Introducing the Faces of Fordham IPED’s Class of 2026

Adriana Curto

Cold Spring, New York, USA

Adriana completed her undergraduate degree at Syracuse University, double majoring in International Relations and Citizenship & Civic Engagement. Before coming to IPED, Adriana worked in communications at a social services agency serving immigrants and refugees in NYC. Her prior experience also includes managing youth development programming to support women and girls in Afghanistan and serving as a Youth in Development Volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps in Morocco. Adriana is excited to pursue further international development projects focusing on the Middle East/North Africa region.

Ange-Viviane Hirwa Nyamuhenda

Kigali, Rwanda

Ange-Viviane Hirwa graduated from the University of Rwanda in 2021 with a Bachelor of Business Administration. Before joining the IPED program at Fordham University, she worked with Aegis Trust, contributing to genocide memory preservation and peace education. She also served as an Operations Coordinator at the Mission of Rwanda to the UN for over two years. Passionate about international development, human rights, and sustainable growth, she aims to work with organizations focused on global social impact after completing the IPED program. She has a strong interest in postcolonial and critical theories. She is open to pursuing fellowships that would allow her to further develop these skills in international development or human rights work.

Anthony Vinciguerra

Miami, Florida, USA

Anthony received his double bachelor’s in Religious Studies and English Literature from the College of the Holy Cross. He later received his MA in Religion and Society from the University of California at Berkley and pursued a Theology and Education at Boston College. Anthony has served as Coordinator for the Center for Community Engagement and Adjunct Professor of Theology at St. Thomas University in Florida. He has also worked with various non-profit organizations, including the Archdiocese of Miami, where he is currently the Director of its Global Solidarity Partnership, coordinating socio-economic development projects in Miami’s sister diocese in Port-de-Paix, Haiti. His experience has strengthened his commitment to international development, particularly in project management and agricultural commodity production. This led him to pursue an MA in Fordham IPED, specializing in international development studies.

Bismi Samia

Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bismi graduated from North South University, Bangladesh, with a Bachelor of Science in Economics degree. Before joining IPED, she was a full-time teacher at Sunnydale School and an adjunct lecturer in Economics at Presidency University in Dhaka, Bangladesh. She has co-authored multiple research papers and contributed to book chapters focusing on economic growth and sustainability, particularly in Bangladesh. Bismi joined IPED as a Presidential Fellow and after graduation, she aspires to work with international non-profit organizations or NGOs specializing in development and international economics. In the long term, she aims to contribute to the socio-economic development of her home country.

Cassidy Fawcett

Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

Cassidy graduated in 2021 from the University of Connecticut with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Urban and Community Science. Before IPED, she worked with the US Peace Corps, where she strived to enhance educational programs in The Gambia. Additionally, Cassidy has experience in environmental and economic justice through her work with the Green Village Initiative charity. After graduating, she would like to work for international non-profit organizations or NGOs focusing on global economic development.

Frederic Joseph Bomba Mbida

Yaounde, Cameroon

Frederic graduated from the Catholic University of Central Africa with a B.A. in Economics and Management. Before joining the IPED program, he worked as an Economist at the Bank of Central African States. Previous work experience includes being a finance and administrative officer for a project in the Cameroonian Customs Administration. After the program, he plans to pursue a career with a multilateral bank or transnational organization focusing on international development and sustainability in the region of Africa. He is interested in performing research on poverty reduction, good governance, economics, and climate.

Jesse Young

Davis, California, USA

Jesse came to IPED with a social and physical science background and looks forward to development work that blends the two. Agriculture is hugely important for human life and wealth, and it has an impact on our environment. Jesse believes that understanding political science, economics, and ecology is necessary to develop nations’ agricultural sectors without creating worse effects on the local and global scales. He looks forward to innovating agricultural development projects after graduation.

Leslie Grullon

Bronx, New York, USA

Leslie graduated in the Fall of 2023 from Fordham University with a B.A. in Economics. Before joining IPED, she worked as a Student Financial Service Representative at Fordham University. She is interested in pursuing a career in international banking and finance.

Maria Guran

Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Romania

Maria has an undergraduate degree from the University of Bucharest, Romania, and an LLM in Intercultural Human Rights from St. Thomas University, Miami. She pursued a career with the United Nations in New York and would like to focus her professional growth in international development. Maria has experience in project management and intergovernmental support and is particularly interested in finding solutions to address socio-economic inequalities.

Mbekezeli Mazibuko

Johannesburg, South Africa

Mbekezeli graduated with her undergraduate and honors degree in Statistics and Data Science from the University of Pretoria. Before coming to IPED, she was studying for a Master’s in Economics at the University of Pretoria, with her research on “Determinants and Responses to Food Insecurity.” After completing the IPED program, she would like to pursue work at the World Bank or a career in academia.

Philip Chan

New York City, New York, USA

Philip graduated from Fordham University with Summa Cum Laude and a B.A. in Political Science and Economics in May 2024. He worked as an Archive Intern at the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission and a research assistant, working to understand the impact of the Angelo Rodriguez Research Award. Philip is interested in working for the government and financial sector after graduating with his IPED concentration in International Banking and Finance. Currently, he is the Public Affairs Graduate Assistant for the IPED program. Additionally, he speaks Chinese and can translate Latin texts.

Samantha Ketter

Parker, Colorado, USA

Samantha graduated from the University of Dallas in 2024 with a B.S. in Economics and a Minor in Anthropology and Sociology. As a current Arrupe Fellow, Samantha is interning with the United Nations Development Programme’s NBSAP team. After IPED, she is interested in pursuing a career in international development or economic research.

Sharan Sekhon

Saugerties, New York, USA

Sharan recently graduated from Northeastern University’s B.S. in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics program. Concentrating in International Political Economy and Logic & Game Theory, she is curious about the intersection of development and humanitarian work. She has interned full-time for 6 months at the Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies in Belgrade, Serbia, and in a private recruitment consulting firm. Sharan also spent three summers learning about conflict, diplomacy, and development in Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina (2021), Switzerland (2022), and Rwanda (2023). Sharan is interested in pursuing a career where she gets to explore conflict economics, development, and humanitarianism. 

Walamatien Coulibaly

Côte d’Ivoire

Walamatien joined the IPED program as an Arrupe Fellow after having spent several years working in the field of development both in the public and private sectors in Côte d’Ivoire. He graduated with a degree in business management from Michigan State University. His last job was with the government of Côte d’Ivoire. He also founded MITA, a non-profit organization committed to helping smallholder farmers in West Africa grow more food and prosper with dignity.