MDP Class of 2027

An Atlanta native, Adele graduated with a BA in International Studies and French Language and Literature with minors in Anthropology and African Studies from Macalester College. Adele’s passion for immigration and social justice began in high school as she volunteered with after-school programs for children of refugee parents. After graduating from college, she applied her knowledge through a fellowship with Save the Children US and an internship with the Center for Migration Studies of New York. She then turned her attention to domestic challenges, serving with United Way of Southeast Minnesota on initiatives aimed at expanding local access to healthcare, financial security, and youth development opportunities. Looking forward, Adele is excited to put her passion for localized, community-led, and participatory development into practice.

Native of Atlanta, Amber holds a BA in Political Science with a minor in International Affairs from Albany State University, a HBCU located in southern Georgia (USA). She has over ten years of experience in civic engagement and public service, with a strong focus on advancing equity through community empowerment and policy advocacy. Amber has served in various civic leadership roles, including at AmeriCorps, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Georgia Women’s Policy Institute. She has also served as a campaign organizer for state and national politicians and supported initiatives focused on digital inclusion, economic mobility, and youth development, especially among underserved communities.

Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, Blessing has a BA in Development Studies from Midlands State University. Blessing’s passion for sustainable development was put into practice while working with the Higherlife Foundation, a prominent philanthropic organization in Harare. In this role, Blessing partnered with local schools in marginalized areas to integrate technology into classrooms; he also led monitoring, evaluation, and accountability efforts to assess the impact of interventions. Later, Blessing managed corporate social responsibility initiatives at Unifreight Africa Ltd, a logistics company in Zimbabwe, by mobilizing resources and donations, building partnerships with local nonprofits, and developing impact-tracking systems. These two experiences shaped Blessing’s interest in the role of logistics in humanitarian response. While pursing MDP, he hopes to enhance his skills in monitoring, evaluation, and accountability and sustainable development.

Originally from Lafayette, Louisiana, Emily Broussard works in the Human Rights Program at The Carter Center. At the Center, she supports racial justice efforts in the southern United States, capacity building of women environmental rights defenders in Zambia, and the planning and implementation of key Carter Center convenings, such as the Human Rights Defenders Forum. Before The Carter Center, Emily taught elementary school students as a Teach for America corps member in New Orleans. She later taught in Georgia’s Fulton County Schools. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, where she conducted cross-cultural research on social identity theory and victim blaming of sexual violence survivors. She also conducted research on the negative psychological effects of voluntourism on local communities in Ghana.

Jesse has a BA in Geography with a minor in International Studies from Old Dominion University. While in college, he volunteered at a local farm, which inspired him to join the Peace Corps upon his graduation. Jesse served in Ghana as an Agricultural Extension Volunteer in the Volta region, where he worked with smallholder farmers to enhance food and nutrition security, agricultural productivity, and farm-related incomes. He also conducted capacity building activities centered on sustainable water management and preservation of traditional crops, and created microfinance groups to help community members save and secure loans.

Originally from the Boston area, Jon has a BA in Environmental Science and Public Policy from Harvard College. After graduating, he served as a Legislative Aide, and later Chief of Staff, to a Massachusetts State Representative for two years. This work focused on policies relative to climate mitigation, public transportation, and food security. Jon later served with Peace Corps in The Gambia where he collaborated with local stakeholders to design and implement community-driven projects aimed to support economic empowerment, ecological resilience, and food security. While in MDP, Jon plans to continue exploring these issues, focusing on the role of nature-based solutions in sustainable development.

Madeline holds a BA in Comparative Cultures & Politics and French Language from Michigan State University. During her undergraduate career, she served as a research assistant on a multidisciplinary project focused on the intersection of environmental change, cultural knowledge, and public health in Southeast Asia, specifically focusing on the impacts of climate change and industrialization on livelihoods and ecosystems in the Lower Mekong Region. Upon her graduation, she completed an internship at The Mekong School in Chiang Khong, Thailand, where she collaborated with local communities to develop climate resilience strategies. Additionally, her background extends to refugee advocacy through her work as a former AmeriCorps Member at a refugee resettlement agency in Atlanta, Georgia. Her past experiences have deepened her understanding of the connection between climate change and forced displacement. Madeline is excited to build on her research skills and expand her knowledge through field practicum at MDP.

Hailing from Liberia, Mohammed holds a bachelor’s in management from the Islamic University of Indonesia and a certificate in culture and leadership from Universitas PGRI Semarang through the Indonesian Government’s Darmasiswa program. Mohammed was an active member of the international student community and secretary and coordinator of the African Students Union in Indonesia. He also served as secretary of the Liberian community in Indonesia. In his role as secretary, Mohammad also supported and advocated for his fellow citizens in a country without a Liberian embassy or consulate. Most recently, Mohammed worked on capacity building, learning & development, and human resource management with the Joint Business Incubation & Innovation Center. Mohammed is pursuing the MDP program to gain theoretical grounding and hands-on skills to drive inclusive and equitable change within the communities and workplace.

Munira holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the University of Erfurt in Germany and a Bachelor’s in Social Sciences from the Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology University in Karachi, Pakistan. She began her career with HomeNet Pakistan, advocating for the rights of home-based women workers. Later, she joined United Nations Development Programmme where she led the nationwide program on Promotion of Gender Justice in collaboration with provincial governments. She also supported social inclusion programs including those under UNCRPD and development of Pakistan’s first National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights. She has contributed to the United Nations Global Compact to promote gender equity in the corporate sector and developed gender mainstreaming strategies for Zindagi Trust to expand educational opportunities for girls from underprivileged families. While in MDP and beyond, Munira will continue her work to advance social inclusion, gender justice and data-driven approaches to social change.

An Emory alum, Pedro holds a BS in French Studies and Political Science. Over the past eight years, he has built a career in Georgia’s nonprofit sector where he has worked to advance equity and promote wellbeing for local migrant communities. Pedro’s career began as a research fellow with the Latino Community Fund, where he now serves as the Director of Community Impact and Wellbeing. Across his positions, he led advocacy campaigns, coordinated civic engagement programs, and managed partnerships at the local, state, and federal levels. He brings expertise in project management, communications, fundraising, community health work, and team leadership to MDP.

Originally from Nigeria, Samuel holds a double MBA in Enterprise Resource Planning, Business Analysis, and Sustainable Business from Maharishi International University. He has been recognized as a fellow of several global programs, including the Cambridge Existential Risk Initiative, a research program exploring risk reduction, and the British Council’s Young Climate Connect Program, a network of young people delivering grassroots solutions to climate issues, and previously served as the only African Ambassador for the European Climate Pact. Samuel currently serves as Research Coordinator for the Loss and Damage Youth Coalition and sits on the Advisory Board of the UNFCCC Santiago Network on Loss and Damage, where he represents children and youth globally. While in MDP, Samuel plans to learn about developing early warning and action systems integrating Indigenous knowledge and innovative technologies to address climate-related risks and disasters.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and raised in Miami, Florida, Saoulkie Bertin is passionate about advancing equity and sustainable development through community-driven solutions. She holds a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Medical Anthropology and a Certificate in the Anthropology of Global Health from the University of Central Florida. As Vice President of the Student Health Advisory Committee, she led campus-wide and county-level health initiatives, earning the Health Equity Hero award from the Florida Department of Health in Orange County. Her research background spans nicotine activism, diet and diabetes in Puerto Rico, and vape exposure with a Johns Hopkins University research team, demonstrating her ability to engage diverse public health challenges. Now pursuing her MDP, Saoulkie plans to focus on food insecurity and its ties to political ecology, climate vulnerability, governance, and social unrest. She aims to equip herself with practical skills in monitoring, evaluation, and program management to help communities — especially in Haiti — achieve food sovereignty.

Shahnooz hails from Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan and holds a BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics with a minor in Development Studies from the prestigious Asian University for Women in Bangladesh. Shahnooz served as a Program Officer at the British High Commission in Pakistan where she coordinated with bilateral and multilateral partners to expand access to family planning services. Before that, she served as a Case Management Officer where she helped facilitate the resettlement of vulnerable Afghan citizens to the United Kingdom. Shahnooz was also a Young Development Fellow at Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, where she contributed to multisectoral projects related to climate resilience and gender-inclusive development Pursuing an MDP , she aims to further her expertise in addressing sustainable development challenges, particularly the intersection of climate and gender in the Global South.

Tatenda is from Zimbabwe and holds both a Master’s in Social Development and a BA in Organizational Psychology and Industrial Sociology from the University of Cape Town. She comes to Emory over a decade of development experience in South Africa. Before joining Emory MDP, she held positions at the International Organization for Migration, the Peace Corps, and the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), where she focused on community development and migration health. While in MDP, Tatenda plans to deepen her understanding of sustainable livelihoods, environmental law, and disaster recovery.

Hailing from Taiwan, Yu-Fen holds a BA in Social and Regional Development from the National Taipei University of Education. She later spent a year living in remote mountain villages in Southwest China, working closely with Indigenous communities. This experience sparked her interest in community development, food systems, and human rights, which led her to work with the Farmers’ Seed Network of China over the next six years. In this role, she collaborated with smallholder farmers and contributed to projects supported by the UNEP–International Ecosystem Management Partnership and Oxfam Hong Kong to promote agrobiodiversity conservation. Through the MDP, Yu-Fen aims to strengthen her skills in social research and program design, with a focus on community-driven sustainable development.