OLPCorps UCBerkeley Zambia/Team

Cal OLPC Team Biographies

International Team: Jessica Yueh, Jack Chi, Laura Keys
Local Team: Boas Fernando, Kwase Mohammed Abdallah, Antoine Ngeleka, Kikassa, Paul, & Peter

International Team

Project & Logistical Coordinator

Jessica Yueh
Hometown: New Jersey, U.S.
Education: UC Berkeley, Business Administration & Development Studies
Jessica is a senior at the University of California Berkeley, pursuing a dual-degree in Business Administration and Development Studies. At Cal, she has previously tutored elementary school students in local communities and managed campus-wide projects for the Cal Corps Public Service Center. Outside of Cal, she has experience working on both public and private sector projects in developing countries, having spent the past summer at an international project finance firm with projects in Nigeria. Jessica previously worked with FORGE from 2007-2008 as an intern with Meheba's microcredit lending program and with general organizational support. Jessica is particularly interested in leveraging public-private partnerships to meet resource gaps and drive growth in international development.

Technological Coordinator

Jack Chi

pondering

Hometown: Taipei, Taiwan
Education: BA Rice University
Jack Chi is an EECS research scholar at the University of California Berkeley experimentally examining existing security systems. Previously at Rice University Jack implemented a pictorial prescription web application that efficiently allowed Botswana Baylor clinic doctors to prescribe medication restrictions in picture format. Jack wants to connect global lives by increasing free access to collaborative and creative content. Jack believes in the mission of Open Source software and its power to build a vibrant cooperative community. "...every child is a miraculous marvel of the world, the impact on future generations is our shared legacy. The call to action is clear, the mission is simple- equality of access to opportunity must be globally achieved."

Let's see...I am currently excited about OLPCorps. Why? Good question! I guess it has to do with my passion for peaceful collaboration; which drove me to doing research, living in a student cooperative, cooking and sharing. I enjoy very simple things in life- quenching my thirst for knowledge, quenching my thirst after a long hike. just quenching in general. I am against self-righteous folks who are closed-minded. Mildly annoyed with jaywalkers, severely disturbed by inequality.
Future: Anyone wanna start a coop together? It will be roughly focused around organic farming, music, technology and natural living.
Likes: New Zealand Media:Fiordland_Vid_-_Darren_topping_out_on_Erebus.avi

Pedagogical Coordinator

Laura Keys
Hometown:
Education: UC Berkeley (current) & Washington University in St. Louis, BS Computer Science
Laura is a computer science PhD student at the University of California Berkeley. Laura recently worked with the non-profit group CaribbeanSEA in St. Lucia, monitoring the local water quality and running an educational camp for the local children. Laura believes that change comes through opening people's eyes through the spread of knowledge and access to information; change can best be effected from within communities, not from being forced by outsiders.

Local Team

Boas Fernando
Hometown: Angola
Education: Cavendish University Zambia, BA in NGO Management
Interested in: Project Management & Working with School Staff
I have experience and ideas on how to go about project management. I am good at planning and interpersonal relationships. I am a person of great interest in community change and development. I value success and goal attainment. I value relationship and have so far built this by learning languages. My language skills are great. I am able to speak most of the languages spoken in Zambia. Am quick to learn and adopt to any environment or situation. I can easily associate with people across cultures. I have great interest in research, education promotion and information distribution

Kwase Mohammed Abdallah
Hometown: Yei, Sudan
Education: Cavendish University Zambia, BA Economics.
Interested in: Project Management & Technology
I have experience of management and team work with communities' leaders as I have done it successfully under FORGE Meheba Refugees Settlement in my position as a Assistant Project Manager and Grassroot Soccer coaches' trainer. I'm 29 years old man, I always believe in hard work, consultation, brain storming and finding solutions to any human life challenges. My interest is to see my efforts translated into better living conditions for my community and the world at large, especially access to basic human needs and skills that enable people to have food, shelter, medical care, water, and education to mention but a few.

Antoine Ngeleka
Hometown: Katanga, Congo DR
University: Cavendish University Zambia, BS in Computing
Interested in: Technology
I am interested in Technology because it is part of my course but I am also interested in Project Management since I will be dealing with such projects in the future.

Other Team Members: Kikassa, Paul, & Peter