2009-10 Fellows

Nicole Amaral, Georgetown ’09

Endeavor, Santiago, Chile

Originally from Methuen, Massachusetts, Nicole majored in Spanish and Political Science at Georgetown University. While at Georgetown, Nicole worked at as research assistant on urban education, tutored for DC Schools Program, interned at the Organization of American States, and played intramural soccer. During the past four years, Nicole has become keenly interested in Latin America. She spent a semester studying abroad in Santiago, Chile during which she volunteered as an English teacher in afterschool programs for Peruvian immigrants in addition to her studies. After her semester abroad, she backpacked from Santiago to Bogota, Colombia and returned to Bogota for the summer of 2008 where she worked at a vocational school for internally displaced youth and learned about the challenges presented to students by Colombia’s internal conflict. These experiences have strengthened her interest in development and education. Nicole is very excited to return to Santiago, Chile as a PiLA fellow at Endeavor Global, where she will be working to promote entrepreneurship and development, and hopes the experience will give her a new perspective on development in Latin America and inform her future career decisions.

Perla Amsili ’06

Endeavor, Buenos Aires, Argentina

A native of Bogota, Colombia, Perla graduated from Princeton in 2006 with a degree in Economics and certificates in Finance and Latin American Studies. While at Princeton, Perla was involved with the International Center and managed one of the student agencies. Following graduation, Perla moved to New York to work at Goldman Sachs where she sold fixed income products to Latin American corporations and governments. After three years in finance, Perla is excited to be PiLA’s first fellow in Endeavor’s Buenos Aires office, where she will work extensively with the Entrepreneur Services group. After her fellowship, Perla hopes to pursue a graduate degree in Business.

Denitza Andjelic WWS *09

ProMujer, La Paz, Bolivia

A recent graduate of the Woodrow Wilson School’s Masters in Public Affairs Program, Denitza will be spending her fellowship year in Bolivia, working with ProMujer, a women-focused microfinance NGO. She became interested in this field after several years working in Nicaragua and Bulgaria in microfinance and small-business funding in rural areas. Recently married, Denitza will be accompanied by her husband in La Paz.

Troy Bilbao Bastida ’06

Endeavor, Mexico City, Mexico

Troy, a Los Angeles native, will be working for Endeavor Global in their office in Mexico City. After spending over a year teaching English in Seoul, South Korea, he moved to Barcelona, Spain and extended his business experience by working at Hewlett-Packard in their EMEA marketing department. Meanwhile, he earned a master’s degree in business administration at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. His future plans will bring together his interests in business, international development, and world travel.

Joanna Zuckerman Bernstein, Columbia ’09

IMIFAP, Mexico City, Mexico

Joanna, a Philly native, graduated from Columbia with a major in English and a minor in Spanish. After four years in New York, she is very excited to move to another over-stimulating urban environment with an even larger population of Spanish-speakers. She will be writing grants and articles for the Instituto Mexicano de Investigación de la Familia y Población (IMIFAP), an organization that develops public health programs for impoverished communities in Mexico and throughout Latin America. A spring semester abroad in Madrid sparked her sense of wanderlust and interest in all forms of migration. Joanna spent the summer in Andalucía after her semester ended, where she worked for Granada Acoge, an organization that helps newly-arrived immigrants receive social services. After her year at IMIFAP, Joanna plans to pursue a public interest career that will incorporate legal advocacy, immigration, and human rights.

Alyssa Briody, Amherst ’07

Human Rights Watch, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Alyssa will be working with Human Rights Watch in Buenos Aires this fall. While at Amherst College, she studied Latin American History and played varsity lacrosse. Her research led to great experiences studying abroad in Chile and working for a community development organization in Ecuador. After graduation she worked as a paralegal at the United States Attorney’s Office in Boston and headed out to Ohio to work as a field organizer for the Obama campaign. She is excited to get a chance to return to Latin America and gain experience working in the field of international human rights.

Alexandra Cristea ’09

Innovations in Poverty Action, Bogotá, Colombia

Alexandra graduated with a degree from the Woodrow Wilson School and certificates in German and Finance. She is very interested in international economic development, particularly in exploring novel strategies like microfinance or social entrepreneurship, as well as behavioral economics. During her time in college, Alexandra enjoyed working with the Princeton Microfinance Organization, as well as volunteering with the Pace Center for Civic Engagement. Originally from Romania, she loves to live in different countries, and in the last four years, she has worked in Germany, India, Mexico and the United States. Alexandra is looking forward to living in Colombia, working in a microfinance research position and learning how to salsa.

Katie Fallon ’09

NicaHOPE, Managua, Nicaragua

Originally hailing from Long Island, New York, Katie majored in the Woodrow Wilson School with a certificate in Urban Studies. A study abroad semester in Panama during high school piqued her interest in Latin America and led her to focus on Latin America in her course work and independent work at Princeton. During the summer of 2008, Katie traveled to Guatemala, Peru, and Brazil to conduct thesis research on urban slums, where she spent a substantial amount of time working with scavenging communities. Katie is excited to continue her work with scavenging communities as NicaHOPE’s first PiLA fellow.

Sarah Federman, Barnard ’09

Amazon Conservation Association, Los Amigos, Peru

Sarah graduated from Barnard College with a degree in Biology and a passion for Anthropology. She will be working with the Amazon Conservation Association (ACA), in Peru at their Los Amigos field station. Sarah is excited to aid the ACA in their mission to practice and promote conservation in the Amazon. During college, she took a semester off to study the ecology of Burseraceae Canarium and its relation to lemur feeding ecology in Madagascar. She hopes to make a meaningful contribution to the ACA's conservation program while working to further her understanding of forest ecology, particularly fruit dispersal by mammals and forest regeneration. Sarah is also curious as to how current conservation ideologies impact land-use and the livelihoods of local communities, and hopes that her work with the ACA will lead her in interesting directions.

Kirsten Harmon, Georgetown ’09

Arias Foundation, San Jose, Costa Rica

Originally from Southern California, Kirsten spent her college years in Washington, D.C. Now living in San Jose, Costa Rica, she is pursuing her interest in Latin American community development and civic engagement. During her university years, Kirsten had several internships in public health, including work on domestic violence and women’s health issues. After her PiLA fellowship, Kirsten will attend Law School at Georgetown.

Janine Kacprzak, Northwestern ’09

Funcedescri, San Lucas, Guatemala

Janine is very excited to be working for FUNCEDESCRI, a Guatemalan nonprofit focusing on community development and sustainable agriculture. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in History and International Studies and a minor in Spanish. While in college, Janine fueled her passion for Latin America by studying abroad in Merida, Mexico and participating in service trips to Ecuador and Honduras. Janine is also passionate about the social sector and has worked for the American Cancer Society, Teach For America and Common Grants, a start-up social enterprise. After her PiLA fellowship, she hopes to pursue a career in international development and non-profit management.

Lara Lorenzetti, Georgetown ’09

ProPeru, Urubamba, Peru

Lara left her hometown of Seneca Falls, New York for Georgetown University's School of Nursing and Health Studies in Washington D.C.. She recently finished her bachelor's degree in International Health with a minor in Spanish. Lara's coursework was supplemented by two abroad experiences that have had a profound impact on her professional interests. Lara fell in love with Latin American history and culture during her semester in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The following year, she lived in Navrongo, Ghana where she visited local clinics and completed a study regarding the content and meaningfulness of patient information at Navrongo's War Memorial Hospital. While in Washington, Lara's educational experiences included time interning at various NGOs and health agencies including the Pan American Health Organization. With interests that span the entire spectrum of community health, Lara is grateful for the opportunity to return to Latin American as a PiLA fellow, and she is very excited to spend the year working with ProPeru on their public health portfolio in Urubamba.

Laura Morales ’09

Amazon Conservation Association, Wayquecha, Peru

A native of Colombia, Laura has also grown up in New Jersey. Her interest in biodiversity and ecology and a desire to study these issues firsthand in South America led her to the PiLA fellowship at the ACA. When not engaged in research and study at college, Laura both danced with and taught at the University’s Ballet Folklorico company, was an Outdoor Action Leader, and also worked as a lifeguard.

Sasha Sadrai ’09

Endeavor Chile, Patagonia, Chile

Originally from Houston, Sasha will be living in Chile this year, as one of the 2009-10 Endeavor Fellows. A volleyball player at Princeton, Sasha studied Psychology, writing her thesis on Intergroup discrimination and the role of self-esteem. During the summers, she had internships at two public interest groups in Cleveland, Ohio. In her spare time, Sasha still plays volleyball and coaches in a youth league.

Greg Snyder ’09

Princeton Parramos Project/WINGS Guate, Parramos, Guatemala

Greg majored in Molecular Biology at Princeton and also earned Certificates in Spanish and Neuroscience. A prospective epidemiologist or public health clinician, Greg is most interested in global health, and has exposed himself to related issues through coursework and varied extracurricular pursuits. He hopes that his work in Guatemala will give him hands-on experience in his field of interest.