launched Automated Shading, a motorized window shade company which has grown to become the nation's largest network of independent automatic shade providers. Additional ventures have involved industries ranging from real estate and consumer finance to health & wellness and home safety products. Throughout his career, Gavin has worked in schools, community centers and prisons teaching entrepreneurship to all age groups. He has also helped communities to develop and launch successful for profit initiatives that leverage the resources and skills of the community population. Gavin is thrilled that his wife, Leslie and their two adorable children will be joining him on this adventure. This will be their first time back to Rwanda since their adoption in 2005. Gavin has a BA from Harvard University, an MBA from UCLA and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

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.

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.

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.

James Han | AMK (Angkor Microfinance Kampuchea), 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.

Jane Lim | XacBank, Mongolia

Industrial Engineering and Economics, Northwestern University

Jane Lim is currently working as an associate consultant in L.E.K. Consulting and is based in New York. She was born in Australia, but grew up in Singapore, and consequently views street food as an integral part of life. She graduated cum laude from Northwestern University, with a BSc in Industrial Engineering, a second major in Economics, and a minor in Film studies. Prior to officially joining the workforce, she interned at a law firm, an investment management firm, the interest rate derivatives desk at a bank, and also waitressed at the Ritz. Going forward, Jane wants to help alleviate poverty either by influencing public policy, or by empowering individuals through microfinance and venture philanthropy. She also has a great love for film, and hopes to direct documentaries in the future about systemic injustice, with the end to inform and influence a broader audience. She plans to pursue a joint MBA/MPP degree in the near term, and amongst other things, looks forward to seeing the world's largest equestrian statue in Mongolia.

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

For Jennifer, the Kiva Fellowship represents an opportunity to merge her personal desires and her professional experiences. She was born in China, but moved to Canada at 6, Singapore at 12 and then the US at 18. Jennifer attended the University of Virginia, where she studied economics and business. Upon graduation in 2006, she moved to New York to pursue a career in interest rate trading. Having crossed many geographical, cultural and social boundaries, Jennifer has always had the desire to explore the world and to understand her role in it. With her education and experiences, she believes that role involves microfinance. Jennifer is excited and grateful to be given an opportunity to work with a dynamic organization, on one of the world's most pressing social issues.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Karl Baumgarten | FUDECOSUR, Costa Rica

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Mohammed Al-Shawaf graduated from UC Berkeley in the Spring of 2009 with a degree in Business Administration but with a passion for social enterprise. In the summer before his senior year, Mohammed interned at Community Wealth Ventures, a social enterprise consulting firm in Washington D.C. He continued his consulting experience by working on a Corporate Social Responsibility project with Roshan, the largest telecom company in Afghanistan. Intrigued by international development, Mohammed was one of ten international participants in the inaugural Tata Jagriti Yatra (Awakening Entrepreneurship), a three week train journey across the Indian subcontinent where 300 aspiring entrepreneurs visited some of the most influential business and social enterprises in India. After a stint at an education advocacy NGO this summer in Oakland, Mohammed is excited to represent Kiva and its network of entrepreneurs in the Middle East.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Robin Packer | MCC Mol Bulak Finance LLC, Kyrgyzstan

Modern and Medieval Languages, University of Cambridge

Rob is originally from London, England and studied Modern Languages at university, specializing in German, Italian and Russian. After graduation in 2004, he moved into financial services and began working at Goldman Sachs in London on an anti-money laundering research project, before moving into a risk monitoring role in the Operations division in 2005. During his 4 years in that role, he monitored the firm's exposure to hedge fund clients in the margin business. After transferring to the Hong Kong office in 2007, he left Goldman Sachs in 2009 to join the Kiva Fellows Program and move into the microfinance field. He has been interested in the field for a number of years and is excited to put his financial services and language experience to good use with Kiva and his fellowship in Kyrgyzstan. After his fellowship in Kyrgyzstan, he will move to Latin America for a second placement with Kiva.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

B.A., McGill University

Taylor grew up in Toronto, Canada and has called the Beaches and the 'Upper' Beaches home. She began learning French at age 5 and Spanish at 15. After finishing high school, Taylor moved to Montreal, Quebec to complete her Bachelor of Arts in International Development, Women's Studies, and Political Science at McGill University. In her second year of study, she traveled to Ecuador for six weeks to work with an Indigenous women's medicinal plant cooperative in the Chimborazo region. It was in Ecuador that Taylor developed a sincere interest in various approaches to sustainable, grassroots development. In the third year of her BA, Taylor spent a semester abroad in Madrid, Spain and traveled throughout Western Europe with a brief period spent in Marrakesh, Morocco. Since graduating from McGill, Taylor has focused her energy on fundraising for her fellowship with the class of KF9. She is very excited to work with WAGES in Togo where her French will finally come in handy and her interests in international development and women's empowerment will coalesce.

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.

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.

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.

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.