The Social Innovation and Change Initiative is pleased to announce the members of the 2018 Cheng Fellow cohort. The Cheng Fellowship is a rigorous program that selects and supports students who are actively advancing social innovation projects while in school. The co-curricular experience works to bridge research, theory, and social change frameworks with experiential insights to guide students in leveraging themselves as leaders for social impact.
Cheng Fellows are committed to addressing specific social problems, working on diverse issues around the world, and advancing innovations in healthcare, agriculture, labor unions, waste management, and more. Read below to meet the Cheng Fellows joining SICI during the 2018-19 academic year.
Ashri Anurudran (Harvard College ‘19) runs a sexual violence prevention program in Kusumu, Kenya that empowers students with tools to fight immediate danger and challenge and change cultural norms.
Vikas Birhma (MPP ‘19) is working to support smallholder farmers in India to increase their livelihoods by connecting them to local markets.
Cassandra Devine (MPA ‘19) is working to strengthen the traditional union and rising alt-labor movements in the US through innovative revenue generation models.
Zeenith Ebrahim (MC-MPA ‘19) seeks to provide preventative healthcare solutions and home caregiving support to communities in South Africa.
Shapri Generette (MPA ‘19, joint with MIT Sloan) is the co-founder of Chord, the debt-free path from renting to owning not only a home but a diversified asset portfolio.
Hasani Hayden (Harvard College ‘19) seeks to contribute to the economic and social development of communities through a proposal for holistic real estate development efforts.
Chris Kuang (Harvard College ‘20) is the co-founder and Executive Director of Coding it Forward, a fellowship program for students with technical skills to create social impact through summer placements in US federal agencies.
Willow Latham (MPA ‘19, joint with Harvard GSD) seeks to help direct remittances towards local infrastructure investment to promote long-term community and economic development.
Meghan McCormick (MPA ‘19, joint with MIT Sloan) is the Co-Founder & CEO of OZÉ, a business insights engine which enables investment-readiness for small to medium enterprises in West Africa.
Wladimir Nikoluk (MPP ‘19) is the CEO of ImmerLearn, which seeks to improve the effectiveness of the public and social sector through advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence.
Genevieve Oni (MPA ‘19, joint with MIT Sloan) is the Co-Founder and CFO of MDaaS Global, which is building a network of private diagnostics and primary care facilities in Nigeria and eventually across the African continent.
Kennedy Opala (MPA-ID ‘19) is Co-founder and Product Lead of Akyakit, a health management decision support platform designed for healthcare managers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Manivannan Ponniah (MC-MPA ‘19) is working to empower citizens to engage with the local government to address garbage and waste management through the citizen group, CITA (citizens involved technology assisted).
Alondra Ramirez (Harvard College ‘19) seeks to convene existing organizations and resources to improve student outcomes by optimizing access to support services.
Bright Simons (MC-MPA ‘ 19) is building technology that tracks vaccine and uterotonics cold chain quality in real time and at item level in order to protect at-risk infants and pregnant women from post-partum bleeding and premature death.
Rosa Vazquez (Harvard College ‘20) is helping undocumented students in the US access resources to realize their full potential.
David Walfish (HKS ‘19) is the co-founder of Ho‘oulu Pacific, which seeks to improve nutrition, self-sufficiency, and holistic health in the Pacific Islands.