2006-07 Master's Students
Sentongo Ashad
Sentongo Ashad has spent his professional life working as a teacher, peace activist, and community builder in his native Uganda, as well as in South Africa. For the last six years he has been a partner with Community Development Consultancy Co. Ltd., which works with various organizations on peace and educational development. In the past, Sentongo also worked for the Africa Education Agency and the Southern Africa Dawa Network, and has been a consultant for various forums, including the Peace Education Forum and the Government and Political Parties Consultative Forum. In 2004, Sentongo organized a national conference and five seminars on democracy and human rights, one in each of the five regions of Uganda. In 2005, Sentongo worked with schools in Entebbe Municipality to generate knowledge and promote skills in resolving conflicts among teachers, students, parents and governing bodies. He was educated at Islamic University in Uganda and at the Dameline School of Management.
For Ashad's field project, he examined, evaluated and reported on conflict intervention programs and projects undertaken by the Civil Society and Conflict Management (CSCM) Team within Mercy Corps since their merger three years ago.
Andrew Ian Ginsberg
Andrew Ian Ginsberg is an employee of the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). His most recent posting was in Lusaka, Zambia (2004-2006) as a Resettlement Officer. He previously worked in Dadaab, Kenya (2002-2004) and Jakarta, Indonesia (2001-02). Although his primary area of concentration has been the resettlement of vulnerable refugees, he has also functioned as a Protection Officer and participated in the management of numerous UNHCR programs. Previous to joining the UNHCR, Andrew worked for the United States Department of Justice’s Immigration and Naturalization Service, where he represented the US Government in Immigration Court. He received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, and spent six months studying Jewish law and philosophy at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies.
Andrew undertook field work under the guidance of the Mohawk Valley Resource Center for Refugees (MVRCR) in Utica, NY (USA) to obtain a greater insight into how the US government (federal, state and local) works together with refugee/immigrant organizations and civic organizations to promote integration
Yuliana Hilajeva
Yuliana Hilajeva is from Kyrgyzstan, and in 2005 she graduated from American University – Central Asia with a degree in International and Comparative Politics. She has worked as a translator and interpreter for United States Embassy, where she provided translations for both the Defense Attaché’s Office and USAID. Prior to that, she worked as an assistant in the Security Assistance Office of United States Central Command, and she has also been employed as a translator by the Royal Danish Air Force. Yuliana spent the summer of 2001 teaching a series of classes on ethnic violence and conflict resolution to high school students from various ethnic groups in a very diverse region of Kyrgyzstan.
For Yuliana's field project, she investigated and analyzed present grievances and factors that contribute to interethnic tension between Kyrgyz and Uzbek ethnic groups in Southern Kyrgyzstan and developed a Strategy for Coexistence Intervention that may help address them.
Moussokoro Kané
Moussokoro Kané has spent the last fifteen years in program management and administration. Her most recent work has been with the USAID West Africa Mission, where she helped to develop and implement the ECOWAS Conflict Early Warning System (ECOWARN). She also helped to promote peaceful conflict-resolution through assistance programs including the strengthening the West African Peace Building Network (WANEP), and worked to combat human trafficking in Africa. Before joining USAID, Moussokoro worked as an Administrative Coordinator for CARE in Mali. She is fluent in French, English, Bambara and received her Master's degree from the University of Lille.
Moussokoro's field project involved studying donor agencies’ perception of the early warning system within ECOWAS in West Africa to learn about the perceived successes, failures and lessons learned about the system and how the roles of the three institutions and sub-institutions involved (USAID, ECOWAS and WANEP) inter-played successfully or otherwise with each other.
Aejaz Karim
Aejaz Karim is a development practioner from Hunza, Pakistan who specializes in conflict resolution and promotes community building amongst Pakistan's many diverse populations. His current position is with the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), and he is also the General Secretary of the Gulmit Educational and Social Welfare Society. Aejaz has done research on both the immpact of tourism and conflict resolution methods in the Hunza Valley. He earned his Master's in Sociology and Social Anthropology and his Bachelors in Social Sciences from Peshawar University in Pakistan.
Aejaz undertook an analysis of the various reforms and policy level changes brought about by Pakistan’s two military governments: the Government of General Zia Ul Haq and of General Parvez Musharaf. For his field project, he looked at the impacts on those changes on Pakistani society. The work was undertaken in collaboration with the Embassy of Pakistan, Washington D.C. and the Center for Strategic Studies and Policy Development, at Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad.
Slava Madorsky
Slava Madorsky was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States in 1989. Since earning her BA in British and American Literature from the University of Maryland in 2001, Slava has worked for various organizations, including the International Organization for Migration, the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Poland, and the Greater Washington Area Chapter of Hadassah. She has also volunteered with the Polish American Jewish Alliance for Youth Action and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Slava, in conjunction with Romain Rurangirwa, worked with NGOs and INGOs for their field projects in studying the needs and well-being of Rwanda’s orphans, many orphaned as a result of the genocide, and at the adequate or otherwise responses of state and other institutions to such needs.
Borislava Manojlovic
Borislava Manojlovic is a translator and personal assistant for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). Originally from Croatia, Borislava has also worked as a language assistant with the United Nations Transitional Authority In Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Sirmium and was an interpreter for the 2001 Out-of-Kosovo Voting Program. Prior to joining the UN, Borislava spent time as an English teacher. She earned a BA in English language and literature from the University of Belgrade in 2002, and she is interested in researching women’s contributions to strengthening interethnic relations in Kosovo.
For Borislava's field project, she worked with the International Institute of Boston, and examine their programs that are designed to contribute to the cultural and socio-economic integration of refugees into their US host communities. She will seek to determine best practices and identify ways of improving existing programs and bridge attendant gaps in the provision for such refugees.
Madhawa Palihapitiya
Madhawa Palihapitiya is a native of Sri Lanka, where he works with local populations in order to build communities, settle conflicts, and cope with natural disasters. He is presently employed by the Foundation for Co-Existence (FCE), where he is a Programs Manager responsible for an Early Warning and Early Response system for preventing conflicts, a Land Rights program, and many other peace building and relief efforts. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Colombo, where he majored in English while minoring in International Relations, Economics, Demography, and Journalism.
Madhawa worked with the Massachusetts Office of Dispute Resolution (MODR) for his field project. His field Research focused on Community-Based Alternative Dispute Resolution and Dialogue Processes and on designing, implementing and fundraising for a process of public Collaboration with the people of Everett, Massachusetts to increase public participation in the resolution of Disputes between immigrants and ‘locals’.
E. Sophia Jackson
E. Sophia Jackson has experience, primarily in a management consulting capacity, with a wide variety of companies in many industries including Wall Street on Demand, Tompkins Trustco Inc., JP Morgan Chase, United Management Technologies, NameEngine, Inc., and Arthur Andersen LLP. Sophia has organized and implemented multiple business process improvement initiatives, and has a vast amount of experience in the field of project management. She graduated from Binghamton University in 1998 with a joint BA in Mathematics and Philosphy.
Sophia conducted in-depth interviews with members of the Nepalese Police Force and surveyed members of psychosocial counseling programs in the country to ascertain the degree of emotional suffering likely present among the Nepalese police as well as attitudes toward the provision of counseling services to them. The specific aims of her field project were to ground the hypothesis that Nepalese police are experiencing emotional suffering as a result of their duties, despite being commonly seen as perpetrators of violence, and recommend that some form of programming to provide psychosocial services to them be implemented. The project aimed further to provide practitioners an overview of assistance presently available to security forces elsewhere in other conflicted situations.
Romain Rurangirwa
Romain Rurangirwa is an ordained priest for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Butare in his native Rwanda. Romain was the Chancellor of Butare Diocese and Secretary to the Bishop, where he had the opportunity to meet with various political and religious leaders in Rwanda. He also organized the 2000 Year Jubilee of the Church. Romain became involved in the field of coexistence and conflict through his work with prisoners who were perceived as perpetrators in the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994, and widows and orphans who were victims of the genocide. Romain graduated from the Nyakibanda Major Seminary and the Weston Jesuit School of Theology.
Romain, in conjunction with Slava Madorsky, worked with NGOs and INGOs for their field projects in studying the needs and well-being of Rwanda’s orphans, many orphaned as a result of the genocide, and at the adequate or otherwise responses of state and other institutions to such needs.
Inga Sarsune
Inga Sarsune works for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia, her native country. She presently holds the position of Third Secretary in the Security policy department where she deals with European Union civilian crisis management issues. Inga has also worked in the EU Co-ordination department and the Minister’s Bureau. She graduated from the University of Latvia with a Faculty of Law in 2003, and earned her Master of International and European Law degree from the Riga Graduate School of Law. Inga spent eight months with the European Diplomatic Programme and was the President of a youth NGO club called “The House” – youth for the United Europe.
Inga worked on her field project within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Latvian government, within the Security Policy department. She analyzed the European Union’s decision-making process concerning the EU security policies toward post-conflict areas, and worked with the EU personnel in Brussels as well as diplomatic personnel from Member States and related organizations in the field.
Sarah Stanlick
Sarah Stanlick is a Research Coordinator for the CDC-funded Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH 2010), working to alleviate health burdens on the underserved population of Lawrence, MA. She previously worked as a Research Assistant at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government and with the Nuclear Security Program at Physicians for Social Responsibility. She graduated as a Trustee Scholar from Lafayette College in December 2003, receiving a B.A. in International Affairs. Her research interests include issues of health and security, nuclear policy, ethnic conflict, empowerment, and reconciliation.
Sarah's research for her field project focused on four organizations — the International Committee of the Red Cross, Medécins Sans Frontières, Mercy Corps, and the World Health Organization and addressed an apparent deficit in training for volunteering health service professionals in regions experiencing conflict, and worked on the development of a draft curriculum for consideration by such professionals.
Nedaa Taweel
Nedaa Taweel is a psychologist specializing in the effects of violence and trauma. She graduated from BerZait University in Palestine with a BA in psychology, and went on to work for the psychosocial support program for the YMCA. Nedaa then joined the Palestinian Youth Union, where she worked with children and teenagers to reduce familial problems. Following that, she spent two years with the Mann Center, conducting group therapy and training for families and children. Nedaa has six years of professional and consulting experience in the field of psychology. She has also done research into the results of war on women and the results of violence and trauma on children. Nedaa seeks to develop new approaches of working in conflict situations, primarily the Middle East, through using art, music, and culture.
For Nedaa's field project, she undertook a study of Palestinian perceptions in Ramallah and Bethlehem to see how their current conception of reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians limits their participation in such programs. The research also looked at how an expanded concept of reconciliation — such as that undertaken in South Africa, northern Ireland or Rwanda that includes both structural and psychocultural processes — might energize a greater Palestinian involvement in such processes.
Judith van Raalten
Judith van Raalten is originally from the Netherlands and worked for three years as a researcher and teacher at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The courses she taught includes Intro to Western Philosophy and a Critical Thinking / Informal Logic class. She graduated in 2003 from the University of Utrecht with a Master's Degree in Philosophy. Currently she is coordinating a project researching the short and long term effects of peace camps in the Middle East and the Balkans. Additionally, Judith is the field researcher for the USA region for an international immigration studies based in Europe. In the summer of 2006, Judith participated in the Bosnia Human Rights Delegation for Young Leaders by Global Youth Connect.
For her field project, Judith studied the younger generations of those of Palestinian origin in Jordan. She investigated if the younger generations prefer to stay in their host country or if they would prefer to exercise their right to return.
Seung Hwan Yeo
Seung Hwan Yeo is a native of South Korea who is interested in studying how strategic weapons affect the security environment. After serving in the military, Seung Hwan graduated from Songang University with a BA in Mass Communication and Political Science. He then spent a year studying at the Keio University Center for Japanese Studies, where he was an assistant researcher. He has also interned at both the Educational Broadcasting System and the Daedong Law firm’s Department of International Law.
Seung worked with the Small Arms Network in South Asia for his field project. His study looked at the possibility for reducing the intensity of the Sri Lankan Conflict through a reduction/restraints on small arms and their availability.