After serving in the Peace Corps in Cambodia working on community development projects, Cheyenne Polk wanted to continue helping others abroad. This led her to volunteer with the Development Initiative Network in Malawi, a non-profit whose mission is to alleviate poverty and create lasting change in vulnerable communities.

Cheyenne implemented “Sewing Seeds for Healthy Living”—a tailor training and community garden project for individuals affected by HIV/AIDS in Chikwawa, Malawi.

Darren promoted sustainable agriculture on the southern coast of Guatemala with the grassroots organization Semilla Nueva.

He assisted six rural farming communities implement eco-friendly practices, utilizing local resources and ecological principles.

After a volunteer stint with Za'atar, an NGO that operates a refugee shelter and community center in Athens, David wanted to return to continue helping refugees in the country.

During his year-long service with Project Layali, David helped launch Layali Salon to employ and train refugees in the beauty industry. He also helped open Layali Shop, a storefront in Athens' tourist center selling handmade goods crafted by refugees.

Gabriela volunteered with Socios en Salud (SES), a subsidiary organization of Partners In Health (an NGO bringing health care to marginalized communities) in Peru. She applied her background in public health and Spanish fluency to support a tuberculosis mobile screening project, TB Móvil, in the communities of Lima Norte.

Helen interned with the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research Directorate (IAI) in Uruguay, to support capacity-building initiatives.

These initiatives worked to strengthen national and regional capacities to address climate change issues by making cutting-edge scientific research accessible to a wide variety of stakeholders.

Jakelynn spent her gap year before college in Indonesia volunteering with Biosphere Foundation, an organization that works with local leaders to “inspire intelligent use of the earth’s natural resources and empower individuals to become leaders in biosphere stewardship.”

Working with their Trash Management Team as an International Youth Trash Champion, Jakelynn raised awareness about trash management and championed sustainable waste practices.

Jessica worked with the Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), helping coordinate a refugee youth leadership training program. The program aimed to strengthen their communication skills, nurture their leadership potential, and cultivate human rights awareness so that the youth could be agents of change in their communities.

Aspiring physician Madalyn McLennan volunteered with Compañeros en Salud (CES), the Mexican branch of the non-governmental organization Partners in Health, to provide healthcare to 10 rural communities in the difficult-to-reach, southern mountainous region of Chiapas—the most impoverished state in Mexico with some of the poorest health outcomes.

University of Chicago graduate Madeline de Figueiredo spent six months in Sofia, Bulgaria volunteering with Center for Legal Aid-Voice (CLA) Bulgaria, an NGO connecting refugees and asylum seekers with vital social services. After her Christianson Fellowship-supported project, Madeline joined Human Rights Watch’s Crisis and Conflict division in London.

Maggie volunteered with SEED Madagascar’s Project Mahampy—a three-year, sustainable development project that aims to improve the livelihoods of traditional female reed weavers across six village clusters in southeast Madagascar. Maggie helped 166 women form a Weavers’ Cooperative to empower them and connect them with markets and traders.

Mariel volunteered in Chile to assist in water conservation projects with The Nature Conservancy. While the major focus of her work was the Santiago Water Fund to sustainably manage the Maipo River Basin, she also helped conservation efforts in Chile’s Valdivian Coastal Reserve—a unique and threatened ecosystem.

The rural village of Nersa in India struggles with access to clean water. A devastating monsoon in 2019 damaged their sole clean-water pipe. Miles, who holds a master's degree in biological and environmental science, collaborated with locals to build a better pipeline to ensure reliable clean water access.

While backpacking through Europe and delivering lectures at two deaf-related conferences, Sheila witnessed the lack of public services and rights for the Deaf population in Italy.

She wanted to make a difference so she reached out to the Department of Linguistics and Comparative Cultural Studies at Ca'Foscari University and local non-profits to create community development initiatives to help the deaf in Veneto Province and raise awareness about this community.

Shivani volunteered as a Community Health Worker Program Assistant for one year with Compañeros en Salud, the Mexican branch of the non-governmental organization Partners in Health. In this role, she oversaw community health workers, locally known as acompañantes, in four rural communities in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Chiapas.

Tiffany volunteered with Yspaniola, a nonprofit in the Dominican Republic that supports educational programming for youth in the marginalized community of Batey Libertad.

In addition to teaching Spanish literacy, Tiffany also helped design youth development programs. Prior to joining Yspaniola, she taught English in Colombia on a Fulbright Scholarship.