This year marks the Higher Education Solutions Network (HESN) inaugural year of their HESN Summer Internship Program. The program gives students from the HESN Labs, including SEAD, the opportunity to bring their talent to the US Global Development Lab and USAID. Duke is being represented in the program by four outstanding students that are providing a wealth of experience and ideas to their internships. Throughout the summer these interns will be providing the SEAD blog with insights into the work they are doing for USAID and the developing world.
Meet our HESN interns and get a peek into the work they are engaged in after the break!
Meet our HESN interns and get a peek into the work they are engaged in after the break!
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Kimberly Farmer
Public Policy
Kimberly is a rising junior studying public policy with minors in Arabic and economics. Her international development experience includes working with the Women's Federation of World Peace developing EFL curriculum for Syrian and Iraqi refugees as well as studying interreligious peace promotion with the Royal Institute of Interfaith Studies. On campus she is an editor for the Duke Political Review and works with Duke Student Government's Durham and Regional Affairs committee.
As a HESN intern, Kimberly is working in the E3 (Economic Growth, Education, and Environment) Bureau for Senior Advisor of International Education Christie Vilsack. During her time with E3, Kimberly is hoping to learn about the dynamics between missions in the field and government policymakers and how international organizations interact to achieve development outcomes.
Public Policy
Kimberly is a rising junior studying public policy with minors in Arabic and economics. Her international development experience includes working with the Women's Federation of World Peace developing EFL curriculum for Syrian and Iraqi refugees as well as studying interreligious peace promotion with the Royal Institute of Interfaith Studies. On campus she is an editor for the Duke Political Review and works with Duke Student Government's Durham and Regional Affairs committee.
As a HESN intern, Kimberly is working in the E3 (Economic Growth, Education, and Environment) Bureau for Senior Advisor of International Education Christie Vilsack. During her time with E3, Kimberly is hoping to learn about the dynamics between missions in the field and government policymakers and how international organizations interact to achieve development outcomes.
Divya Giyanani
Program II - Corporate Strategy and Global Health Initiatives
Divya is a rising senior studying corporate strategy and global health through her self-created major. During her studies, Divya has made a point of practicing what she learns through her coursework through a variety of fieldwork. She has worked for a national NPO in San Francisco to mobilize students in the fight against HIV/AIDS and also worked with a Duke research team to measure cumulative mental health trauma in Leogane, Haiti. Last summer Divya participated in the Geneva Global Health Fellows Program through the Sanford School of Public Policy.
As a HESN intern, Divya is working with the Center for Global Solutions in the US Global Development Lab. She will be working on the development of business plans that will contribute to the scaling of solution sets currently being developed by the Lab. During her time at USAID, Divya hopes to gain a more practical understanding of the creation and maintenance of public-private partnerships as well as the processes necessary to scale innovations.
Program II - Corporate Strategy and Global Health Initiatives
Divya is a rising senior studying corporate strategy and global health through her self-created major. During her studies, Divya has made a point of practicing what she learns through her coursework through a variety of fieldwork. She has worked for a national NPO in San Francisco to mobilize students in the fight against HIV/AIDS and also worked with a Duke research team to measure cumulative mental health trauma in Leogane, Haiti. Last summer Divya participated in the Geneva Global Health Fellows Program through the Sanford School of Public Policy.
As a HESN intern, Divya is working with the Center for Global Solutions in the US Global Development Lab. She will be working on the development of business plans that will contribute to the scaling of solution sets currently being developed by the Lab. During her time at USAID, Divya hopes to gain a more practical understanding of the creation and maintenance of public-private partnerships as well as the processes necessary to scale innovations.
Vinesh Kapil
International Comparative Studies
Vinesh graduated from Duke this May (Congratulation, Vinesh!) with a degree in international comparative studies with a focus on global health. During his time at Duke, Vinesh had the opportunity to engage in a variety of health projects, including the North Carolina Latino Health Project through Bass Connections. Through the project students were able to learn the process of designing and implementing culturally-appropriate health interventions by working with key community players in Durham's Latino community.
As a HESN intern, Vinesh will be working with the Saving Lives at Birth program. He will help the program with the planning and communications of the DevelopmentXChange event being held at the end of July in Washington DC.
International Comparative Studies
Vinesh graduated from Duke this May (Congratulation, Vinesh!) with a degree in international comparative studies with a focus on global health. During his time at Duke, Vinesh had the opportunity to engage in a variety of health projects, including the North Carolina Latino Health Project through Bass Connections. Through the project students were able to learn the process of designing and implementing culturally-appropriate health interventions by working with key community players in Durham's Latino community.
As a HESN intern, Vinesh will be working with the Saving Lives at Birth program. He will help the program with the planning and communications of the DevelopmentXChange event being held at the end of July in Washington DC.
Ishan Thakore
Public Policy
Ishan is a rising senior studying public policy and global health with a focus on how technology can provide solutions for low-resource settings. He has traveled the world studying the current tech environment in global heath including researching e-learning solutions for the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in Ahmedabad and traveling to Eldoret, Kenya, to study the potential role of mobile phones in treating postpartum depression in rural areas.
As a HESN intern, Ishan is working with the Center for Global Solutions in the US Global Development Lab. He will be working with practitioners in the Lab to identify proven innovations being supported by USAID programs and how they can be scaled. Ishan hopes that his work with USAID will help him learn what it takes to design innovation projects to have a large impact in the developing world.
Public Policy
Ishan is a rising senior studying public policy and global health with a focus on how technology can provide solutions for low-resource settings. He has traveled the world studying the current tech environment in global heath including researching e-learning solutions for the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in Ahmedabad and traveling to Eldoret, Kenya, to study the potential role of mobile phones in treating postpartum depression in rural areas.
As a HESN intern, Ishan is working with the Center for Global Solutions in the US Global Development Lab. He will be working with practitioners in the Lab to identify proven innovations being supported by USAID programs and how they can be scaled. Ishan hopes that his work with USAID will help him learn what it takes to design innovation projects to have a large impact in the developing world.
Congratulations to all of our HESN interns! We're sure that you will make a big impact during your time at USAID. Be sure to stay tuned over the summer to see what our interns are working on!
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