Serve in India
Service Corps 2007-08 - Bios
Alissa Pelc
BA English, Boston University ‘00
Since 2004, Alissa has worked for NetAid, a New York-based initiative of Mercy Corps that educates and empowers young people to alleviate global poverty. Alissa served for two years as NetAid’s senior development associate, managing the foundation and corporate giving program. Shifting to a program manager role, Alissa developed online content and action opportunities for youth and managed NetAid's prestigious Global Action Awards, which recognize high school students who have done outstanding work to combat global poverty. Prior to moving to New York, Alissa worked in public relations and nonprofit fundraising in San Francisco.
Ann Levy
MA, International Educational Development, Columbia University ‘07
BA, Comparative Religious Studies, Colby College ‘01
As a junior in college, Ann moved to India on a study abroad program and began pursuing her interest in gender rights. After graduating from Colby College, Ann returned to India to work for the study abroad program SITA, once in 2001 and again in 2004. While working in India, she studied Tamil and volunteered her time at Vidiyal, a program for street children working in India. Her graduate degree brings together her interest in education and women's rights by focusing on gender issues in South Asia. During graduate school, Ann worked as the manager of the Southern Asian Institute, an academic institute that organizes lectures and conferences for Columbia students and staff in an effort to bring more South Asia related events and speaker onto campus.
Arun Gupta
BS, Economics, Duke University ‘03
Arun most recently worked at an entrepreneurial private investment firm called Accretive, where he focused on the problem of rising employer health care costs in the US. Prior to Accretive, Arun was a consultant with McKinsey & Company, serving clients primarily within the healthcare industry. He has spent significant time living and working in both India and Sub-Saharan Africa. While in Africa, Arun helped create Ringo Expeditions, a socially equitable mountain climbing company focused on uplifting local guides and porters in the Kilimanjaro Region. While at Duke, he founded a subscription-based, door-to-door laundry service that was highly successful.
Brenna Schneider
BA, International Studies, Washington College ‘06
Following her freshman year of college, Brenna worked for the American Studies Institute (ASI), a pilot program run by the US Department of State that immersed South Asian Muslim students in small town America where they discussed American history, democracy, foreign policy, and international relations. Brenna has participated in the Antioch College Buddhist Studies Program in Bihar, where she experienced rural India. She has worked with Women in Need, Inc., a non-profit organization on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that provides assistance to women and families. More recently, she worked as project coordinator for the Pennsylvania Governor School for Global Entrepreneurship and also as support staff for the Iacocca Institute’s professional education programs.
Brian Heilman
BA, English, Saint John’s University, ‘05
During his senior year, Saint John’s funded Brian to create a month-long service learning tour of North India for students from both Saint John’s and the College of Saint Benedict. After leading this trip, Brian remained in Kolkata, India, to complete a 2005 Upper Midwest Human Rights Fellowship, which he received from the University of Minnesota’s Human Rights Center. For five months, Brian taught and tutored formerly street-dwelling schoolchildren at the Loreto Day School in Sealdah, Kolkata. After returning to the U.S., Brian worked briefly as a reporter and photographer before returning to Saint John’s to join the staff of its Center for International Education where he facilitated student internships in India and built institutional connections in Kolkata in support of a planned new study abroad program.
Chad Robertson
BA, Politial Science, Western Washington University, ‘06
During his undergraduate studies, Chad participated in the Minnesota Studies in International Development, in Jaipur, Rajasthan. While in India, Chad worked for Rupayan Sansthan, a Jodhpur based non-profit dedicated to the preservation of folk music traditions of Rajasthan. Chad has continued his Hindi studies at the University of Washington and has recently received a Critical Language Scholarship from the US Department of State to attend the American Institute of Indian Studies’ Intensive Hindi Language Program. Chad also has volunteered as a tutor and teacher’s assistant for the ESL department at Squalicum High School in Bellingham, Washington and interned for the King County Council, the legislative body for the largest county in Washington state.
Christine Least
MS, Food Policy, Tufts University, ‘07
BA, Food and Nutrition, SUNY Plattsburgh, ‘03
Christine’s academic and professional interests are centered on optimizing people’s nutritional status in order to lead to a positive impact on health and well being. She has worked with a food bank and their community nutrition program in upstate New York. While in graduate school, she spent a summer interning with BRAC in Bangladesh where she researched the nutritional status and interventions provided to participants in a large community based nutrition program. She has also worked as a clinical dietitian in a Boston area hospital
Diana Chester
MA, Critical Educational Pedagogy, Columbia University, ‘07
BA, Religion/Community Based Social Justice, Mt. Holyoke College, ‘03
Prior to graduate school Diana worked on curriculum design for The Intergroup Dialogue Project focusing on Race/Class/Ethnicity as well as Sexuality/Gender Identity. On her last trip to India, Diana worked at Banasthali Vidyapith, a woman’s school and university located in Rajasthan. She worked with the primary school English teaching team and their students, while conducting a photographic master’s related research project on the topic of gender socialization in schooling.
Erin Huffer
MPH, Columbia University, ‘07
BA, Sociology, UC Berkeley, ‘01
Erin studied abroad in India at the University of Delhi during college. After graduation, she worked with a group called Apne Aap Worldwide, doing research on issues facing sex workers in Kolkota. She returned to the US to work with the South Asian Network in Southern California developing programs for HIV education and prevention. In graduate school, she interned with UNICEF documenting the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS peer education program among youth in rural Tamil Nadu using qualitative and quantitative data. She has also interned with Family Care International and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS.
Gia Cobb
MA and BA, Psychology, Stanford University, ‘98
During her undergraduate years, Gia Cobb reported as a freelance writer and Pulliam Journalism Fellow for Arizona’s largest newspaper, The Arizona Republic, covering human interest, arts and entertainment, and health issues. After graduate school, Gia taught English to high school and university students in China for one year and traveled in Southeast Asia. She returned to the States to work as a counselor at Tumbleweed Center for Youth Development, a group home for boys recently released from Juvenile Corrections facilities. From 2001 to 2003, Gia served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay, South America where she worked on community youth programs. Gia returned to work at Tumbleweed in Phoenix, Arizona where she managed its teen crisis shelter.
Ja Eun Huh
BA, Women’s Studies, Emory University ‘06
Ja Eun has worked in various public health projects specifically focusing on gender and HIV/AIDS. She is currently a treatment adherence specialist and case manager of AIDS Services in Asian Communities (ASIAC) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she initiated ASIAC’s first treatment adherence program and implemented treatment adherence counseling, assessment, and program development. Ja Eun is a certified Philadelphia case manager and predominately works with undocumented and limited English proficient clients living with HIV/AIDS. Ja Eun also facilitates Philadelphia’s only existing support group for limited English proficient Asian and Pacific Islander men.
Jeena Shah
JD, New York University, ‘07
BA, Political Science and French, Drew University ‘04
Jeena’s legal studies focused on international human rights, transitional justice, and law and development. As a member of NYU’s International Human Rights Clinic, Jeena co-authored a shadow report on caste discrimination in India, published by Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice at NYU. Jeena presented this shadow report before the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination at the UN in Geneva during the Committee’s periodic review of India in February, 2007. Jeena also worked in The Gambia with the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa to train African human rights activists on child rights. She has also interned for Human Rights First and for a United Nations-based NGO, where she worked on building NGO networks for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
Jimmy Ossman
BA, International Affairs, George Washington University, ‘05
Jimmy has worked for Grameen Foundation, an international non-profit that aims to increase access to microfinance for the poor, where he led the writing and production of print communications and wrote successfully funded grant proposals for microfinance initiatives. Following the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize to Grameen Bank, Jimmy was a key player on a team that worked to capture the interest of an international audience and empower individuals to raise awareness about microfinance. During college, Jimmy volunteered for Americorps to increase awareness in New York State about local environmental hazards and gained fundraising experience as an intern for American Farmland Trust.
Katherine Potter
MPH, University of Washington ‘07
BA, International Studies, Macalaster College ‘00
During graduate school, Katherine receieved the FLAS Fellowship to study Hindi and take South Asia-focused courses. She spent a summer in Nepal assisting PATH and its partner-NGO, CREHPA, to implement a qualitative policy research project on safe abortions. Before pursuing her MPH degree, Katherine was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal where she worked with a local water/sanitation and health education NGO and was involved in Peace Corps’ Women in Development Committee. She has additional employment experience teaching ESL to immigrants in Seattle, teaching at a public high school in France and working as a Job Marketing Specialist for over 2 years at a non-profit refugee organization in Seattle.
Krishna Parthasarthy
BS, Bioengineering, UC Berkeley, ‘05
During his time at Cal, Krishna had the rare privilege of being an Undergraduate Student Instructor for Bioethics. This inspired him to join Teach For America for the next two years to teach 8th grade mathematics and science in an under-resourced, low-performing public school in San Jose, CA. Outside of work, Krishna dedicates the bulk of his time to pursuing his development as a Carnatic (South Indian Classical) vocalist and violinist.
Laura Mason
BS, Biology, Stanford ‘01
While at Stanford, Laurie discovered two passions, rowing and teaching, and she continues to be active in both. She was a four-year varsity athlete and also became involved with a local tutoring program that served underprivileged youth in the community. She spent her first year teaching at a co-educational school, but since then has taught at the Castilleja School, an all-girls school in the San Francisco Bay Area. Laurie had the opportunity to travel to India in the summer of 2006 with some of her students and fell in love with the country and its people.
Leila Bozorg
BA, Government, Wesleyan University, ‘04
Leila has been working as the Database Manager with the Global Philanthropy Forum project at the World Affairs Council of Northern California. Prior to her work with the Council, Leila interned at Pathfinder International, where she contributed to an evaluation of Pathfinder’s impact on the African Youth Alliance. She also worked at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. At Wesleyan, Leila was a member of the Women’s Soccer team, and served as the Senior Class Treasurer.
Maria Kasparian
MPA, Rutgers University, ’08 (Anticipated)
BA, International Relations, Brown University, ‘05
While in graduate school, Maria simultaneously served as a teaching fellow at LEAP Academy University Charter School in Camden, NJ working with fifth to eighth grade students. From 2005-2006, Maria served with the U.S. Peace Corps in Bangladesh. She lived in the northeastern town of Sunamganj, taught at a boys' non-government high school and a co-ed business college and was certified as a trainer for adolescent reproductive health education. During her undergraduate studies, Maria spent a semester abroad in Madagascar, studying ecology and conservation with the School for International Training. Additionally, she has several years of experience working as an activity coordinator for mainstream and dementia units.
Megan McDrew
MA, Sociology, Humboldt State University, ‘06
BA, Linguistics, UC Santa Barbara, ‘00
Megan served with the United States Peace Corps in Morocco from 2001-2003 as a Youth Development volunteer. She established a community teaching center, a library, and a sports arena in her village. Megan continues her work with the Peace Corps as the Recruitment Coordinator at Humboldt State University. Besides work and school, Megan volunteers for Hospice of Humboldt and a prison advocacy group called, "Bar None." She also enjoys athletics and was awarded an academic and athletic scholarship recipient for two consecutive years while attending HSU. She has practiced and taught yoga, meditation, kirtan, and pranayama for the last ten years.
Menaka Mohan
BA, Environmental Policy, Boston University ‘03
Menaka has worked with Sustainable South Bronx (SSB) and Southern Bronx River Watershed Alliance (SBRWA) since September 2005, during which time she has coordinated the campaign to remove a highway and replace it with affordable housing, open space, and community and retail facilities. Prior to her employment with SSB and SBRWA, Menaka gained valuable experience working with the transportation watchdog group Tri-State Transportation Campaign and the Environmental Justice organization Alternatives for Community and Environment in Roxbury, MA.
Menal Jham
MPH, University of Pennsylvania, ‘07
BA, MiddleEastern and Asian Languages and Culture, Columbia University ‘04
During her undergraduate studies, Menal developed an interest in HIV/AIDS and public health and worked at an HIV research laboratory and as an HIV pre-and post test counselor. She worked in Zambia for two yearson training community volunteers to conduct HIV pre- and post- test counseling, a program to prevent mother-to-child transmission and on a program to integrate TB and HIV diagnostic and treatment services. While in graduate school, she volunteered with a local HIV treatment and research organization on a project to improve patient adherence to antiretroviral therapy.
Nafessa Kassim
BA, Psychology, UC Irvine, ‘05
Most recently, Nafessa was a case manager at the Community Assessment and Referral Center, a non-profit juvenile diversion program as an alternative for juvenile hall. In addition to being a case manager, Nafessa volunteered at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation as an emergency hotline counselor and was on the National Aga Khan Youth and Sports Board Fitness team to help raise awareness on how healthy living can increase a person's overall physical and mental wellness. Nafessa has worked as a Sexual Assault Victims emergency hotline Counselor/ Advocate, and has been a camp counselor for six years.
Naina Arora
BA, Community and Environmental Planning, University of Washington, ‘04
During college, Naina spent a semester in college studying natural resources management and water rights in southern India, in the international township of Auroville. Since graduating, Naina has been working in the environmental health field in Seattle and New York. Naina worked at an environmental research institute and was involved in various projects addressing environmental justice, environmental health, and public health issues in New York City.
Rebecca Shively
BA, Political Science and International Studies, University of Oregon,‘07
During college, Rebecca studied abroad in Dakar, Senegal and interned with the Amy Biehl Foundation Trust in Cape Town, South Africa. At the University of Oregon, Rebecca sat on the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group’s (OSPIRG) state board and served as a chapter chair of the Hell’s Canyon Preservation campaign. She has been an active proponent of civic engagement and volunteerism as program director of the Service Learning Program, an office on campus which arranges internships and experiential learning opportunities for students in the community.
Sara Rotkin
JD, New York Law School, ‘02
BA, Philosophy and Political Science, Hunter College ‘98
Sara most recently worked as the head of the Kings County Hospital Office of Mental Hygiene Legal Service(MHLS), an agency that is responsible for protecting and advocating for the rights of the mentally ill. During law school, Sara was President of New York Law School’s (NYLS) International Law Society, and Associate Editor of New York Law School's Journal of International and Comparative Law. Sara interned for Fondation du Present, an NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland while setting up a roundtable on HIV/AIDS treatment access between UNAIDS, the World Health Organization (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), pharmaceutical companies, and individual providers in target nation states. She has also interned at New York State Attorney Generals Office.
Sarah Hine
MBA, UC Irvine, ‘05
BS, Chemistry, Wenham College, ‘01
Sarah was most recently Senior HR Business Partner for Washington Mutual Bank Home Loans where she spearheaded her group's Talent Management Process. Previously, Sarah advised UC Irvine's Leadership Development Program on staff training and program management in addition to developing a marketing strategy to differentiate leadership programs at Peak Performance! in CA. She worked as Director of Marketing for ProfitLink, Inc. in CT, managing the company's regional market expansion. Sarah also interned with ESPN to produce their 10th anniversary X Games. Prior to business school, Sarah's volunteered in Kathmandu with the Nepali Community Empowerment Group.
Sumit Galhotra
JD, New York Law School (anticipated ’10)
BA, Journalism and International Relations, New York University, ‘06
Sumit has interned at Human Rights Watch and NYU School of Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. As a Resident Assistant at NYU, he has done extensive advocacy and fundraising around issues of diversity, social justice and human rights, especially around the genocide in Darfur. He was awarded the 2006 President’s Service Award for Volunteerism upon graduation. In his first year at law school, Sumit served as the Asia editor of the Global Human Rights Bulletin and was selected for the First Year Representative position of Stonewall Law, where he helped with a successful benefit for UNAIDS and led many educational efforts on campus concerning LGBT discrimination.
Vaani Garg
MD, Tufts University, (anticipated ’09)
BA, Spanish, Tufts University, ‘04
In college, Vaani spent her junior year studying abroad in Seville, Spain. She worked with "El Autobus de la Vida," a mobile information bus focused on spreading awareness on smoking and the associated risks of oral, throat, and lung cancers. After college, she travelled to Cape Town, South Africa and developed a fitness and education program called "Fit for Life" for the HIV+ support group of Tafelsig clinic. Most recently in medical school, Vaani led the student-run Global Health Interest Group to establish international summer programs for clinical work for first year students.
Vanitha Sivarajan
MS, Environmental Management, Yale University ‘07
BS, Microbiology, University of Illinois, ‘01
Upon completing college, Vanitha served as an Americorps member for Massachusetts Community Water Watch, where she worked on a clean water campaign. Subsequently, Vanitha worked as an Expedition Coordinator at Earthwatch Institute, where she coordinated scientific research expeditions to Latin America. During graduate school, she interned with TetraTech, an international water resource management consulting firm.