25 Years Strong: Honoring Our Legacy, Fueling Our Future | July 2025

Our recent 25th Anniversary Gala held in April was a commemorative celebration of Princeton in Africa’s legacy, bringing together over 250 supporters, alumni, Fellows, and partners to honor 25 years of service across the African continent. Please click here to view the photo gallery.

We were proud to recognize two remarkable leaders for their contributions to Africa: former U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, Meg Whitman, and Gbenga Oyebode, co-founder of the leading African law firm Aluko & Oyebode.

Thanks to the generosity of our community, we are thrilled to share that we exceeded our fundraising goal for the gala! To everyone who attended, contributed, or continues to champion our mission—thank you. Your support enables us to continue placing talented young leaders with organizations across Africa, strengthening communities, and building a more connected and collaborative future.

Together, we’re shaping the next 25 years of impact.

Reflections from the 2024-25 Cohort 

As we say goodbye to our 2024–25 Fellows, we are reflecting on the impact they’ve made across the continent and the growth they’ve experienced. Read about their journeys in the Fellows Flyers available here.

In this video recorded during the Fellows retreat in Zanzibar, Fellows Redeit, Eugenia, Saleef, Laura, Abigail, and Alex speak on the importance of African leadership in development, the strength of co-Fellow bonds, and the need to grow Princeton in Africa’s presence. Their insights show how the PiAf fellowship is shaping inclusive, community-driven leadership across the continent. 

We’re proud of what this cohort has accomplished during their fellowships, and we’re deeply grateful to you, our donors and partners, for making their journeys possible.

✨ Alumni Spotlight: Hannah Greene

Meet Hannah Greene, a 2023-24 PiAf Fellow who worked with LONO, an agricultural engineering startup in Côte d’Ivoire. When Hannah Greene joined Princeton in Africa, she was seeking an international program that understood the complexities of ethical engagement and actively worked to ensure Fellows were not taking up space where local expertise should lead. “That was one of the reasons I chose PiAf,” she shared. “PiAf had a meaningful answer to the question of how Fellows can support, without displacing local leadership.”

As a Fellow with LONO, Hannah quickly immersed herself in a fast-paced and innovative work environment. From grant writing to business development to monitoring & evaluation, she gained firsthand experience across sectors, all while building her French fluency and sharpening her fieldwork and analysis skills.

Hannah was recently accepted into the Master of Health Science program in Environmental Health at Johns Hopkins University, which she will begin this fall. “The fieldwork and analysis skills I learned from immersion in a local startup during my PiAf fellowship have equipped me well for this program,” she said.

Hannah’s experience during her fellowship solidified her commitment to environmental health, most notably a serious accident she suffered mid-year that required her to relearn how to walk. “That experience gave me visceral empathy for those living without access to care,” she reflected.

Hannah is excited to pair her on-the-ground experience with formal training in public health and climate science. “I’m eager to learn structured approaches that build beyond the DIY approach that startups demanded,” she wrote to the PiAf team. Her long-term goal is to work in climate and environmental health strategy consulting, a field where the lessons from her PiAf fellowship will continue to have a lasting impact.

We’re proud to see Hannah carrying forward the values of Princeton in Africa and making a lasting impact in the field of environmental health.

Introducing the 2025–26 Fellowship Class

We’re thrilled to introduce our 2025–26 Fellows! Over the next year, this cohort of 19 passionate and committed young leaders, including 3 Nexus Fellows, will be working across 9 different African countries, engaging in impactful and collaborative partnerships with 14 unique host organizations.

Together, they represent 5 nationalities and hail from 16 different colleges and universities around the globe. 

We look forward to following their journeys as they begin their fellowships and share updates on the meaningful impact they’ll be making. 

To learn more about each Fellow, please click here, and to learn more about our current host organizations, click here.

We’re excited to announce some recent staff changes at Princeton in Africa!

Please join us in congratulating Stephanie Leroy, who has been promoted to Deputy Director. Stephanie has been an integral part of the PiAf team for the past 14 years, and her deep institutional knowledge, unwavering commitment to our Fellows and partners, and thoughtful leadership continue to be a tremendous asset to our organization.

We are also delighted to announce that Emma Claire Jones has been promoted to Fellowships & Operations Director. Since joining PiAf, Emma Claire has demonstrated continued excellence and dedication to our programs and operations. We’re excited to see her step into this new leadership role.

Lastly, we warmly welcome Thokozile Changufu, our new Outreach and Development Coordinator. Thoko brings creativity, strategic insight, and a passion for storytelling that will help us strengthen our community and grow our impact. 

Congratulations, Stephanie, Emma Claire, and Thoko! These staff members’ everyday work plays a key role in advancing Princeton in Africa’s mission and impact.