Class: 2020
Jorge Soto
Jorge Soto is the chief technology officer and co-founder of Miroculus, a biotechnology company that seeks to democratize access to complex molecular tests for treatment and prevention of diseases. Jorge founded Miroculus with the vision of reducing the entry barrier in cost, development, complexity, and increasing access to genetic sequencing, synthetic biology, and genetic editing to help advance science and improve lives. Previously, he was Deputy Director General of Civic Innovation at the Coordination of National Digital Strategy of Mexico, where he led strategies and projects that promote citizen participation and innovation in the country through the use of technology. In particular, he was part of the team that developed…
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Mohammad āMusaā Mahmodi
Mohammad āMusaā Mahmodi is a human rights lawyer and defender based in Kabul, Afghanistan. He served as Executive Director of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission for ten years, providing strategic direction for programs and activities to monitor, protect, and promote human rights in a conflict-affected country. As part of his work, he focused on transitional justice, women rights, children rights, human rights education, and investigations of human rights violations and abuses by all parties to the conflict. Musa also advocated for reviews of laws and policies of Afghanistan to comply with the international human rights instruments. He previously worked with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, whereby he…
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Mauro Mondello
Mauro Mondello is a freelance reporter, war correspondent, and documentary filmmaker. Focusing on human rights and freedoms, his reporting strives to garner dignity and respect for all cultures and religions and to foster an open society that provides shelter for refugees and space for all humanity. He began his journalism career as a staff journalist in Italy and was based in South America between 2008 and 2011. He then moved to Tunis and reported on the Arab Spring uprisings in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Syria. From 2013 to 2019, he was based in Berlin, Germany. His reportages have appeared, among others, in The Guardian, Die Zeit, Newlines Magazine, Courrier…
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Katrin Hett
Katrin Hett is a Senior Political Affairs Officer in the Executive Office of the Secretary-General at the United Nations. She joined the UN in January 2010 in the Department of Political Affairs as Political Affairs Officer, first in the Europe Division and then in the Office of the Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs. She has also served in the Secretary-Generalās transition team from October to December 2016. Previously, Katrin worked as Regional Coordinator for the Western Balkans in Public Diplomacy at NATO HQ, Senior Democratisation and Public Administration Reform Advisor at OSCE in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was Deputy Project Manager for Conflict Management at GTZ in South Africa. Born in…
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Evan Mawarire
Evan Mawarire is a Zimbabwean clergyman who founded #ThisFlag Citizenās Movement to challenge corruption, injustice, and poverty in Zimbabwe. The movement empowers citizens to hold government to account. Through viral videos, the movement has organized multiple successful non-violent protests in response to unjust government policy. Evan was imprisoned in 2016, 2017, and 2019 for charges of treason, facing 80 years in prison. His message of inspiring positive social change and national pride has resonated with diverse groups of citizens and attracted international attention. Evan has addressed audiences around the world, and Foreign Policy magazine named him one of the 100 global thinkers of 2016. The Daily Maverick Newspaper of South…
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Ying Lun āAllenā FUNG
Ying Lun āAllenā FUNG isĀ Vice President, Business Development forĀ Aerospace Technology Group Hong Kong. Prior to this he served asĀ Political Assistant to Secretary for Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Before joining the government in 2014, Allen was a personal assistant to Mr. CY Leung from 2006 to 2012 and advised on his successful Chief Executive election campaign. Allen has extensive experience in politics and public administration in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. He is a member of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies and the All China Youth Federation, and Standing Committee Member of the Guangdong Youth Federation. He was Vice President (External)…
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Stephanie Busari
Stephanie Busari is Senior Editor for Africa at CNN Worldwide. She heads up CNN's Nigeria bureau where she pioneered CNN's first digital and multiplatform bureau. She also reports on-air for CNN International and led the network's 2019 Nigeria presidential election coverage. Stephanie oversees CNN Africa's digital editorial and operational strategy, crafting a new narrative for Africa and chronicling the continent's changemakers and innovators. In April 2016 Stephanie exclusively obtained the āproof of lifeā video that showed that the missing Chibok schoolgirls were still alive. This video kickstarted crucial negotiation talks with Boko Haram that led to the eventual release of more than 100 of the kidnapped schoolgirls. She was also…
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Hyppolite Ntigurirwa
Hyppolite Ntigurirwa is an artist, activist, and founder of Be the Peace, an organization focusing on the use of art to halt the intergenerational transmission of hate and to promote the power of cross-generational healing. A child survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Hyppolite continues to promote reconciliation and peace throughout Rwanda. In 2019, he envisioned and conducted the āBe the Peace Walk,ā a 100-day performance piece in which he walked across the country in commemoration of 25 years since the end of the genocide. Hyppolite was an international Artist in Residence with Arts Connect International in Boston in 2016. Since then he has worked as Arts Program…
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Edwan Ngum Tah
Edwan Ngum Tah is an attorney and civil litigation expert working in Cameroon. She is also the Executive Director of the Center for Public Interest Law, Cameroon and has partnered with the Center for Democracy and Development, West Africa to document cases of human rights violations by state and non-state actors in their fight against terrorism in the Lake Chad Basin. Throughout her career Edwan has fought for the rights of marginalized communities and juveniles, conceiving the Juvenile Detention Project which aims to secure the release of many young people awaiting trial in prisons and police cells. She also offers legal services on a pro bono basis to victims of…
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Ann Thomas
Ann Thomas is Senior Advisor, Sanitation and Hygiene at UNICEF. She is an environmental engineer with over two decades of development experience, within the UN system and aid organizations in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Her passion is driving strategic policy decisions in the WASH sector ā an often-overlooked investment-multiplier in emerging economies ā that translate directly to improved health and economic development outcomes. Ann has served as advisor to national governments across Africa and Asia, aligning national strategies for water and sanitation with global best practice, climate change considerations, and innovative financing opportunities. Annās work is motivated by front line experiences in disasters and cholera outbreaks, witnessing the disproportionate…
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