Introducing The Faces Of Fordham IPED’s Class Of 2025

Amanda Adinolfi

Staten Island, New York, United States of America

Amanda worked as an English Teaching Assistant in Bulgaria through the Fulbright Program prior to beginning the IPED Program. She also was a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine where she worked in the Youth Development Sector. After graduating Amanda would like to work in international non-profit organizations or NGOs with a focus on educational access.

Raffaela Alhach

Mexico City, Mexico

Raffaela graduated in the Spring of 2023 from the College of William & Mary with a B.A. in International Relations and a double major in Sociology. After the IPED program, she plans on pursuing a career with a multilateral bank or transnational organization focusing on international development and sustainability in the region of Latin America. Raffaela is interested in performing research in the areas of poverty reduction, good governance, economics, human rights and the environment in order to find innovative solutions to issues associated with these issues.

Ana E. Barragán Martínez

Xalapa, Mexico

Born and raised in Xalapa, Mexico, Ana studied Administrative Computer Systems at the Universidad Veracruzana. Focusing her career on Information and Communication Technologies for Development, she collaborated with her city’s council on the Georeferencing Program to Detect Gender Violence and with the Environmental Impact Projects program by SDSN Mexico. She recently worked at a woman-led initiative that supports indigenous artisans and volunteered through UNVP with the Associação Jadir de Taekwondo. As a Fulbright fellow, Ana wishes to continue fostering international collaboration for welfare and development both in her home country and abroad.

Terra Collier

Fairborn, Ohio

Terra completed her undergraduate education in anthropology and economics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Her most formative experiences as an undergrad were studying social transformation in Durban, South Africa and participating in the Foreign Service Internship Program with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC and Harare, Zimbabwe. After graduating and serving as an education volunteer in Lesotho, she pursued a MA in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at Teachers College, Columbia University as a Peace Corps Fellow. Simultaneously, she worked as an English language and social studies teacher at a high school for new immigrants in the Bronx. Terra is excited to join the IPED program as a Public Service Assistant.

Genevieve Connell

Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, United States of America

Genevieve attended University of Wisconsin – Madison for her undergraduate career, graduating with a B.A. in International Studies, Chinese, and French, and minors in East Asian Studies, European Studies, and Development Economics. Before coming to IPED, both her academic and working experiences have taken her around the world to study abroad in China and France, and then later teach English in France. She is a 2019 summer recipient of the U.S. Department of Education’s Foreign Languages and Area Studies Fellowship and plans to work in U.S. and foreign governments and then later pursue careers in the creative fields.

Mihuvho Mafuna

Thohoyandou, South Africa

Mihuvho was an MA economics student before joining IPED. He aims to pursue a career in government or Academia.

Abdibasid Mohamud

Mogadishu, Somalia

Abdibasid completed his undergraduate studies at Marist College where he double-majored in Applied Mathematics and Economics. He has a keen interest in development.

Thabiso Molewa

Johannesburg, South Africa

Thabiso graduated from the University of London with a master’s degree in Finance and Economic Policy. He also completed a bachelor’s degree in Statistics as well as an honours degree in Econometrics from the University of Pretoria. Before coming to IPED, he worked at the National Treasury of South Africa as a Senior Budget Analyst primarily focused on the national budget and policy coordination. Previous work experience includes being a Senior Analyst at Deloitte (South Africa) within the Actuarial and Quantitative Solutions division where he gained significant experience in economic research across various industries, consulting and data analytics. Other previous work experience includes being an Intern-Economist at the National Treasury where he focused on macroeconomic research.

Luke Olsen, SJ

Snohomish, Washington, United States of America

Luke is a Jesuit Scholastic completing part of his formation as a Jesuit at Fordham. Before starting IPED, he completed a Masters of Divinity at Duke Divinity School. Luke has lived and taught internationally, including on the border of South Sudan and Uganda and, most recently, in Chuuk, Micronesia. Luke is particularly interested in forced migration and the role of education in development.

Nadine Ramos

Manila, Philippines

Nadine joins the Fordham IPED program as a Presidential Fellow after several years working in the field of communications both the private and public sectors of the Philippines. She graduated with a degree in Political Science with a minor in Hispanic Studies from the Ateneo de Manila University in 2014. Prior to joining IPED and her role as a Program Assistant at the United Nations Development Programme’s Global Programme on Nature for Development, Nadine was one of the Deputy Communications Heads of Leni Robredo’s 2022 Presidential Campaign in the Philippine National Elections. She is excited to pursue further political and development work, focusing on policy analysis.

Virginia (Ginny) Scherer

San Antonio, Texas, United States of America

Virginia (Ginny) Scherer graduated from UT Austin with dual degrees in Journalism and Plan II (Liberal Arts Honors). She spent two years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Belize City working as a social work Case Manager at a local no-cost housing nonprofit. As a current Arrupe Fellow, Ginny is interning with the United Nations Development Programme’s Equator Initiative team. After IPED, she plans to work in the development sector of Latin American and the Caribbean focusing on environmental sustainability and conservation efforts. Her favorite activities include hiking, reading mysteries, practicing yoga and attending concerts.

Boitumelo Shabangu

Pretoria, South Africa

Boitumelo completed his Honors degree at the University of Pretoria. He was a junior risk manager at Glencore, one of the world’s largest globally diversified natural resource companies, before joining Fordham IPED to further his studies. Boitumelo is very much interested in the finance space and would like to follow that path.

Blaise Shema

Kigali, Rwanda

Blaise graduated from the University of Utah with a BS in Business Administration, Accounting emphasis. He worked in Finance as a Treasury Analyst and in Nonprofit Management for a combined four years prior to joining IPED. As a Global Markets Fellow, he plans on working in Economic Consulting or Investment Research with a particular focus on emerging markets. His hobbies include playing soccer, writing, and hiking with friends.

Siphesihle Sitole

Johannesburg, South Africa

Siphesihle studied Property Development and Management at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa which she completed in 2022. Prior to pursuing her degree in Fordham IPED, Siphesihle worked as trainee in the business development department in the short-term insurance company Santam. Siphesihle is interested in international development and socio-economic issues. After graduating, she would like to pursue a career in research.

Fatima Angelique Villamor

Cebu, Philippines

Angel graduated with a degree in Psychology at the Ateneo de Manila University in 2017. She then joined the Jesuit Volunteers of the Philippines working as a community enterprise organizer for seaweed farmers in Caluya, Antique. Prior to joining the IPED program, Angel spent three years at the Office of the Vice President of the Philippines managing various livelihood, education, and COVID-19 initiatives. She is interested in pursuing a career in international relief and development.