Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Alba Giol is from Catalonia. She studied Social Work at the University of Girona. She did her final project about how this profession can contribute to fighting the climate crisis, according to how it affects vulnerable groups. That research helped her focus her professional training on sustainable development. That is how she decide to study for a Master’s degree in Environment, Sustainability and SDGs, which is focused on the UN 2030 Agenda and brings a whole view of sustainability on its three edges. Right now, Alba is doing her Master’s internship with UN Etxea, participating in some projects about environmental education, the climate crisis, and human rights. She has a particular interest in the relationship between the climate crisis, social exclusion, and inequalities. She had not particularly studied the link between these sectors in the university degree and she feels that nowadays it has become part of the base of social change. She also shares the idea that we are now facing a very complex problem, which means we need multidisciplinary solutions. This will lead everyone to be involved and contribute as much as we can, working together as a society and empowering community work, to ensure a better future for the next generations and even for ourselves.

Alisson Figueroa has worked in community social development with NGOs and private companies for over 10 years. Nicaragua is going through different social, economic, and environmental challenges and as a game changer, she feels the responsibility to make a positive contribution. That is why she is interested in being part of the Virtual Leadership Institute because she knows with this program she will have all the necessary tools for her professional development and to be able to implement her inclusive recycling proposal. Through this program, she will be able to find a community network in which she can maintain her development focus and involve local corporations to be part of the change as well. The result of her proposal is that families have a second source of income and that it can be a model for other communities in the country.

​Divya Chhabra is an AIF Fellow working with SAFA India, based in Hyderabad, Telangana. She is focused on developing local employment opportunities by incubating micro-entrepreneurs and creating an ecosystem for micro startups. She holds an integrated degree in BCom LLB from Tamil Nadu National Law University, Tiruchirappalli. During her academic pursuits, Divya gained valuable experience interning with various organizations, including the People’s Union of Civil Liberties in Jaipur, Majlis Legal Centre in Mumbai, and Jagori Rural Charitable Trust in Dharamshala. Through these internships, she gained knowledge about litigation and violence investigation while developing her passion for the development sector. Divya believes in effective communication with communities to understand their needs and bring positive change. She is determined to use her Fellowship as a stepping stone toward starting her own social enterprise or NGO. When she is not working, Divya enjoys reading and traveling.

Estefania Ortuño has a degree in Business Administration from Universidad Catolica Boliviana in La Paz and graduated with a Master of Social Innovation and Solidarity Economy at the University of Salamanca, her origin and values ​​prompted her to work for a sustainable world. In her ten years of professional experience, she sought to be part of institutions with a purpose aligned with her values. She currently works at BancoSol as Sustainably Senior leading the development and creation of the non-financial offer and supporting the evolutionary process towards the sustainability strategy with inclusion. Although support for vulnerable sectors was always one of her main focuses, without a doubt one of the most challenging labor was the one she faced at Banco Unión, where she began as National Head of CSR and was promoted to Management General Coordinator, supporting the coordination of the payment of bonds at the national level during the pandemic. In her extensive years of experience, she developed adaptability and international standards for the development of strategies in the generation of shared value and sustainability, all these skills were first started when she began his professional career in the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers in the area of ​Sustainable Business Solutions and other projects, which gave her the opportunity to get to know different industries and companies. She has also volunteered from a young age at institutions such as Rotary, and Global Shapers Hub La Paz, becoming a curator at this last one.

Felix Rugama is an agronomist with more than ten years of experience working on topics related to agriculture, climate change, food security, gender, community organization, and empowerment. Lately, he is working at a nonprofit organization as a Project Manager, ensuring that girls and boys have access to basic services and that women and men have the same opportunities to achieve their social development goals. He has specialized studies in fields related to disaster risk management, climate change, child protection, gender, evaluation and monitoring, and girls and women empowerment. Felix is passionate about topics related to leadership, believing that we all can be leaders in any field and we all can contribute to making this world better and leaving a better future for the next generations.

Gabriela Navarro is a Biotechnologist currently studying for a Master’s degree in Biodiversity. She has been working as a teacher at GoStudent Academy since 2020. She is passionate about the environment and social work, so she participated in two different volunteering programs in Poland and Italy in 2020 and 2021. She is interested in working with the local community to pursue a society that is more sustainable, respectful of the environment, and seeks equality to improve the quality of life for people.

Ivonne Casas has more than five years of experience in the financial area, project management, and research in public and private institutions. She has a degree in Business Administration from the Higher University of San Andrés and also studied Public Accounting at the Salesian University of Bolivia. Ivonne has a Master’s degree in Management and Public Policies from the School of Production and Competitiveness at Catholic University Bolivian San Pablo. She completed diplomas related to Sustainable Development, Projects, Gender Equality, Human Rights, Climate Change, and Big Data, among others in Bolivia, Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, and the Philippines. She currently works as a Strategic Management Professional at the Bolivian Institute for Standardization and Quality and is a Researcher at the Climate Change Research Center of the Grothendieck Foundation. She’s an activist at several organizations at the national and international level where sustainable development and human rights are promoted. She holds coordination and leadership positions and was appointed Local Ambassador by the Global Institute for Youth Development of the Philippines, managing to obtain a lot of recognition for her work. She was selected as a young leader by the United Nations Generative Dialogue for Positive Peace program in Bolivia. She’s currently working at the “Network for Monitoring and Defense of Environmental Rights and Rights of Indigenous and Afro-Bolivian Peoples,” which is supported by the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Bolivia and civil society organizations. She is also the Coordinator of a Working Group for the development of an international standard for students at the International Standards Institute of Next Generation.

Megan McKinley hails from Ohio, United States of America, and has been living internationally since 2013. For her Undergraduate studies, she attended Long Island University’s Global College where her education took her out of the classroom and into the field of ten countries across five continents. Additionally, she holds a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification through the world-leading Project Management Institute. Megan believes that the best education is through experience and thus has made it her mission to work in organizations which break down barriers and provide alternative education opportunities to marginalized communities. Professionally, she has worked at Global Leadership Adventures, Guild Education, and is currently serving as a Banyan Impact Fellow in Chennai, India where she partners with Playquity, an early-phase NGO which focuses on providing gender equity programming in rural areas. Throughout her professional career, Megan has worked as a Program Manager, Education Coach, Advisor, and Project Lead. Through these experiences, she has realized she works best in diverse environments where she has the opportunity to collaborate with others and contribute her adaptability and organization. Megan is a firm believer that through daily choices, individuals hold the power to change the world.

Nabhas Raj comes from a small town in Kannur district of Kerala, India. He pursued his undergraduate education at Amrita University. He graduated in Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 2017, and later pursued a post-graduate degree in Development Policy and Practice. Irrespective of pursuing engineering, Nabhas always aspired to be a part of the development sector in India. After his graduation, he joined Goonj Fellowship where he served the organization’s Kolkata chapter. At Goonj, he worked on various campaigns on livelihood, education, and menstrual hygiene. During his post-graduation, Nabhas also worked on internships and field projects, touching upon areas such as youth and employment, health, environmental conservation, etc. In his personal space, Nabhas enjoys reading non-fiction, watching cinema, playing football, etc. Currently, he is a Banyan Impact Fellow with the American India Foundation, and is working with Jagori Rural Charitable Trust in Himachal Pradesh on issues of sustainable farming, sustainable development, gender and climate resistance.

Rocío Corrales is a social entrepreneur and communication lover who lives in Bolivia. She graduated with honors in Social Communication from the Universidad Mayor de San Simón and has three years of experience in journalism, marketing, and strategic communication. She is currently an investigative journalist at the digital media outlet MUY WASO, whose work consists of researching and writing about human rights, gender, and indigenous peoples. In parallel, in 2020 she founded the communication and marketing agency “CREACTIVAS.” During 2021, Rocío worked in the communication area of ​​the organization PROMOCIÓN INTEGRAL DE LA MUJER Y LA INFANCIA, managing more than five social and communication projects with women and children in situations of violence, increasing digital positioning, and social impact. In 2020 she was director of communication and marketing within the organization MUJERES TICS. In 2019 she worked as a journalist on social issues in the local newspaper LOS TIEMPOS.

Romina (Romi) Vasquez works with and for people with disabilities, which is her greatest passion. She is the founder and CEO of Friends x Inclusion, a social enterprise of people with and without disabilities that focuses on visibility, awareness, social skills training and creating spaces for leadership and empowerment among youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is co-founder of “SOY COMO TÚ! Agentes por la Inclusion”, an awareness program for people with disabilities to improve educational inclusion and community empowerment. She is also the co-founder of “Includanza,” a program to promote inclusion through performing arts, and “La Tiendita Inclusiva,” an economic empowerment platform that promotes job placement through entrepreneurship. Through these projects, Romina provides support, dissemination, promotion, accompaniment and space to entrepreneurs with disabilities, in addition to raising awareness in society through disability-themed products. On top of that, she is a founding member of the “Be Your Hero” project, the first camp for people with disabilities in Bolivia, and the President of the Network of Young Entrepreneurs of La Paz, Bolivia. She is proficient in Bolivian sign language and the Braille system. In total, she has worked with people with disabilities for almost 9 years in different organizations, programs and projects as a volunteer in different countries such as Mexico and the United States.

Samhita Vadapalli is serving as an American India Foundation (AIF) Fellow with Satya Special School, in Puducherry. She is a Biotechnology and Genomics graduate and has completed both a Bachelor of Science, and a Master of Business and Science in Biotechnology from Rutgers University, New Jersey. Her previous work experience has included bioinformatics research, genetic experimentation, and data analysis, where she worked on a wide range of research projects focusing on the karyotyping of embryos, drug target development, and molecular docking simulations. In addition to this, she has served as a tutor with the Petey Greene Program and worked with incarcerated students to help them fulfill their educational goals in New Jersey’s correctional facilities throughout her undergraduate studies. Her area of interest lies in the utilization of data mining and informatics within the public health and developmental sectors for the establishment of improved healthcare interventions and management practices. She firmly believes that scientific innovation must be accompanied by inclusivity and accessibility in order to develop long-term and sustainable solutions to some of the most pressing issues in our world today. Her goal for her career is to partake in the building of healthier societies through innovative biological research and grassroots work.