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Class of 2020 / 2021
Sandy Abdelrahman, United Kingdom is an activist and creative social entrepreneur who was born in Egypt and grew up in East-London. She is the founder of Skaped, a social enterprise that uses the arts to explore human rights with young people. Being a confident leader, she is often commissioned to co-design social projects and initiatives. She is a tireless campaigner and an activist who has represented the United Kingdom at the United Nations in New York. As an active member of Amnesty UK and a respected community role model, she is determined to stand up for the less fortunate and provide a voice for the overlooked and unheard. She is currently studying for her Master's Degree in Art & Politics.
Aisha Abdullahi Bubah, Nigeria is a Psychologist, who trained in Christ University, India, with over 5 years experience practicing psychotherapy in various sectors of mental health including drug addiction rehabilitation, school setting, psychiatric care and community mental health. She is a certified Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) practitioner from the California Hypnosis Institute and also trained in Cognitive Analytical Therapy from IACAT UK. Aisha is the lead Psychologist and founder of The Sunshine Series- Mind wellness, a psychotherapy centre. Aisha has served as the National President of US President Obama Young African Leaders Inititiative (YALI RLC) Alumni Chapter of Nigeria where she and her team implemented a lot of virtual and physical projects, including mental health projects to create more national awareness on the matter.
Cindy Adem, Kenya is the Founder of Village2nation; a digital skills company preparing young Africans for the 4th Industrial Revolution, ushering them into the 21st century world of work and ultimately creating the largest network of digital hubs in remote Sub Saharan Africa. She is a lawyer, a YALI Fellow, a Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur and a TEDx Speaker. She has 6 years experience in development and is a UK-Africa Female Tech Founder. She is incredibly passionate about the Digital Economy and the immense opportunities it provides for young Africa.
Abdulwahid Alkhudhairy, Saudi Arabia has been working with PwC for more than 6 years. Abdulwahid has worked on various projects including large transformation programs, strategy, program management, change management and communication, and business process re-engineering in several industries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Before joining PwC, he joined Investors Group as an associate to a licenced financial advisor to provide support in analysing client financial information to identify areas for financial planning solutions such as investments, risk management (insurance), debt consolidation and financing.
Anas Almassri, Palestine is junior NGO professional and a current graduate student at Georgetown University. His professional service and academic research are in the areas of international education, public diplomacy, human rights, and peacebuilding, with a regional focus on the Middle East, North Africa and North America. Shaped by his experiences on four continents, Anas is particularly interested in the role of higher education internationalization in contributing to international peace and development.
Muhannad Alsharekh, Saudi Arabia is a young Saudi individual with a great mission of empowering youth and advocating for their voices. His youth involvement is focused on youth development and helping in answering global youth issues. In 2019, he was one of two Saudi delegates representing the Saudi youth at the Y20 Event in Japan. His focus was on International Trade and the Future of Work. He is currently pursuing a career in banking as he graduated with his accounting master's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2019.
Maysa Amer, Egypt is a political communication scientist and current PhD Candidate at the Free University of Berlin, Germany. Amer was awarded a Ford Foundation fellowship to pursue a dual degree at the American University in Cairo. She obtained a Master’s degree in television and digital journalism and a Graduate Diploma in public policy with Highest Honors. Amer also holds another Master’s degree in political communication and media studies with excellence from Cairo University. Amer earned multiple awards and grants for her academic achievements from prestigious institutions such as Ford, Erasmus and DAAD. She holds the position of an Assistant Lecturer of Communication. Her research interests include media policy, digital media, polarisation, and internet governance and regulations. Amer also has professional and practical experience in journalism. She worked for Associated Press (AP) and assisted in various news stories. Amer is also a media policy consultant/mentor in public policy. She believes that education and persistence are the keys to development and progress.
Lucky Andrianirina, Madagascar is a student in a Master of Chemical Engineering at the Ecole Supérieure Polytechnique d'Antananarivo (ESPA). Passionated by the climate change, the energy transition and sensibilisation he was President of the ESPA's Club Vintsy before becoming member of the GRE, a think tank focused on energy in Madagascar. He is also the General Secretary of the CEERE, an association which promote entrepreneurship for young people in Antananarivo. On 2019, he has been chosen to be one of the Young Leaders Fighting Climate Change by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Madagascar.
Haya Arnous, Saudi Arabia is currently working at Pwc providing consulting services within the strategy and transformation unit within the government sector. She holds a professional degree in Finance and has experience in financial modelling and project management. Haya is passionate about sports and tourism and health well being.
Lucia Bachoer, Argentina is an Argentinian labour relations professional and social science researcher working at the Gino Germani Institute from the University of Buenos Aires, she making her PHD in social sciences where she is studding the new labour relations in the platform economy and the uberization. She is also a professor from the same university teaching the subject labour relations.
Johanna Bärnreuther, Germany is a student in Philosophy & Economics at the University of Bayreuth. In 2017, she began leading a team of students and volunteers in a community development project: ‘CampusGemüse’ (CampusVegetables) collaborates with the local prison’s nursery by selling their produce on campus to support prisoners’ welfare initiatives. Johanna previously spent a semester at Lebanon’s St. Joseph University and worked on ecofeminist projects in Santiago de Chile. As a Heinrich Böll Foundation scholar, she seeks to promote climate justice, participatory democracy and sustainable business models.
Oumaima Bendjama, Algeria is a doctor and a social entrepreneur. She is also a member of the SafirLab network of social entrepreneurs in North Africa and the Middle East. As a lifelong engaged activist in pursuing social impact, she applied to the Study in the US Institute Program for social entrepreneurship and was among the 5 people selected to participate. After the program, she founded STEPS and won the Alumni Engagement Innovation award. Oumaima successfully pitched STEPS in La Nuit des idées in Tunisia, in Convergence World Forum in Paris, and in front of diplomats, public entities and embassies in Algiers. STEPS is a social enterprise that aims to create a generation of Algerian innovative scientists and engineers who are engaged citizens by designing and delivering education sciences and technology curricula.
Juan José Berger, Chile is a sociologist understood in topics among science and technology studies, at Alberto Hurtado university. Also, he made a his masters degree on communication of innovation. He works on production of knowledge on Andrés Bello University as research assistant and he is the presidente of the national association of young researchers.
Deepti Bharthur, India is a researcher at IT for Change, India. She contributes to academic, action, and policy research in the areas of data economy, platforms and digital exclusions, digital citizenship. She also manages the alternative media platform Bot Populi, and currently leads an action research project in the city of Bengaluru which looks at community-led data systems for enhancing civic engagement.
Michael Boampong, Ghana Dr Michael Boampong is a lecturer at the University of London (Birkbeck College) and international development policy consultant. He recently concluded a 4-year research project on the impact of the 2008 financial crisis on young people’s everyday life within Ghanaian transnational households. His research interest concerns economic change, young people as social actors and life course. He is the author of the United Nations flagship publication Youth and Migration (2013) and is currently supporting the Government of Ghana in the review of Ghana’s National Youth Policy.
Ruben Boni, Côte D'Ivoire is political advisor for youth and social media at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Côte d'Ivoire. He coordinates a political training program for young leaders from political parties, trade unions and civil society in Côte d'Ivoire. He wrote a study on "the influence of social media on democracy in Côte d'Ivoire". Certified facilitator for Media and Information Literacy (MILI) by the Deutsche Welle Akademie, Ruben regularly participates in the training of young Ivorians in the fight against online disinformation. Having studied law, Ruben has also been a blogger-contributor in the "Ivoire Justice" project for RNW, a Dutch media company. He is currently a blogger on the Mondoblog platform of RFI's media workshop.
Sophia Branco, Brazil is a sociologist, feminist activist and social educator. Engaged in the Articulation of Brazilian Women, fighting for women's rights and working to bring a feminist perspective of women's struggle to the construction of a fairer society. Researcher and instructor at the Free Feminist University, an institution that aims at fostering feminist research, strengthening civil society networks and promoting political formation for activists, social movements and unions. Holds a Bachelor's degree in Social Sciences and an MA degree in Sociology at the Federal University of Pernambuco (Brazil) and is currently a PhD candidate in Sociology at the same University. Her academic interests include feminist political thought, care and democracy debate, Brazilian democratization process and the role of civil society in strengthening democracy.
Verónica Emilia Carrillo López, Ecuador studies Political sciences and International relations in the University of the Americas of the Ecuador. During the course of her career, she had the opportunity to be employed at the Latin-American Center of Political Studies. She is the National Secretary of Youth of Izquierda Democrática. In the elections of 2019 she was a candidate to Councilman for the Metropolitan District of Quito. She is a feminist activist .
Giulia Carsaniga, Italy holds a Bachelor degree in Economics and Social Sciences from the trilingual University of Bolzano and is now a Master of Public Policy candidate at the Hertie School of Berlin. Passionate about EU governance and digital policy, she is currently working for the European Public Sector team of the tech consultancy Capgemini, practice partner in her research on EU technological sovereignty. Previously, Giulia spent an exchange semester in Singapore and worked in public affairs both in Brussels and Berlin. She is fluent in Italian, English, German, and French.
Peter Chauvel, Canada is a project manager for Common Seas, overseeing the Clean Blue Alliance program. Previously, he worked as a strategy consultant for NewForesight, a sustainable strategy consultancy, and as a commercial fisher on Canada's west coast. He has Master's degrees from the Norwegian School of Economics and from the Ivey Business school in Management of International Business and Business Administration and Economics, specialized in Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment. He has been named a Young Global Leader by the Sustainable Ocean Alliance and is working with social enterprises in Canada to create solutions to distribute food to those affected by COVID-19. He is also working to plan the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, as a representative of Early Career Ocean Professionals.
Faggy Chibanga, Zambia
Alex Clark, United Kingdom is a DPhil student in the Department of Geography and the Environment at Oxford University. His research focuses on the role of state-owned enterprises in the low-carbon transition and management of stranded asset risks, with a focus on China. As Director of the GeoAsset Project, Alex is also working to develop open-source asset-level data across carbon-intensive sectors. Previously, Alex was an Analyst at the Climate Policy Initiative, covering topics including alignment of development finance with the Paris Agreement, low-carbon transport, and tracking of climate finance flows. Alex is a former Henry Fellow at Harvard University. He holds an MSc (Global Governance and Diplomacy) from Oxford University, and a BA (Hons) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Warwick University. He is Senior Advisor (Youth Financing) to SDSN Youth.
Gina Cortés Valderrama, Colombia is passionate about contributing to the enhancement of resilient communities in developing countries based on a human-rights approach. Currently focuses on gender and climate change policy. She is an environmental engineer from El Bosque University in Bogotá, Colombia and M.Sc. in Sustainable Resource Management from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), with additional studies at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). She has received awards and distinctions such as the scholarship from the Heinrich Böll Stiftung in Germany and distinction for the best collaborative project in innovation of Tsinghua University, China.
Hang Dang, Vietnam is currently a PhD candidate in Strategic Management at The Australian National University. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on corporate strategies, innovation and environmental impacts. She is also one of the co-founders of a non-profit youth-led organisation called "Green Finders Vietnam". The organisation is funded by various grants and works toward environmental education for youths and by youths in Vietnam. She was awarded a Cum Laude degree of Bachelor in Economics at Utrecht University before starting her PhD.
Rianne de Booij-Quant, Netherlands is a Senior Associate who is part of the Dutch Tax Reporting & Strategy team of PwC. She participate in the digital transformation and want to promote this by encouraging people to implement the digital objectives towards our teams. To get there I act as a role model in the digital transformations process, enthousiaste people and making a contribution as a journey ambassador of PwC. Furthermore she has a major driver for optimizing the compliance processes of her clients and she has a large experience with advising regarding processes.
Hatice Zehra Dogru, Turkey is a senior year electrical electronic engineering student at Abdullah Gül University. She represents sustainable development goals in the campus as UN SDG Coordinator. Her 3 years’ experience of the presidency at the student council helps her to lead university students for engaging local problems while cooperating with international organizations. She is believing technology can enlighten our future about having a more sustainable world and minimize environmental damage while developing human life.
Peter N Dolo, Liberia is a community development worker with a social entrepreneur mindset. He is currently a final year student at CEPRES International University completing his bachelor degree in Development Studies. Peter’s vision is to become a paragon of community development and an architect of vibrant and resilient communities that offer zero tolerance to poverty and social inequality. In conformity with this vision, he has worked with a team of inspired young Liberians to establish the Community Solutions Aid (CSAID), a registered nonprofit organization in Liberia where he works as Founder and Executive Director. Through the work of his organization, Peter has been named and recognized as a Humanitarian and a Global Goodwill Ambassador by the Global Goodwill Ambassadors.
Sarah Dombrowski, Germany is an IT consultant in the area of human resources. In her daily work, she focuses on transforming the human resources function using cloud-based technologies, in order to enable companies to plan and build the workforce they need for the digital age. Before her time in consulting, she studied European Studies and French at King’s College London, LSE and in Paris.
Yulia Dragunova, Russia is a lawyer and legal and policy researcher. Previously, she worked on international arbitration and litigation projects at one of the leading Russian law firms. Yulia holds a Bachelor's degree in Law at Higher School of Economics (Moscow) (HSE), a Master’s degree in Law of International Trade, Finance and Economic Integration at Higher School of Economics (Moscow). She has obtained vast academic research experience while working as an external research consultant for EBRD, as a research associate at HSE as well as at the Queen Mary University of London and HSE. Her academic and professional interests include international investment law and trade law, sustainable development, and energy transition. She is passionate about aligning business and policy perspectives with sustainable development. She gained and is gainig experience managing various culture and education-oriented projects.
Sijia Du, China is a women empowerment activist and currently a candidate of Master in Management at ESMT with specialization in finance and investment. She works for Target Global, a leading European venture capital firm in Berlin and has previously worked for UNDP, World Bank Group, LinkedIn and The Economist on development and innovation projects. Siija is passionate about tech, gender equality and impact investing and am aspired to tackle social challenges with sustainable solutions through connecting markets and different sectors. Recently she is working with the World Food Programme in Kenya on an agriculture project to empower farmers in Africa to increase their yields, incomes and resilience and to improve global food security as a pro-bono consultant.
Viliana Dzhartova, Bulgaria is a social innovation and systems change expert. She has worked for leading NGOs (such as Ashoka and Teach for All) as well as the private sector, designing and implementing global social impact strategies. She is a firm believer in the power of systems (both natural and man-made)to transform and regenerate.
Sara El Outa, Lebanon is a feminist, activist, journalist, and human rights defender, currently working as a project manager and was formerly an advocacy coordinator at the Lebanese Democratic Women’s Gathering (RDFL). Her main work through RDFL focuses on advocating towards ending child marriage in Lebanon. Sara has organised in close coordination with RDFL's team a demonstration, school contest, conferences, and other public events in order to push towards the change in Lebanese laws in favor of achieving gender equality. Through her hard work, her successes resulted in making her lead a team of 17 people working on providing psycho social and legal support to women survivors of gender based violence. Sara is also a fellow at the SI Leader Lab, and a member in my “My Fair Home” Network. She also saves part of her activism to formulate policies for a local CBO in Bekaa region called Safe Side.
Andrea Fagan, Ireland is a Software developer at Bank of America and also studying an Executive MBA part time at Trinity College Dublin. Originally graduating with a degree in Natural Sciences from TCD, Andrea has reskilled over the years and shaped a career in Finance Technology. Andrea is a passionate advocate for D&I and is the Co-Chair for the Women in Technology & Operations network within Bank of America in Ireland. No stranger to volunteering she has been a scout leader for over 10 years and derives great enjoyment from introducing young people to wilderness and helping them develop their skills navigating terrain as well as team meetings. As a lover of the outdoors and the environment you’ll also find Andrea camping, hiking, trail running and MTB in her spare time.
Nils Feller, Germany is a public sector consultant and experienced development professional who believes in the social and environmental responsibilities of individuals, businesses and societies. Nils currently builds bridges between the public and private sector at PwC by enabling the digital transformation of institution from strategy and organization through to the implementation of services and technology. Previously, he contributed to various multi-stakeholder processes and regional initiatives at the UN Migration Agency in the Middle East and North Africa.
Asanda Gebhuza, South Africa has completed a BCom Honours in Information Systems and is currently doing his Masters in Rural Development focusing on Land Administration at Fort Hare University. He was part of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung South Africa’s youth leadership programme, Fort Hare Autumn School (FHAS) 2018 Cohort. As a global citizen, having seen the need for financial literacy, he started the financial market education initiative to teach kids between the ages of 12-16 years about financial markets, he aimed to close the gap on financial literacy as well as unemployment. He is the founder and a Director of an IT Consulting Company which he started in 2017 whilst he was at university. In 2018, Asanda was invited to be part of the BRICS Forum East London- Eastern Cape under a contractor company from Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA). He was part of the Youth session where they discussed Integrating South African youth entrepreneurs with other BRICS countries.
Sinan Genc, Turkey is a Research Assistant in Electrical Electronics Engineering at Abdullah Gül University. His PhD research focuses on sensors for environmental applications. Since 2017, he has been attending international events to learn and share today’s applications with his students for a sustainable future. As a young global changer, he aims to create an international network on circular economy, CEMENA-Net, for all stakeholders to achieve sustainable development goals.
Lisa Gerlach, Germany considers herself an electrical engineer with a social science background, who is passionate about contributing to the energy transition with new solutions, which are not only technical but also take social complexities and challenges into account. She is currently a PhD candidate in energy storage systems at Technical University of Dresden and a fellow of the German Federal Environmental Foundation. Her research focuses on distributed control of energy storage in distribution grids with large shares of renewable energy. Before her PhD, she worked with Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy developing control software for wind turbines.
Andrea Giuliani, Italy is currently completing his master of public policy at the Hertie School. His interests are the functioning of the welfare state, the digitalisation of the public sector, quantitative methods and coding with R. Prior to his graduate studies, he completed a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at Jacobs University. He spent a semester abroad at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Complementing his academic experience, he completed two internships at the Diplomatic Mission of San Marino at the United Nations Office in Geneva. He worked as research assistant for Prof. Dr. Hanna Schwander and he examined the evolution of EU electorate behaviour between 2002 and 2016. Additionally, Andrea worked as graduate student at Syspons Consulting and he is currently working at Capgemini on projects involving the digitalization of the German public sector. During his studies at the Hertie School, he was selected to take part in the Global Public Policy Network Conference in Singapore in March 2019.
Rajat Rai Handa, India is a German Chancellor Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, researching and working on environmental sustainability and waste management with his host organisation, BlackForest Solutions in Berlin. He used to lead a youth non-profit organisation in India through which he has trained more than 2000 students in India on citizenship, communication, and leadership skills. He has previously also worked in the fields of cyberspace, journalism and politics. Rajat has a Master's degree in Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance, and a Bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Delhi.
Zainab Hasan, Bahrain is a graduate from Bahrain University. She is now an employee of the Arab Shipbuilding and Repair Yard Company as an accountant. Zainab and her colleagues in Second generation of youth union leaders academy, are working on a campaign aimed at engaging young people in union work and give them an opportunity to reach decision-making positions. They have started their campaign and will continue to reach their goal.
Mohamed Hegazy, Egypt is a Policy Entrepreneur focused on Applied Urban Data Science. Specialized in combining the collection, integration, and analysis of data with public policy design and implementation to improve urban systems and quality of life, and systematically work towards sustainable development. Co-founder and Director of Transport for Cairo (TfC), a consultancy specialized on urban transport in developing cities. Led the mapping of multiple transit networks in Africa. Designed and authored transport strategies and plans using the maps. Avid cyclist, rower and reader. Born in Cairo, Egypt and have cum laude degrees in Economics from the American University in Cairo (2012) and Governing the Large Metropolis from Sciences Po, Paris (2018). Received training at the Center for Sustainable Urban Development, Columbia University, New York (2018).
Tumpak Winmark Hutabarat, Indonesia is a creative worker. After graduating from university, he entered into his then careers at various NGOs concerning on various issues including youth, environment and human rights. Before those periods, Tumpak had extensive experiences in the areas of student activism, journalism, and research and training. He is currently concerning his activities on social entrepreneurship with creative communities.
Dr. Samah Jamous, Sudan
Cinthya Nicole Jordan Prudencio, Bolivia is Project Coordinator in the area of Economic Development at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Bolivia, where she is in charge of the national implementation of the “Social and Ecological Transformation” project which advocates for an urgent paradigm shift towards an economic model based on the diversification of the production matrix, ecological sustainability and social justice. She is a political scientist with a Master’s degree in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge, where she was awarded as Trinity Hall Bateman Scholar. She is a university professor in the areas of Economic Development and International Relations at the Bolivian Catholic University and author of the book: The spring of conflict in Bolivia. Dynamics, risks and transformations 2000-2008 (Spanish original).
Damjan Jugovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a professional working in the field of peace building and conflict prevention. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Security and Peace Studies at the Faculty of Political Sciences of the University of Sarajevo where he was named best student of his generation. Upon completing his studies in BiH, he has been awarded with the Erasmus+ Scholarship to conduct research at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague on the topics of human rights, gender equality and conflict studies. Damjan also won the Fulbright Research Scholarship to conduct research on theories of peace and violence at the George Mason University - School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Damjan is the Konrad Adenauer Foundation fellow, and holds a Legion of Honor medal for promoting peace and reconciliation among youth. He worked for several IGOs including British Council, OSCE and UN.
Huram Konjen, Denmark is the CEO of Dianox, a biotechnology company developing diagnostics for infectious diseases. He is a tech savvy generalist with an ability to link technology with the business domain. Huram has spent the last few years developing his complexity management skills in the driver's seat of impact projects. He pursues opportunities where he can cultivate his entrepreneurial spirit and lead meaningful innovation efforts on a global scale.
Anaswara Kovithal, India is a partnership building professional and currently a Masters in Public Policy student at Hertie School of Governance, Berlin. She believes in power of communities in bringing change. At Gramin Health Care (GHC), she has created an army of women health ambassadors and entrepreneurs who are now championing last mile delivery of healthcare in India. As a Partnerships and Strategic Alliances lead at GHC, she has had the first-hand experience of harnessing power of Governments and Industry in joining hands to impact health care access in rural India through social business models and partnerships.In the past she has worked in areas of rural development and sustainable manufacturing. She also has an academic background in mechanical engineering and liberal arts.
Tina Krell, Germany is a researcher, chess player, and math & methods enthusiast. Currently, she is working on digitial platforms in Europe with the Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG). She has a MSc from the London School of Economics (LSE) where she focused on international internet governance. Before, she worked as a research & policy analyst for the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and as an analyst for a British Start-Up.
Rebecca Kummert, Ireland is an MBA candidate with a strong interest in sustainability and international development. She previously worked in Singapore as a physiotherapist before deciding to pursue a diploma in development practice followed by an MBA. Over the last two years she has worked with NGOs focusing on the needs of marginalised communities. She is currently working on a project to integrate climate change into banking and after graduation will work in a role that helps bridge the gap between sustainability and business.
Daniel Kyne, Ireland is the Co-Founder and CEO OpinionX, a digital qualitative survey tool for engagement and participatory consultation at scale. Daniel is a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, twice 30 Under 30 Ireland and CIEE Global Citizen Award 2020 recipient. He is the youngest person to become a Techstars Global Facilitator. Daniel was formerly Speakers & Startups Manager at Ireland's largest tech conference, Dublin Tech Summit, and Digital & Innovation Lead at Unilever UK.
Bernadette Lim, USA is a community organizer and medical student at the UCSF School of Medicine. She is also a recent Masters graduate through the Joint Medical Program at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health. Her work centers on re-imagining and working towards a medical and public health praxis that centers community narratives, voices, and experiences. She is the founder of the Freedom Community Clinic, Woke WOC Docs podcast, and Freedom School for Intersectional Medicine. Recently, she was honored with the Yamashita Prize for Outstanding Emerging Change Activist in California, Journal of Public Health Management Top Students Who Rocked Public Health, Dalai Lama Fellowship, and National Minority Quality Forum 40 Under 40 Leaders in Minority Health, among many others.
Yi Luo, China is a social entrepreneur, curator and documentary filmmaker from China. Yi started Laotu, a social enterprise on rural-urban sustainable development through storytelling. Yi is UNEP 2018 China Youth Champion of the Earth, Shenzhen City's 10 Excellent Youth, 2019 Top 10 Under 30 Social Innovator of China. Yi graduated from the University of Chicago and Claremont McKenna College in the US.
Maksym Makukha, Ukraine is a Co-founder of an Ukrainian NGO which is working in environmental protection (Climate Change, Resource efficiency, Sustainable development). Now working also as guest researcher in the Helmholtz Environmental Research Center Germany, in department Landscape Ecology. His topics of interests are multifunctional agri landscapers, sustainable food production and protection of biodiversity.
Ivàn Matovich, Argentina holds a Policy Studies in Education MA by the University College London. He completed the Global Competitiveness Leadership program at the McDonough School of Business of Georgetown University. He works for the Center for the Implementation of Public Policies promoting Equity and Growth (CIPPEC) in Argentina focused on global education policy and partnerships with particular interest in Latin America. He also works as university professor education policy.
Edward Moses Mbewe, Zambia an intern for the Commonwealth, Edward has championed various social initiatives including the Mphangwe Forest Initiative (MFI) in Southern Africa. He is a senior student of Law, Business, and Trade at the prestigious African Leadership University, an institution at which he was elected and served as president of the Student Representative Council for the 2018/2019 term. He is also an alumnus of the Fred Hansen Leadership Institute in California, USA and has been a youth leadership consultant for various organizations in Africa.
Claudine Mendy, Senegal is a young activist, passionate defender of human rights. His volunteer work alongside Amnesty International Senegal has earned him several trainings and campaigns in Senegal and Geneva with CODAP in favor of the promotion and defense of human rights. Holder of a Diploma of Advanced Studies in Political Science at the Gaston Berger University of Saint-Louis in 2015, the same year, she benefited from the Young Political Leaders Program of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in Senegal. Claudine believes in the potential of African youth, capable of positive change for their society, hence her manifest commitment to the awakening and the empowerment of young people in Senegal. Working experience as a Junior Expert Consultant intern at the Africa Governance Institute. Member of the Steering Committee which gave birth to the Young African Activist Network created in 2019 by the Friedrich Ebert Zimbabwe / Botswana Foundation, Claudine MENDY currently works at the Center for International Studies and Cooperation (CECI) of Canada in Senegal as Regional Manager of the Women's Voice and Leadership Project.
Feryal Moghraby, Lebanon
Matthew Nguyen, Australia
Thai Nguyen van Quoc, Vietnam worked for academia and NGO sector in Vietnam prior to starting his doctoral research at University of Groningen, examining environmentalist actions by civil society as motivated by food-related grievances under restrictive political climate. His interest in food and planning extends to innovative approaches, particularly alternative initiatives to transform modern food system. He co-organised a session on how culturally informed innovations can facilitate the pursuit of SDGs at the World Urban Forum 2020.
Aniella Niyondiko, Burundi is an Award Winning entrepreneur, Founder of AHEZA IWACU, a Social Entreprise of Waste Management and Recycling solutions in Burundi of which aim is to raise awareness on the environmental protection, by promoting an efficient and responsible management of the waste. Aniella is also tackling the global issue of climate change, through educational trainings on good and responsible management of biological resources generated from our waste, ensuring that any use of these resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable for the benefit of the population and the environment; and is also building resilience to food insecurity by training sub urban and urban population on the importance of setting up low-input and low-cost home garden in containers using sustainable bio intensive and inter-cropping agricultural techniques.
Mira Osman, Lebanon is a communication officer at the Lebanese Oil and Gas Initiative (LOGI) that aims to promote transparency and accountability in the nascent Lebanese Oil and Gas sector. She is responsible for sharing the right information, building up a well cultured society in order to have great observers to complete LOGI’s mission. Being raised outside of her beloved country Lebanon made her more attached to it and dragged her to always look for new ideas to make it a better place to live in. Has a Bachelor degree in economics from Saint Joseph University in Beirut (USJ) and takes part of the Lebanese Young Leaders of Tomorrow program (LYLOT). She recently worked on an online advocacy campaign “Sharek latghayer" (Translation: Participate for change) that aims to push for the public consultation process to be adopted in the Lebanese parliament as well as a campaign focusing on the importance of access to information and data analysis for social change.
Karl Overdick, Germany is an aspiring economist and current PhD Candidate at Said Business School, University of Oxford. He is a member of the research group at the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre. Before pursuing his PhD, Karl worked part-time at the LSE Centre for Economic Performance Wellbeing Programme while finishing his BA in Economics and Statistics at UCL. His current research focusses on subjective wellbeing data and its use in improving individual, company and policy decisions.
Femi Owoeye, Nigeria is the Co-founder and CEO of Trash Monger Limited a waste management social enterprise focused on implementing recycling projects within densely populated communities in Nigeria. Femi is also a recent fellow of the Freidrich Ebert Stiftung Open mind young voices program aimed a training young people on social justice and sustainability. Femi trained as a chemical engineer, upon graduation Femi started his first business which was focused on helping small holder farmers sell their products directly to customers in major cities within Nigeria. He has been involved in national policy-making strategy meetings on climate change and waste management at various Levels. Femi is also a fellow of the Venture capitalist for Africa Mentor driven capital project.
Abiola Oyebanjo, Nigeria is a development sociologist, social innovator and design thinker. He is a PhD Researcher at the Berlin Graduate School of Global and Transregional Studies (BGTS), Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script. He has seven years of professional and consultancy experience in the development sector with projects of the World Bank/AfDB, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bridge International Academies, and DFID-PERL in Nigeria. Abiola is the Executive Director of Empowerment for Local People Foundation, a nonprofit in Nigeria working to support the mentoring, training, and funding needs of business owners in local communities. He explores research that seek to understand the behavior of small firms in developing countries, informal taxation, micro-leadership, and transnational cultural systems of educated returnees.
Sudesh Pokhrel, Bhutan is a Youth Advocate from the kingdom of Bhutan. He is also the Youth Ambassador for Bhutan through the International Youth Society. He was also the ambassador for peace in the International Youth Forum 2019 supporting the role of Youth in achieving the 2030 agenda for UN SDG's. Later he was awarded as the Global Goals Actions Ambassador in Global Goals Summit 2020 in Malaysia. He also serves as the Country Director for Bhutan in the Global Peace Chain and has advocated for worldwide peace in the GPC Summit in Malaysia 2020. He was awarded the ‘I am extraordinary medal’ in the International Youth forum and has also received a memento of appreciation for invaluable contributions made towards the promotion of enduring Peace & friendship between Bhutan & India. He has a Master's in International Relations and his interests lie in inculcating an alternative development model for the world through happiness so that one can balance the pro-capitalist world view with less capitalist ones.
Ana Rocio Sandres Mendoza, Honduras is a lawyer by training and holds a Master Degree in Public Policy from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and a MSc in Economics and Management of International Organisations from Luigi Bocconi University in Milan. She has 8 years of experience working as a consultant on cross-national and multistakeholder projects at the intersection of democracy, citizen participation, youth activism and social innovation. She has worked with organisations such as Ashoka, CIVICUS, Plan International, GIZ, and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). In 2018, she founded NuupLab, a citizen innovation lab in Honduras.
Andrés Soto, Costa Rica is an MBA Candidate in Trinity College Dublin, where he is developing a project to integrate climate change solutions relevant to the banking industry. Prior to moving to Ireland, he worked in a multinational company back in his native Costa Rica, where he split his time as a finance analyst and as a project lead for gender equality initiatives. Andrés is passionate about learning and finding economically viable solutions for social issues.
Sajeena Thapa Magar, Nepal is the young political leader currently working as a central committee member of ANNISU which is the leading student union of Nepal. She is also the student of social science and political science. Recently, she is doing Masters in Social science.
David Timis, Romania is currently pursuing an MA in European Political and Governance Studies at the College of Europe, which is “to the European political elite what the Harvard Business School is to American corporate life”. He is also curating the Brussels Shapers, which is part of the Global Shapers Community, a network of inspiring young people working together to address local, regional and global challenges.
Mihai Toader-Pasti, Romania believes in social change through smart design—incorporating architecture, design, engineering and sustainability. Mihai has 10 years of experience in the field of sustainable homes and solar energy. He is the co-founder of EFdeN (education & research project in which the team designed and built 2 of the world's most sustainable houses) and energiaTa (Romania's first energy prosumers community that also changed the legislation). He was included in "Forbes 30 under 30" and part of the Eisenhower Youth Fellowships, Global Shapers, Aspen Institute and Climate Reality.
Astrid Coraima Torres Bermùdez, Ecuador holds a degree in Social Communication, filmmaker and social activist. Co-founder of the Ibero-American Youth Network and was a spokeswoman for the delivery of the Youth Pact at the XXV Ibero-American Summit. She represented Ecuador at the Nairobi Summit about ICPD25. She coordinates the journalistic project Efecto Latam and is the author of cinematographic works with social discourses. Her researches explores on informational capitalism, memory, visuals on climate change and symbolic violence.
Amir Toumie, Israel is a political and social activist in the Palestinian community in Israel. He works as the coordinator of Parliamentary, governmental and legal advocacy in the Mossawa Center - The Advocacy Center for the rights of Palestinian Citizens in Israel. As an activist, Amir Co-Founded Haifa Youth Movement and the youth movement in his displaced Palestinian village of Iqrit. While engaging in activism on all fields, Amir has earned a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Asian Studies and a Master's Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy, and he will Start his PhD studies program in Political Science in the United States in the coming year.
Joyce Treptow, Kenya was born and bred in Kenya where is was confronted with social inequality and ecological crises such as water scarcity and deforestation at an early age. These experiences spawned her interest in raising the bottom of the pyramid through innovation. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT) in the Netherlands. Her research agenda is driven by the interest in understanding the interplay of development NGOs, social entrepreneurships and low-tech innovation and their role in achieving sustainable socio-economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa. “We cannot tire or give up. We owe it to the present and future generations of all species to rise and walk.” Wangari Maathai, Nobel Peace Prize laurate 2004.
Yesukhei Tumurbaatar, Mongolia
Michelle Uriarte, Mexico is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Geography and Anthropology at Durham University. Her research focuses on providing a tailored suit solution for the waste crisis in Mexico City in order to achieve a sustainable waste management system and promote a circular economy. Michelle has worked in the private and public sector, she worked in Mexico´s City government where she contributed to create the first draft for the Zero Waste Initiative. She obtained a CONACYT scholarship for her Master´s Degree and PhD. She has given conferences at the European Parliament and other international conferences covering topics including sustainability, circular economy, and climate change. Michelle also obtained a scholarship to study a short programme on Resource and Energy Management at the Normal University of Beijing, She holds an MSc (Energy and Society) from Durham University, and a BSc (Hons) in Sustainable Engineering from ITESM CCM. She is an undergraduate tutor at the Geography Department at Durham University.
Petru Vaideanu, Romania is a PhD candidate at the University of Bucharest, Romania, investigating the physical properties of the climate system. He had a 1yr scholarship from the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research,Paleoclimate Dynamics group. In his research regarding the physical properties of the climate system, Petru uses statistical analytical methods on observed/model-generated data extending back/forward in time ~150 years.
Isabella Villanueva, Chile is a civil hydraulic engineer from the University of Chile. Founder of the NGO CEUS Chile, which works as a youth network for sustainability. She has worked as a consultant on environmental and sanitary engineering projects, as well as projects focused on sustainability and youth. In 2017 she was distinguished among the 100 Young Leaders of Chile and was awarded the National Environmental Prize.
Lyndsay Walsh, Ireland holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and is presently completing an MSc in Development Practice. She is currently researching the just-transition in the context of Ireland’s agricultural sector and is passionate about environmental policy. Lyndsay has received international awards for her research, writing and climate advocacy work. She was a 2019 Climate Ambassador and spoke at the IMF-World Bank meetings on climate change and inequality. Lyndsay is currently working with the UNFCCC Capacity-Building team.
Dea Wehrli, Switzerland is a social and environmental entrepreneur, currently working at the Swiss Federal Research Institution Empa on the social impact startup E[co]work – a co-working space for informal e-waste dismantlers in India. Dea holds a Master's Degree in Environmental Sciences from ETH Zurich and has worked in topics of waste management and circular economy for the World Economic Forum, UN-IETC, ISWA and Sofies. She is the co-founder of Chez Mamie Zurich, a zero waste retail store, that opened in March 2017. Her actions and work strongly reflect her passion and engagement in bringing forward the transition towards a socially and environmentally safe, fair and healthy resource management.
Xinming Xia, China is a Ph.D. student at Peking University. She works in economic geography and is interested in international trade and foreign direct investment. She was awarded the German Chancellor Fellowship and started research on SMEs in Germany for one year. She is also a research assistant at PKU-Lincoln center and Development Research Center of China’s State Council. And She is selected as Student Representative in Regional Studies Association.
Lauren Xie, USA is Co-Founder of Lively Worlds, a global movement that empowers a new wave of socially and ecologically regenerative institutions. She recently graduated from the University of Oxford with an MBA and MSc in Nature, Society and Environmental Governance. Previously, she worked in international development on agricultural innovation systems and rural economic development for CSIRO Australia. She holds a BA in Environmental Science and Public Policy (Honors) from Harvard University and was a Michael C. Rockefeller Fellow where she studied deforestation and indigenous issues in Indonesia.
Luka Zrnic, Serbia is a Master’s in Management candidate at ESMT Berlin, specializing in Global & Digital Strategy. He is currently leading Net Impact – ESMT Berlin, a student-led organization focused on sustainability. Apart from his role as a President of his organization, he is one of the key co-organizers of the Open Climate Collabathon initiative, which is a global movement with the goal of leveraging radical collaboration and technology to develop the world’s first open source carbon-accounting platform.