Sanford Students interested in International Development
Nilab Ahmadi
nilab.ahmadi@duke.edu
Zeeshan Ali
Class of 2026zeeshan.i.ali@duke.edu
Gary Alvarez Mejia
gary.alvarezmejia@duke.edu
Gary, born and raised in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, majored in International Relations at Nur University. He worked as a professor for undergraduate courses and conducted research on topics including Social Movements, International Political Economy, Foreign Policy, and Political Participation at Nur University’s International Relations Department before joining Sanford. He also worked in the private sector as a consultant on Conflict Resolution and Development. Gary aims to use his degree to promote domestic and international policies that address structural inequality and to conduct research on the effects of international policy on the development of countries in the Global South. Gary has a variety of hobbies that he enjoys outside of his career goals. These hobbies include hand-lettering, watercolor illustration, cooking, and reading dystopian novels that are often quite terrifying.
Shontierra Anderson
shontierra.anderson@duke.edu
Larry Chen
larry.chen@duke.edu
Larry is a Toronto and Shanghai native, and a graduate of Cornell University, where he majored in Environment & Sustainability and minored in Development Sociology and Law & Society. Prior to his time at Duke, he worked at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, where he created and managed written content, coordinated global partnerships in Europe and Asia, and led varied community outreach initiatives. He has also consulted for ecolodges, conducted a range of ornithological field surveys, and compiled reports and managed social media for regional and international conservation NGOs. Through his time with Sanford, Larry hopes to delve into biodiversity-conscious energy development, as well as build up the knowledge, skills, and experience to create truly lasting connections between human and ecological communities in his future career.
In his spare time, Larry is always looking to search for all manner of plants and animals, be it in Durham or Dakar! He also loves writing short stories and Wikipedia dives.
Yuxuan Chen
yc657@duke.edu
Thomas Cheng
thomas.cheng@duke.edu
Thomas is a dual degree MPP/MBA student at Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and Fuqua School of Business. Originally from Maryland, he lived in China for nearly seven years, focusing mostly on the education and edtech sectors. He worked in partnerships and growth at TAL Education Group (one of China’s largest education companies) and VIPKid (edtech unicorn), as well as teaching, training, and fundraising at Teach For China (rural education nonprofit). Thomas is passionate about educating, connecting, and motivating people to achieve great things.
Christian Chung
christian.chung@duke.edu
Shawnee Cummings
shawnee.cummings@duke.edu
Shawnee Cummings graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 2019. She attained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and focused her academic interests on human rights and international development. During and after her time as an undergraduate, Shawnee volunteered as a research assistant to a Ph.D. candidate, where she worked on projects focusing on issues such as the determinants of homelessness, the efficacy of safe parking programs, and policy solutions to address mass incarceration. Since graduating, Shawnee has worked as a litigation paralegal, with the last two years spent representing victims of child sexual abuse against negligent institutions and students in Title IX and sexual assault cases against universities. While at Sanford, Shawnee plans to pursue her interests in international development and explore the ways in which development policy can be utilized to aid in gender violence prevention. Outside of academics, Shawnee loves to travel internationally, watch soccer, check out local coffee shops, and spend time with her cat, Mac.
De’Omini Daniely
deomini.daniely@duke.edu
De’Omini will be pursuing a Master’s of Public Policy with a concentration in International Development Policy.She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor’s in Political Science. She has interned at the U.S House of Representatives in a congressional office, with state agencies such as the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity and with various statewide campaigns. A fun fact about her is that she has traveled to four foreign countries within the this past year.
Diontre Davis
diontre.davis@duke.edu
My name is Diontre Jamar Timothy Davis (LinkedIn), and I will be attending the Sanford School of Public Policy to complete the 2023-2025 Master of Public Policy Program. I am originally from Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States of America. My passion lies in creating change in social, foreign, and international development to build safer living environments for marginalized communities across the world to prosper in life. I have worked at Planned Parenthood Federation of America for over 2 years, advancing from an Executive Coordinator to an Administrative and Program Events Specialist. Also, I also served as the Treasurer of the National Black Associates, an Employee Resource Group for Black staffers within PPFA. I supported the Organizing and Electoral Campaigns Department of PPFA to help provide abortion access and mobilize supporters of sexual and reproductive healthcare across the US. Since 2021, I currently operate as one of the founding members and Joint International Chair of the youth division of The Black Policy Institute, a Think Tank that works with a network of existing NGO agencies in the UK and globally to create policies and practices that foster equity and inclusion of Black people of African and Caribbean heritage. My concentration interests at Sanford are Social or International Development Policy.
Jack Dearing
jack.dearing@duke.edu
Jack is returning to Durham as an MPP ’25 Candidate after having graduated from Duke in 2019 with a B.S. in Economics and a B.A. in Environmental Sciences & Policy. Prior to his return to Duke, he worked as an commodities analyst at a Virginia-based energy firm and, later, as a policy analyst focused on power markets, clean energy, and electric vehicles at a DC-based firm. Continuing his interest in clean energy, Jack hopes to pursue a career in the industry after Sanford, particularly in the Southeast. In his free time, Jack enjoys cooking, swimming, and going to the gym, and is excited to return to Cameron Indoor in the fall.
Elizabeth Eyermann
elizabeth.eyermann@duke.edu
Hira Farooq
hira.farooq@duke.edu
Eric Fernando
eric.fernando@duke.edu
Lawson Garner
hlg26@duke.edu
Lucero Gomez Arias
lucero.gomezarias@duke.edu
Lucero was born and raised in Lima, Peru. She earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Universidad del Pacifico and a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Agronomy from Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina. She holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Universidad del Pacífico. She worked at a consulting firm as a project analyst where she conducted cost-benefit analysis, social and economic evaluations for projects related to modernization of the state, agriculture, health, security and transportation. At Sanford, she will develop her analytical and quantitative skills for evidence-based policymaking and project evaluation in developing countries. In her free time, Lucero enjoys traveling, cooking, gardening and hiking.
Devin Greeno
devin.greeno@duke.edu
Devin is originally from Chicago but now lives in Charleston, South Carolina. He is currently completing his undergraduate degree at Duke while beginning his Master in Public Policy at Sanford. His previous experience includes work with a nonprofit in Sydney, Australia, research with Duke faculty in the fields of foreign aid, environmental policy, and education policy, and a financial policy internship in DC with a congressperson. Outside of his interest in policy, you can find Devin in Cameron Indoor, playing tennis, or running.
Azar Hasanli
azar.hasanli@duke.edu
Azar is from Baku, Azerbaijan. He graduated from the Azerbaijan State University of Economics with a bachelor’s and master’s degree with a major in international economics. Before Sanford, Azar worked at leading research and policymaking institutions in Azerbaijan. He started his professional career at the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Then he joined the Financial Monitoring Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a national AML/CFT authority. He is currently enrolled in the Master of Public Policy program at Sanford School. He is especially interested in development issues and envisages a career in economic development fields. Deriving from his background, Azar aims to increase his competencies in diverse spheres of economic policymaking.
Leo He
lh436@duke.edu
Cornell Jordan
cornell.jordan@duke.edu
Cornell is a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina where he graduated from Parkland High School. Since completing his undergraduate studies at UNC-Chapel Hill, he has endeavored to serve and strengthen local communities. He has served as a teacher in Durham Public Schools and several non-profit organizations before attending Sanford. Cornell is interested in the relationship between international and domestic policy as well as entrepreneurship as a tool for community development. In his free time Cornell enjoys spending time with his family and friends, a great conversation, and working with his hands – bonus points if all three are done together.
Sue Lee
sl917@duke.edu
Lu Liu
lu.liu@duke.edu
Lu Liu comes from Shenzhen, Guangdong but likes eating spicy food. She enjoys traveling, doing exercises, and making new friends.
Ashlynn Lussier
ashlynn.lussier@duke.edu
Ashlynn is a 2023 graduate from The University of Alabama where she majored in history and double minored in classical civilizations and public policy. Growing up in a military family, she has had the opportunity to call many places home. Although she was born in Keflavik, Iceland she claims Yorktown, Virginia as her hometown. Ashlynn is coming straight from her undergraduate program into the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. She plans to further research her interest in the foreign policy field, with the ultimate goal of working in international research analytics. Outside of academics, Ashlynn enjoys reading, playing piano, running, and cooking.
Yuyan Ma
yuyan.ma@duke.edu
Yuyan Ma grew up in Changsha, China, and graduated from Central South University with a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. During her undergraduate years, she focused on interdisciplinary approaches in the studies of social problems through research projects and coursework, considering philosophical, ethical, sociological, political, and gendered perspectives on social issues, like hermeneutical injustice in gender violence cases and improvement in communication mechanisms using discourse ethics. She also interned in a brand communications agency, participating in research programs about medical policies and healthcare companies. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies and K-pop dances.
Shiloh Miller
shiloh.miller@duke.edu
Shiloh is a native of Colorado and graduated from Rice University in 2023 with a B.A. in Political Science and Social Policy Analysis, as well as a Certificate of Language and Intercultural Communication in Spanish. During her undergrad, she also competed on Rice’s Division I Women’s soccer team. Shiloh’s passion for public policy has grown out of a diverse range of experiences— from conducting health, housing and education policy research with the Texas Policy Lab and non-profit community organizations, to learning about the criminal justice system through various internships with legal institutions. Shiloh has become fascinated with how interwoven and connected these policy arenas are; and she is passionate about working to improve their compounding effects on marginalized populations. While at Sanford, she is excited to explore how these pillars can enhance development both domestically and globally. Outside of the classroom, Shiloh loves being active outdoors (running, biking, hiking, skiing, playing sports), as well as cooking and exploring new restaurants and coffee shops with friends and family.
Maria Mohyuddin
maria.mohyuddin@duke.edu
Maria hails from Islamabad, Pakistan, and is a passionate advocate for educational equity. Her journey began when she embarked on the Teach For Pakistan Fellowship, a life-changing experience that ignited her commitment to addressing educational disparities and empowering under-resourced communities. She aspires to collaborate with policymakers and work towards evidence-based reforms and policies that ensure equal access to quality education for all children, irrespective of their socioeconomic status. Additionally, Maria’s passion for International Development drives her interest in understanding the pivotal role of International Development Organizations (IDOs) in assisting developing nations like Pakistan in their fight against social inequity.
Belton Moore
belton.moore@duke.edu
Belton is a proud North Carolina Native from Robeson County and an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe. He graduated from NC State University in 2020 with bachelor’s degrees in economics and Spanish and a minor in political science. Prior to Duke, he worked as a policy associate with NC Governor Roy Cooper’s rural initiative, Hometown Strong, and as a program officer for the Native American Agriculture Fund, a private charitable trust dedicated to increasing access to capital for Native American farmers and ranchers. Belton is pursuing a dual degree with the Fuqua School of Business with plans to work at the intersection of business and government to finance investments in rural communities. Outside of work and school, Belton enjoys traveling, hiking, and spending time with his family, including his wife, Kamryn, and five nieces and nephews in the Triangle.
Jennifer Nguyen
jennifer.nguyen@duke.edu
Jennifer Nguyen was born in Vietnam and raised in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In 2021, she worked as a research assistant for the Covid-19 Vaccine Equity Project, examining ethnic communities’ responses to past vaccine campaigns to advise the WHO’s COVAX campaign on vaccinating marginalized populations. For the past year, she has been a research intern for a Bass Connections project, aiming to assess how a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services hypertension policy impacts health disparities in Durham. She is continuing this role for the 2023-2024 school year as well. Seeking to work with policy that speaks to her immigrant heritage, she is currently the Policy and Communications intern for the Presidents’ Alliance, a coalition advocating for undocumented, international, and refugee students in higher education. With her MPP, she hopes to dismantle inequities embedded in existing policy. In her free time, she enjoys going to trivia, thrifting, and watching TV/movies.
Pramesti Puspitasari
pramesti.puspitasari@duke.edu
Pramesti come from Indonesia and has eleven years of experience worked in Bank Indonesia, the Central Bank of Indonesia, as an economic analyst. She specialized in external sector statistics dealing with statistics compilation and analysis. During her career, she also actively involved to represent Indonesia in international statistics working group such as ASEAN, G20 and OECD. Pramesti has graduate from Bogor Agricultural University, where she majored in Statistics. Pramesti currently enrolled as Master of Public Policy (MPP) student in Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. With her master degree, she aim to has solid background on quantitative tools, economic, and policy analysis to further contribute in the policymaking, especially in facing rapid global and domestic economic changes. During her leisure time, Pramesti loves baking and cooking.
Sarah Salarano
sarah.salarano@duke.edu
Sarah Salarano graduated from Emory University in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and minor in English. Since then, Sarah has been working as a paralegal and legal writer at an immigration law firm based in New York City. She also previously served as the Community Engagement Officer for Mind Bubble, an education non-profit, and interned at BerlinRosen and The Migrant and Immigrant Community Action (MICA) Project. Sarah grew up in 9 different countries before settling in the United States at age 18. She is originally from St. Louis, MO and Seoul, South Korea.
Mudita Savai
mudita.savai@duke.edu
Mudita is a first year MPP’25 student from India. She is a qualified lawyer and has worked with multinational organizations in the legal and Fintech space. Her multilingual capabilities has helped her work with cross country teams. Her policy interests are International Development and Social policy. She loves exploring cafes and in her free time enjoys curling up with a novel.
Michael Schmitz
michael.schmitz@duke.edu
Michael is originally from St Louis, Missouri. Before arriving at Sanford, he lived several years abroad, studying for his undergraduate in International Relations and Modern History at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and going on exchange to Hong Kong, Poland, and the Netherlands. His research interests revolve around US economic policy and international trade.
Zipporah Sewell
zipporah.sewell@duke.edu
Zipporah Sewell was born and raised in Prince Georges’s County, Maryland. She attended Robert Morris University in PA where she majored in Organizational Leadership. At RMU, Zipporah became fascinated with helping others and education which lead her to become President of her school’s Collegiate100 chapter. She participated in various other activities including studying abroad in Peru and Costa Rica for 3 months on a Gilman scholarship studying Spanish and Incan history. Zipporah was also RMUs 2023 Presidential Transformational Award winner. Zipporah is eager to bring her passions and interests to the MPP program and to get to know Durham. Zipporah’s interests include Social and International development policy as she has plans to pursue a career in the foreign service. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with God, reading, trying new food places, and going on walks.
Lena Shadow
lshadow@duke.edu
Maya Sood
maya.sood@duke.edu
Maya Sood is a graduate of Vanderbilt University (2022) with degrees in Public Policy and Women’s and Gender Studies with a specialization in gender-based violence and crisis diplomacy. Originally from Los Angeles, Sood has experience in activist, legal, and political fields, interning for the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office in the Department of Family Violence, the Voter Empowerment Project, and the office of Congressional Representative Ted Lieu. During her time at Vanderbilt, Sood cultivated a passion for national security policy and, more significantly, for the political economy of sexual gender-based violence. Outside of the classroom, she served as the chair of Vanderbilt Student Government’s Sexual Assault Prevention Committee where she consulted with the University’s administration to develop best practices of implementing Title IX policies and advocated for the rights of campus survivors. As a JD/MPP dual-degree candidate, Sood hopes to bring legal and political fields together to develop strong, wholistic approaches to global conflict. In her free time, Sood is an avid artist and painter and enjoys old-school Rock music and any activity that puts her near an ocean.
Christopher Starr
christopher.starr@duke.edu
Christopher was born in Minnesota and grew up in multiple areas of the United States. He served in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica as an economic development volunteer and has been working financial wellness and worker equity for the last 10 years at Neighborhood Trust Financial Partners in New York City.
Gabriel Toscano
Class of 2026gabriel.toscano@duke.edu
Dhivahari Vivek
dhivahari.vivekanandasarma@duke.edu
Dhivahari Vivek is a Colorado local with Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. She graduated from the University of Colorado Denver with degrees in computer science and political science. Professionally, she comes from a data-heavy background – she served as a data developer consultant for multiple U.S. state/quasi-state agencies, and as a research fellow for a national non-profit. Her experiences have greatly contributed to her interest in cyber civil rights/liberties issues both at home and abroad. She is invested in helping close a severe gap in legislation addressing technological harms. With her MPP, Dhivahari hopes to work alongside tireless advocates to defend cyber civil rights and digital privacy at home, as well as give back to Sri Lanka and address the harmful technological impacts on its people. In her spare time, Dhivahari enjoys never winning at the video game Hades, taking probably too long to read very good Sci-Fi books, and struggling to lift forty pounds over her head.
Andrew Yanik
andrew.yanik@duke.edu
Andrew is from Milford Connecticut about 15 minutes outside of New Haven. A graduate of Seton Hall University, he received a Political Science BA in 3 years and has spent the past year as a Data Analyst and Support specialist for the City of Stamford. At Duke, Andrew hopes to carve out a path to a career in Business/Finance Policy, National Security, or International Development working in private sector policy negotiations. In his free time, Andrew loves to play basketball, compete in jiu jitsu competitions, and enjoy time out with friends (especially with the opportunity to travel).
Janice Ye
janice.ye@duke.edu
Janice Ye is originally from Beijing, China but grew up in New York. She graduated from University of Washington in 2022 with a degree in political science, focusing on political economy. She is passionate about helping the communities in need and climate change. She has participated in numerous internships and research projects that extend to various fields, such as social justice, international development, and global finance governance. From helping children from immigrant families to gain education resources to analyzing the impact of international development policy on Subaltern Amazonian communities, Janice is aspired to promote ethical and sustainable development. Pursuing an MPP degree at Duke University, Janice strives to advocate for community-based policies and to find a healthy balance between economic development and the welfare of local community. In her free time, Janice enjoys swimming, dancing, and stand-up paddling.
Jasmine Zhong
jasmine.zhong@duke.edu
Jasmine recently graduated from New York University with a major in Economics and a minor in History. She is from New York, New York. She is really passionate about both domestic and international politics. In her free time, she loves to play the violin and watch movies. She is really excited to meet new friends at Duke!