Welcome MINN Fellows cohort 22/23!
The MINN Fellowship program seeks to foster diverse viewpoints at the MINN Summit and within the Minnesota International NGO Network (MINN), provide professional enrichment, pursue networking opportunities, build long-lasting relationships between traditionally underrepresented communities and MINN, and elevate voices within MINN and the international development community in Minnesota. We are thrilled to welcome the 2022/2023 Fellows cohort!
Joy M Musyimi
Joy M Musyimi is a second-year master of Human Rights student at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs with a concentration in Conflict, International Security, and Migration, and she is also a graduate research assistant at the Dean's office. She is an international student from Kenya, with an undergraduate degree and a Post-graduate Diploma in Law. She practiced in Kenya for two and a half years and also worked as a documentary photographer for a few NGOs and IGOs before moving to Minnesota. In her two years of practice, she decided to move to non-profits, and documentary photography was her pathway to that. During the summer she interned for ACLU MN as a communications intern with a focus on immigrant rights and reproductive rights and she also interned for Alight (formerly known as American Refugee Committee) as a protection sector intern working with Refugees who were GBV survivors and unaccompanied minors. She is also an Institute of Non-profit practice summer fellow. Her research in her last year at the Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs is on The Racial Disparities in Refugee Treatment.
John Keller
John Keller is a current Master Student in Developmental Practice at the University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of Public Affairs. He has a background in journalism graduating with a BA in 2015 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and spending 2 years working for ESPN Radio in West Palm Beach. A career shift led him to his current occupation of development where he has over 7 years experience. His experience began teaching English in rural Ethiopia while serving with the Peace Corps for two years. After service he taught Global Perspectives in Kampala, Uganda. Then he moved back to America and worked as a recruiter for the Peace Corps in the Northern California area. Since relocation to Minneapolis for graduate school he has connected with the Oromo community to begin an NGO called Maati Koo ("my family" in Oromifa) which focuses on planting fruit trees on school compounds in Western Ethiopia.
Elvis Rivera
Elvis Rivera is a first-generation immigrant from Guatemala who is passionate about creating a just and equitable society, for all, and elevating the voice of underserved, underrepresented and marginalized communities through advocacy. He is specially focused on reducing the racial wealth gaps created through systemic imposed practices. Elvis is a finance professional and a community activist who considers himself a servant-leader. As part of his activism, he sits on several non-profit boards for organizations that work towards empowering and developing leadership within immigrant communities with the goal of creating greater social impact. He is looking forward to connecting with other like-minded individuals and developing relationships with folks working to effect change locally and internationally. On his spare time, Elvis can be found spending time with his two teenage children or outdoors on a bike ride or training for his next marathon.
Elizabeth Sager
Elizabeth Sager is a current Master of Public Health in Global Health student at St. Catherine University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in neuroscience from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Over the past several years, Elizabeth has worked in the mental health field in the Twin Cities and has collaborated on an interdisciplinary therapeutic development project. Through her studies, she has interned with an international NGO to complete her practicum experience in Accra, Ghana, in sexual and reproductive health rights and has worked as a graduate student research assistant assessing barriers to breast cancer screening among BIPOC populations in the Twin Cities metro area. Elizabeth is passionate about health equity and access to care and hopes to make meaningful differences, both locally and globally, as a MINN fellow.
Delgermaa Lkhasuren
Delgermaa Lkhasuren is a Candidate for Master's in Human Rights at the University of Minnesota under Humphrey School Merit Award. Her academic and career interests include conflict prevention/resolution, peace negotiation and safeguarding, justice and accountabilities during war, responding to human rights violations, preventing and responding to to war crimes and torture, protecting and expanding rights of women, children and persons with disabilities in conflict, SDGs and development. Delgermaa has 10 years of professional experience in project management, grant writing and human rights advocacy. In 2016, Delgermaa earned a Master of Public Policy degree from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota under Fulbright Scholarship. Her academic concentration was on Early Childhood Development and Economic Development. She strongly believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to build his and her happiness. Following words and their meaning drive her and her children everyday: "Be the best you" --inspired by many, articulated by Delgermaa
Cory Matkovich
Cory Matkovich (they/them) serves as Program Coordinator for the Center for Victims of Torture’s IDREAM project, which works to support capacity development for human rights defenders in exile. They are a queer, niizh manidoowag (two-spirit) human rights practitioner with Anishinaabe roots. A proud member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Cory hails from their ancestral lands of Bahweting (known as Sault Ste. Marie, MI), meaning ‘The Gathering Place.’ Cory holds a Bachelors in Global & International Studies: States, Security, & Transnational Governance and Professional & Applied Ethics from Western Michigan University, as well as professional diplomas in French language from the Université Catholique de Lyon and Forced Migration from the Refugee Studies Centre at the University of Oxford. They are working towards their Master of Human Rights in Conflict, International Security, and Diplomacy at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs and College of Liberal Arts.
Arshia Hussain
Arshia Hussain is a second year Master’s of Public Policy candidate at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. Her interest in public policy and community organizing started when she saw the lack of representation in all levels of government. Through her participation in academia, civic engagement, and development, Arshia works to make big changes in the communities that she is a part of. This means dismantling systems of oppression like patriarchy, sexism, and islamophobia. Inspired by personal and professional experiences, Arshia continued her work at Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee), working with the People & Engagement Team to promote borderless leadership. Upon graduation, Arshia aspires to work in wealth redistribution and give back to marginalized communities. When she is not working or studying, she enjoys spending time with her cat, family & friends, and traveling the world.
We look forward to learning from and connecting with this incredible cohort throughout the year!
Any questions about the MINN Fellowship should be directed to fellows@minnesotangos.org.
Special thank you to our Fellowship program sponsor, McKnight Foundation!