Hometown: Homa Bay, Kenya
Why did you choose McCourt? It is located in the heart of global and American public policy, and offers the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in policy development and analysis through organizations such as MPiP and MDI.
What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? Right before coming to McCourt, I spent a year in Beijing as a Schwarzman Scholar, earning a Master’s in Global Affairs. During that time, I had the chance to travel across China and Southeast Asia, focusing on development lessons that could be applied back in Kenya. It was an eye-opening experience to see different approaches to development that could be adapted in my home country.
Before that, I worked as a management trainee and production supervisor at JBS Foods in Georgia. This role gave me a behind-the-scenes look at the large-scale food processing value chain, from R&D to the grocery store. It was a great hands-on experience that exposed me to food production and supply chain management complexities.
What has been the best part of your experience so far? Nairobi Night, Civic Entrepreneurship Dinner Series, summer in Dar, and informal chats in the Commons
What internships have you had so far during your time at McCourt? In my first year, I was a Pennywise Foundation Fellow with a goal to raise $22,000 to build a library in Kenya (we reached 70% funding). Then over the summer, I worked with Gui2de as a data science intern with the Tanzania Institute of Education in Dar es Salaam in a World Bank funded program. I am currently a microeconomics TA and a research assistant with the Massive Data Institute working on projects such as AI adoption in K-12 and curriculum training education in DC Public Schools.
Student organization involvement while at McCourt: Director of Finance at McCourt Policy in Practice, active member of Georgetown Technology Policy Initiative (GTPI), Black Perspectives in Public Policy (BPoPP), National Defense Policy Initiative (NDPI), & Afrika
Undergraduate University, degree, and major: Berea College (undergraduate), Tsinghua University (graduate), Economics & Agriculture
Hobbies/ Interests: I’m an avid road tripper— I love a good road trip, hiking, and camping. On the side, I’m passionate about doing things that empower communities (I loath using the word “empower”), essentially being in service to something greater than myself.
I also write on Substack to share my nuanced understanding of the world— feel free to subscribe! When I’m not doing any of this, you’ll find me in rural southwestern Kenya taking care of my fruit trees, milking cows, or planning my next farm improvement project.
Reach out to me about: First-gen, moving to DC/America as an international student, non-quant background