The changing of seasons brought lots of growth and opportunity for our global community. Read on to hear what’s going on behind the scenes with our Fellows and Alumni.
MARK CASPER:
TECH FOR TROOPS
2019 ALUMNI
Mark Casper, President and Executive Director of Tech for Troops, reflects on his experience as a 2019 Global Good Fund Fellow in this recent LinkedIn post. Mark is dedicated to empowering Veterans with computers, skills, and Information Technology (IT) workforce training. Tech For Troops provides veterans and the children of veterans in-need with free computers, and in house hands-on essential computer training to help them start new careers.
AUTUMN ADEIGBO
AUTUMN ADEIGBO FASHION
2013 ALUMNI
Last month, 2013 alum Autumn Abeigbo was featured in this article. She reflects on her journey and how far her company has come. Autumn Abeigbo Fashion announced a new collection of footwear and handbags for the Fall/Winter 2021. She also announced a partnership with Anthropologie which will help fund the General Scholarship Fund at Spelman College.
JESSICA JOHNSON:
SCHOLARSHIP ACADEMY
2018 ALUMNI
Alum Jessica Johnson was highlighted inThe Atlanta Journal-Constitution for the impact her Scholarship Academy has on low-income students in Georgia by creating funding strategies. The pandemic has made attending higher education even more difficult for some, leading to a drop in enrollment last year. Jessica Johnson’s Scholarship Academy continues to help as many students as possible.
JULIANA CARDONA MEJIA
STREET ENTREPRENEURS
2018 ALUMNI
The pandemic has exacerbated the economic divide and disproportionately hurt businesses run by women and people of color.This article features Street Entrepreneurs, founded by Juliana Cardona Mejia, as one of the players in the DC area taking steps to close that divide. Street Entrepreneurs connects entrepreneurs to human, social and economic capital via workshops, talent exchanges, and showcases, in addition to providing Wifi stipends, transportation, and child care.
PIYUSH JAIN
IMPACT GURU
2020 ALUMNI
This past month, Khalsa Aid India used ImpactGuru to raise over Rs. 1 crore, which is over $130,000, in just three days. ImpactGuru is a crowdfunding platform in India created by 2020 alum Piyush Jain. This money was used to buy oxygen concentrators to help battle the Coronavirus in India.This article discusses how important ImpactGuru was in this nonprofit’s COVID relief project.
CHRISTELLE KWIZERA
WATER ACCESS RWANDA
2021 FELLOW
Current Fellow Christelle Kwizera speaks out in thisNew Times article about the benefits of paid internships, and her concerns about unpaid internships. Christelle Kwizera is the founder of Water Access Rwanda which is committed to eradicating water scarcity. Water Access Rwanda has provided clean water access to over 132,000 individuals, schools, businesses and farms in Rwanda and across the borders in DRC, Burundi and Uganda.
JEFF KIRSCHNER
LITTERATI
2021 FELLOW
This month, a Southwark News article highlighted a group of volunteers that have been cleaning up the litter and trash in their neighborhood using Litterati. Litterati is an app created by current Fellow Jeff Kirschner that has empowered individuals to make a significant, measurable impact on the environment.
REESE FERNANDEZ RUIZ
RAGS 2 RICHES
2013 ALUMNI
On Mother’s Day Manila Bulletin asked various mothers and mentors what values they want to teach their children. Reese Fernandez Ruiz, founder of Rags2Riches and Global Good Fund alum identified empathy as the most important characteristic for leaders. Rags2Riches provides fair pay to Filipino women who recycle waste textiles collected from garbage dumps into high-end handbags.
SARA POTLER LAHAYNE
MOVE THIS WORLD
2014 ALUMNI
Move This World, founded by alum Sara Potler LaHayne, presented at the Future of Behavioral and Mental Health startup showcase this past year. In this article,Sara Potler LaHayne discusses the importance of playing an active role in children’s education. Move This World is a social emotional learning program that provides PreK-12 educators and students with video tools to strengthen their wellbeing in order to create healthy environments where effective teaching and learning can occur.
SYED ABRAR AHMED:
LIBER HEALTH
CURRENT FELLOW 2021
Liber Health, founded by Syed Abrar Ahmed, was highlighted in this article for the ways they pivoted around COVID related obstacles. Syed Abrar Ahmed is a current 2021 fellow. Liber Health was created to solve the problem of patient misidentification, generally by using facial recognition or fingerprints. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those methods have become less feasible. Liber Health’s solution is to use iris scans for identity control.