Fellows

Brenda Hali has five years of experience in the for-profit and non-profit sectors. During these years she has had the opportunity to serve and work in marketing, sales, product development, internal communication, social projects management and the organization of international conferences and summits, all in different countries across Latin America. She earned a Bachelor´s Degree in Business Trades from the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico. Brenda Hali most recently worked as Chief Marketing Officer in the NGO AIESEC in Panama. With her team, she organized more than three hundred international volunteer and professional experiences, facilitating a network of one hundred youth leaders. She also created and replicated in Panamanian universities a forum called “Youth Competitiveness in a Multicultural Country” to create awareness about the social situation in the country. Through her experiences, Brenda Hali has developed strong multi-cultural teamwork, project management, volunteers management, facilitation, startups development consulting and mentoring skills. Brenda Hali feels ownership over the second big problem in Latin America: Education. She believes that good youth leadership and social entrepreneurship can make a difference in her region.

Host Organization: Meridian International Center

 Role at Host Organization: As a communications coordinator, Brenda Hali will recruit and place Fellows in fellowships. She will coordinate site visits, cultural and volunteer activities, and speaking engagements that will provide opportunities to apply skills. Uniquely positioned at the intersection of the public, private and diplomatic sectors, Meridian’s broad network will support Summit and Fellowship components.

Duaa Elfadil is a social entrepreneur, web designer and social media specialist with four years of experiences in web designing and social media management. Duaa is passionate about using technology innovations to solve chronic social problems. Her interest in youth empowerment inspired her to join YALI R LC East Africa where she expanded her network throughout the continent. Dua also later joined Shabab Gadir, a national leadership development program. Currently, Duaa is leading two startups project, acting as Founder and CEO of the social enterprise My Academic Platform (MAP), a professional development platform that compiles different professional development opportunities targeting Sudanese and African youth professionals. She is also the Founder and Web Solutions and Digital Marketing Manager at Zonilus Tech Solutions, which provides digital services for different sectors. Leading regional and national initiatives, Duaa co-founded and designed the website of Kush Sudan; the first Sudanese digital initiative that aims to reflect a positive image about Sudan. She is also leading A MORAN (The Great I AM), an initiative and movement around Africa founded by a `group of YALI RLC East Africa Alumni aiming to empower and transform African youth.

Host Org: MetroLab Network

Fellow role at MetroLab Network Duaa will serve as a Project Coordinator, working on content and exploratory research, supporting MetroLab’s Annual Summit, and assisting with website development.

Issam has three years of experience in the nonprofit sector and earned a Master’s of Science in Big Data & Knowledge Management from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. While working as the Community Engagement & Innovation Officer with UCAS Technology Incubator (UCASTI) in Gaza, he improved external engagement between UCASTI and the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He planned and executed three initiatives that targeted enrolled and graduated entrepreneurs, ICT graduates and companies, and girls & women respectively. Previously, Issam designed and implemented an incubation model which recruited over ninety startups, led them through an incubation pipeline of pre-design challenges, that resulted in nine successful startups. Before that, he was an IT Project Manager and led a broad range of web, mobile, machine learning, and data warehouse solutions. Issam utilizes highly attuned analytical skills to develop IT and business strategies and employs cutting-edge technologies to increase productivity. He has volunteered as speaker, mentor, and organizer for several technology initiatives like Google Developer Group and Facebook Developer Circle. He was also an organizer for the first Gazan education startup and AI/Big Data community driver. Issam enjoys focusing on the topics of business and social entrepreneurship, new technologies such AI, Blockchain and Big Data, and has a strong passion for youth empowerment.

Host Organization: Hatch

Role at Host Organization: Issam will support on all parts of the Hatch stack and will suggest ways to scale and improve the product. Issam’s role will be on designing APIs, data modeling, and developing infrastructure to collect and report data.

Karam Yaaqba is a senior software solution provider with 8 years of experience in developing cutting edge software for a leading healthcare provider in the United States. In 2014, Karam earned a scholarship to continue his study in the U.K., and he obtained his master’s degree in Robotics from the University of Birmingham – UK. He worked with STRANDS – a European Robotics project – during his thesis. In 2011, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Technology from the Arab American University – Palestine, graduating with honors. In 2011, Karam started working as a Software Developer with iConnect – a custom software solutions provider based in Chicago, IL, U.S. through their R&D branch in Ramallah, Palestine-. In 2015, he rejoined iConnect as a Senior software Developer, to help iConnect utilize AI/ML on their healthcare solutions. Karam’s year at the U.K. was a life changing point. During that year, Karam learned how to organize his time, how to set and achieve goals. Karam had his first experience in leading a group of people. In iConnect, he learned discipline, and he tightened his grasp on problem solving skills. Karam is interested in helping to microfinance small projects in order to empower small owners’ and their communities, he is also searching for a better understanding of human rights, because he lives in diverse country.

Host Organization: Microsoft

Role at Microsoft: At Microsoft, Karam will will support the Cloud Solution Architecture team to drive the deployment of Airband partner workloads into Azure and increase their consumption of the platform by providing deployment guidance, supporting development of the partners’ cloud adoption model, and providing appropriate recommendations to overcome blockers for Airband partners.

Lara has 7 years of experience in communications with a particular focus on nonprofit work, and earned a Master’s degree in Multimedia Communication from the University of Milan in Italy. She demonstrates strong skills of a Media Relations specialist. After obtaining her masters degree, she traveled to Cote d’Ivoire, where she was the Manager of a marketing company that specialized in events and advertising. Lara previously worked as External Relations Officer for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Abidjan. She was a Public Information Officer for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan where she started up the office in the Warrap State; prior to this she was the Media Relations Officer for the Spokesperson of the United Nations Mission in Sudan. She was immediately entrusted with important assignments during active hostilities in Cote d’Ivoire and Sudan, and her performance during several UN high signor visits was praised. She was also a Web and Communication Assistant for an Italian American nonprofit with a mission to provide educational programs primarily to the Italian immigrant community in New York. While working as Media Relations Officer for the Italian NGO COOPI, apart from being in charge of designing communications plans and Media Relations strategies, she was responsible for various country-specific and institutional communications and advocacy campaigns; specifically taking the lead for communication for the 2010 Haiti earthquake, by acting as a liaison to other international organizations. In addition to being a native Italian, she is fluent in English and French, and she is proficient in Spanish.

Host Organization: UN Foundation

Role at Host Organization: Lara will join United Nations Foundation in Washington DC. She will serve in the Media and Communication Department, where she will plan and execute digital diplomacy events with the diplomatic community, manage online campaigns, support in writing projects, press releases, outreach, translating and event planning and production.

Luigi has over five years of experience in the nonprofit sector in national and international environments. He earned a degree in Architecture from the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in Mexico, obtaining
Academic Excellence Honors and the CIESLAG Academic Merit Award. In 2016, Luigi worked with Ciclo Organico in Rio de Janeiro, where he developed visual content and consulted on sustainability, project development, and urban landscaping. As an Architectural Assistant at Groupe 3 Architectes in Morocco, Luigi developed strategies to implement sustainable policies on architectural and urban projects. Luigi collaborated with Dare Inc. in Rabat, where he expanded the Dare Build project for sustainable architecture and interior design, and imparted workshops on community development, social impact, and recycled collective art. At the Migrant Solidarity Group of Hungarian refugee camp in Bicske, Luigi provided humanitarian relief and capacitated refugees by conducting training sessions on sustainable development, leadership, and environmental awareness. In 2015, Luigi acted as a
visual content developer and graphic designer for LEAD India in New Delhi, successfully reshaping the public image of the organization by improving the quality and outreach of graphic, photo and video material. Luigi applied his leadership development skills during the planning and execution of National Training Sessions on integrating conservation and climate adaptation into urban and rural development in India. Prior to that, Luigi co-founded and led Proyecto ECO Ephemeral Architecture & Conceptual Art, a community movement to achieve social impact through context-based sustainable ephemeral architecture installations in marginalized areas in Northern Mexico. Through these experiences Luigi has refined his proficiency at designing and developing visual and media products, strengthened his project management skills, and reinforced his educational experience by conducting workshops and training sessions. Luigi has developed as an artist, volunteer and activist for over a decade and believes art is a channel to attain sustainability and originate positive impact on societies around the world. Luigi is passionate about urban development, social housing, community engagement through artistic development, environment and sustainability, and capacity building.

Host Organization: The Mission Preparatory School

Role at Host Organization: Luigi will partner with the Executive Director and School Director to support internal communications, such as notices and materials to provide families with logistical and educational information, and external communications, such as online and print materials to communicate with prospective families, current and prospective donors, and the broader public to share updates about the school and enrollment information, cultivate engagement, and connect people to the school’s mission and programs.

Moh has nine years of professional experience in marketing and communications departments, strategies, and business development for for-profit and nonprofit organizations. He earned both his BA in Business Administration and Diploma of Computer Information Systems at Bethlehem University. Previously, he worked as a Chief Marketing Officer at Sinokrot Global Group (SGG), Palestine’s largest diversified family business, which consists of 15 companies and 3,000 employees. He is a communications expert with extensive experience in enterprise development, corporate marketing strategies, standards, and communications – both locally and internationally. Prior to his work at SGG, Moh worked as a Marketing Manager for four years at Union Construction and Investment (UCI), a leading Palestinian real estate company. During his work at UCI, Moh developed business models to sell Palestinian lands to Palestinians in diaspora using cloud applications, in addition to managing marketing for MENA Geothermal, a renewable energy start-up. Moh is well-versed in the Palestinian economy and market, and hopes to contribute to its development and growth in the future. Moh has participated in the Middle East Web Design Award in 2009,and was ranked as the #1 Best Rich Internet Applications Designer in the Middle East and North Africa.

Host: Solstice

Fellow Role at Solstice:
Moh will be responsible for generating inbound marketing content, including social media posts, blog posts, infographics, newsletters, and videos. He will run all online advertising and email marketing campaigns, create marketing collateral, update the company website, and optimize pages for relevant keywords. He will also drive new marketing channels to increase revenue and generate sales leads, and will build innovative marketing strategies to engage Solstice target audiences.

Motassem Awaja is a qualified software engineer. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Al Azhar University of Gaza and holds a Master’s degree in Information Technology from the Islamic University of Gaza, for which he authored a thesis on Semantic Web and Ontology. He is a high-caliber expert, knowledgeable problem solver, and efficient developer experienced in the .NET framework. Moatassem is proud of his 3 years of condensed experience working in software engineering and programming roles with international and local organizations and companies in his home country, Palestine. From 2015 to 2018 he worked for UNRWA’s Gaza Field Office and its international technical partner, GGateway, on different programming systems. He gained valuable insights from his work across a range of systems that were designed to serve vulnerable populations in the regions, such as marginalized families, struggling school children, and war-affected communities. Motassem boasts an excellent track record of top-notch project management and delivery of results. Notably, he worked on projects related to qualification, programming, development of web/win Apps, and knowledge engineering endeavors using the semantic web and ontology technologies. People find Motassem as to be an outgoing and upbeat individual who comes across as driven, self-motivated, and eager to learn. He possesses excellent communication skills and is always seeking opportunities for personal and career growth with like-minded people.

Host Organization: boodleAI

Role at Host Organization: At boodleAI, Motassem will serve as the Web Front-End Engineer Fellow: implementing the web-based UI of boodleAI’s predictive analytics SaaS platform.