Category: Alumni Stories
Sarai Hernández ALP ‘23 Seeks and Creates Opportunities in Scientific Innovation and Bioentrepreneurship
Sarai Hernández, a 2023 Aspire Leaders Program alumna from El Salvador, discovered her passion agrobiotechnology engineering, bioinformatics, synthetic biology, and as a science communicator.
Baran Örnek ALP ‘22 Pursues Passions in Environmentalism and Climate Activism
Baran Örnek, 2022 Aspire Leaders Program alumnus and university student from Turkey, leads youth-led climate activism and hopes to continue a career in environmentalism.
Bryan Zapata, ALP ‘22, Works to Connect Communities and Bring Together a Divided World
Aspire Leaders Program alumnus Bryan Zapata shares his journey from a humble upbringing to becoming a global change-maker.
Linda Fraga ALP ‘20 Draws on Creativity in her Journey to Leave a Legacy of Positive Impact
Linda Fraga, an Aspire alumna from Brazil, utilizes her creative skills to carve out her own space in the professional world and social impact sphere.
Josiah Muriuki ALP ‘23 Drives Change Through Mentorship and Gives Back to His Community in Kenya
Determined to build a better life, Josiah Muriuki pursued higher education and founded BetterMentor Africa, a mentorship initiative for youth across Africa.
Pelin Çılgın ALP ‘22 Seeks Opportunities to Pursue Passions in Film
Pelin Çılgın’s passion for language and film drives them to continuously seek out opportunities to achieve their dreams.
Rohit Kushwaha ALP ’23 Transforms Lives of Youth With Disabilities in India
Aspire Leaders Program alumnus and Community Action Award winner creates a school to develop vocational skills in disabled youth in Ghaziabad, India.
Michelle Nagawa ALP ‘22 Inspires Change as a Ugandan Social Impact Leader, Mentor, Writer, and Mother
Michelle Nagawa completed the Aspire Leaders Program in 2023 and receiving funding to pursue a transformative project in the Katanga slum area of Uganda. She continues to balance her roles as a social entrepreneur, mentor, writer, geospatial analyst, and mother.
Edith Lozano Perez ALP ‘22 Finds her “Seat At the Table” by Exploring Opportunities and Overcoming Doubts
Aspire alumna gained a sense of belonging in her field after guidance from expert Boston bioengineers as part of her iGEM Design League contest grand prize.
Florencio Vente ALP ‘21 Advocates for Youth and Minorities Across Borders
Florencio Vente, originally from Colombia but living in Brazil, began advocacy work at a young age. Today, he continues to advocate for youth voices to impact change.
Godwin Obi ALP ‘22’s Global Leadership Journey from Nigeria to Princeton University
Aspire alumnus, Godwin Obi, shares his leadership journey from Nigeria to studying at Princeton University.
Tanzeel Rashid ALP ‘22 from Bangladesh Believes Young People Should Drive Societal Change
Tanzeel Rashid — with his passion for social impact and his organization, Ogrograhi — empowers young people in Bangladesh to drive societal change.
Isabela Sanchez Taipe ALP’22 from Peru Carries Her Family’s Dreams as a First-Generation College Student
An ALP '22 alumna, Isabela Sanchez Taipe overcame barriers in Peru and now carries the dreams of her family as a first-generation college student.
Alumni Spotlight: Barsha Tamang and Anisha Prajapati ALP ‘22 Establish Support Systems for First-Generation Youth in Nepal
Aspire alumni work to address the hardships faced by first-generation youth, young girls, and students striving to learn English in Nepal through their nonprofit organization, Lokopakar.
Alumni Spotlight: Andrew Marvin Kanyike ALP ‘22 Tackles Community Health Problems in Uganda
A Community Action Award winner aims to make great strides in Ugandan healthcare. Through his community health plan for early hypertension detection and treatment, he hopes people seek care sooner and put less stress on the healthcare system.
Alumni Spotlight: Alumni Spotlight: Alejandro Ortiz ALP ‘22 Forges Beyond Adversity
The challenges that Alejandro Ortiz and his loved ones have endured in Bogotá, Colombia influenced his work in fighting gender violence towards women.
Alumni Spotlight: Ally Li ALP ‘22 Seizes Opportunities as a First-Generation College Student
Ally Li is a Business Administration and Management student at Boston University's Questrom School of Business. In a meeting with Aspire Institute's Team, she described how her background and experiences as the daughter of Chinese immigrants and a first-in-family college student have driven her to pursue valuable opportunities.
Aspire Institute Establishes a Presence in São Paulo, Brazil
Aspire Institute officially launched a Foundry in Brazil on April 3, 2023 in partnership with Insper. During the month of April we hosted multiple alumni events and information sessions.
Alumni Spotlight: Akbar Kurniawan ALP ‘22 Expands His Worldview and Seeks to Reduce Inequalities in Indonesia
Kurniawan, a recent college graduate and 2022 Aspire Community Action Award (CAA) winner, seeks opportunities for global exposure and community impact. His initiative, The Mula Sasmita Project, provides sign language training to the entire community to support the Deaf community.
Alumni Spotlight: Diana Citlali Avila Padilla ALP ‘22 Paves The Way for Women in STEAM
Diana Avila, alumna from Mexico, already co-founded a nonprofit and now won a Community Action Award for her initiative, SisterSTEAM. She aims to provide a community for women in STEAM to support each other’s goals and wellbeing through this initiative.
Malawi Alumni Organize Event With Harvard Surgeon
Aspire Leaders Program alumni and current participants joined Dr. Kiran Agarwal-Harding, co-founder of Harvard Global Orthopedics Collaborative and SONA Global, in Malawi this month to meet, network, and think about the challenges and opportunities when starting community initiatives.
Hein Oo ALP ‘22, Refugee from Myanmar, Found a Community at Aspire
Hein Oo fled Myanmar in 2021 and settled in the U.S. As he works to find community here, he continues to support his home community and the planet as a young leader and environmental advocate.
2022 Community Action Awards: Alumni-Led Social Impact
18 Aspire Leaders Program alumni pitched their social impact projects to a panel of entrepreneurs. Ten projects across nine countries will receive this award of up to $10,000 and begin their social impact journey. Projects solve problems from preserving post-harvest crops to providing awareness and greater service to those with disabilities.
India Alumni Field Day: Community Building Across Generations of Leaders
30 Aspire Leaders Program alumn gathered in New Delhi for the first ever India Field Day on January 24. Alumni and professionals from across generations came together as a community to share their ideas, experiences, opinions, and advice. Aspire Country Affiliate, Anil Nair, organized this exciting community-building event.
