New beginnings: Four Miller Center Global Social Benefit Fellows awarded Fulbright scholarships

Keith Warner, OFM
April 20, 2018
Blog

I love April because many new exciting things begin!

We have begun teaching the new cohort of 18 Global Social Benefit Fellows! Fourteen of these will be working in Africa this summer, in Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia. We will be working with nine social enterprises, eight of them alumni graduating from the GSBI Accelerator in 2016 and 2017. Replication is a strong theme across the action research projects, with half of the projects testing and refining lessons for accelerating social impact in rural Africa. Half of the projects will evaluate and propose business model innovations with our social enterprise partners. Please come meet the new fellows at the Research With a Mission Open House and Expo on Wednesday, May 23, 2:30-4:30 pm, in Locatelli Center.

April brings news for our alumni fellows and the exciting next stage of their journeys! I am particularly proud of four of our Global Social Benefit Fellows (GSBF) who have received prestigious Fulbright awards to continue researching social entrepreneurship in the developing world!

Featured

Erika Francks ( GSBF Onergy 2016 ; SCU Valedictorian 2017 ) will investigate the socio-economic impact of solar micro-grids in Lesotho (South Africa). Her honors thesis, " The Future of Solar Microgrids in Sub-Saharan Africa: How social enterprises can accelerate the spread of renewable energy to off-grid communities ” laid the foundation for her Fulbright award, and has informed our solar microgrid playbook.

Erika Francks (GSBF Onergy 2016; SCU Valedictorian 2017) will investigate the socio-economic impact of solar micro-grids in Lesotho (South Africa). Her honors thesis, “The Future of Solar Microgrids in Sub-Saharan Africa: How social enterprises can accelerate the spread of renewable energy to off-grid communities” laid the foundation for her Fulbright award, and has informed our solar microgrid playbook.
Carson Whisler ( GSBF Onergy 2016 ) will investigate "Mitigating Energy Poverty in Island Nations with Pay-as-You-Go Solar Technology” in Indonesia. Carson worked for Mark Correnti in impact investing, and his honors thesis was titled " A Coordinated Approach to Investing in Clean Energy Access ” in which he critically evaluated the role of PAYGO technology on the goals of energy access.

Carson Whisler (GSBF Onergy 2016) will investigate “Mitigating Energy Poverty in Island Nations with Pay-as-You-Go Solar Technology” in Indonesia. Carson worked for Mark Correnti in impact investing, and his honors thesis was titled “A Coordinated Approach to Investing in Clean Energy Access” in which he critically evaluated the role of PAYGO technology on the goals of energy access.

Marisa Rudolph ( GSBF 2017 Farmerline ) will return to Ghana to pursue a research project titled: "How private agricultural extension fosters the public good in Ghana.” This grows out of her immersion in Ghanaian farming last year plus her life-long interest in women’s economic agency.

Marisa Rudolph (GSBF 2017 Farmerline) will return to Ghana to pursue a research project titled: “How private agricultural extension fosters the public good in Ghana.” This grows out of her immersion in Ghanaian farming last year plus her life-long interest in women’s economic agency.

Athena Nguyen ( GSBF 2017 Koe Koe Tech ) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Vietnam. She writes: "As a Fulbright ETA in Vietnam, where a significant portion of government spending goes to education, I hope to enable my students to use language not only to communicate, but also as a bridge to broaden their cultural understanding.”

Athena Nguyen (GSBF 2017 Koe Koe Tech) will serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Vietnam. She writes: “As a Fulbright ETA in Vietnam, where a significant portion of government spending goes to education, I hope to enable my students to use language not only to communicate, but also as a bridge to broaden their cultural understanding.”

Please join me in congratulating Ericka, Carson, Athena, and Marisa!

 

 

Our alumni fellows are building the social enterprise ecosystem

We are proud of our alumni fellows starting graduate studies

Unless stated otherwise, photo credits: Santa Clara University

Tags
Fulbright Scholar, GSBF
Keith Warner, OFM

Keith Douglass Warner, OFM, PhD directs Miller Center’s campus engagement activities, including social entrepreneurship education, fellowships, and research. He designed and oversees Miller Center’s campus engagement strategy. He directs the Miller Center Fellowship, which provides a comprehensive program of mentored, field-based study and research for Santa Clara University juniors within the Center’s worldwide network of social entrepreneurs.