Meet the 2020-21 Humphrey Fellows at Penn State
Ms. Mekdes Abera is the Dean of Students at St. Mary's University, Ethiopia. She is also a lecturer, researcher, and community advocate. Currently, She is a Ph.D. fellow in Educational Policy and Leadership. Ms. Mekdes has a Master of Arts Degree in Human Resource and Organizational Development and a BA in Educational Planning and Management (Great Distinction). Her research interest area is on international and comparative education, early childhood education, education policy, higher education administration, gender, indigenous knowledge, and multiculturalism. During her Humphrey Fellowship, she plans to enhance her leadership and professional affiliations, network with various organizations in the US, and give back to the American community. Mekdes is excited to meet new people, visit historical and natural sites, and experience new cultures.
Dr. Maria Luisa Rendon is an administrator at the National University of Honduras. She is responsible for strategic planning at the Department of Higher Education and for the national system. Dr. Rendon is also a lawyer, with an MBA in sustainable development obtained in Costa Rica and a Ph.D. in Public Policy at Monterrey Tech in Monterrey, Mexico. She has experience in the design and implementation of projects with international organizations. She is interested in best practices and models of online management of higher education, strategic planning, and international education. She is very excited to build her skills in writing academic papers in international education and its relation to global citizens with democratic values.
Mr. Lubosi Kikamba is Assistant Registrar, Quality and Risk Assurance at the National Institute of Public Administration, Zambia. He is responsible for quality assurance and risk management. He earned a Master of Arts in History, Bachelor of Arts with Education, and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Zambia. He is focused on quality assurance, risk management, strategic planning and leadership, and higher education administration. He hopes to learn about new trends and good practices in quality assurance and risk management in higher education, as well as establish networks that can enhance his professional career. Having taken an undergraduate course in the History of the USA as a student, Lubosi is excited to visit some historical sites in the USA and learn more about American culture.
Mr. Arnaud Freddy Koumba Koumba is an English teacher at Ecole Nationale de Commerce, Gabon. He teaches English for professional purposes with an emphasis on business and tech vocabulary. He holds a Maîtrise in Americanology at Omar Bongo University Gabon, a Licence in English Studies at Omar Bongo University, a TEFL certificate at the University of Stellenbosch South Africa, and a teaching Diploma at École Normale Superieure Gabon. He is interested in American English, business English, and foundations. He hopes to improve his English teaching practice, content-based building, personal development, and leadership skills. He is most excited about his professional affiliation in the US.
Dr. Marijan Mišić is the principal of Gimnazija “Svetozar Marković”, Serbia. He considers himself to participate in instructional leadership, so he serves as a general administrator, internal quality supervisor, as well as a teaching advisor. He has a Master's degree in Serbian language and literature, and a Ph.D. in Comparative literature (Serbian and American literature between two world wars). For his merits in the development of French bilingual education in Serbia, he was awarded the Knight Order of Academic Palms by the Ministry of National Education of the Republic of France in 2019. Here in the US, he will look at education policy in the US and education leadership. He hopes to have a chance to meet and work with school principals in the US and to learn as much as possible about American life and culture.
Dr. Zaw Myo Naing is an “education coordinator” at Monastic Education Development Group (MEDG), Myanmar. He is working as a resource person for improving the skill level of MEDG’s trainers in terms of lesson designing, content development, mentoring activities, and school improvement planning. He previously worked as a secondary school teacher and as a teacher educator of Universities of Education. He earned his Ph.D. from Yangon University of Education, Myanmar, and his MEd from Flinders University, Australia. He is also a youth ambassador of the Ship for Southeast Asian Japanese Youth Program. He is focused on teacher education, professional development, and educational leadership. He hopes to observe teaching and learning strategies for primary and early childhood education in the US. He is excited to do his professional affiliation in the field of primary education at one of his favorite universities.
Dr. May Zin Oo is a professor at the Department of Computer Engineering and Information Technology, Mandalay Technological University, Myanmar. She has her Bachelor's and Master's degrees specializing in IT and her Ph.D. is in wireless communication. Her responsibilities include teaching and supervising students, as well as doing research. Autonomy is a major topic in Myanmar, for the rights of academic freedom, curriculum development, international collaboration, and the development of higher education. She is eager to learn more about US higher education administration, university autonomy governance systems, internationalization, and improving her communication skills. She enjoys meeting people and sharing different cultures from the US and different countries. She is excited to work in one of her favorite universities for her professional affiliation.
Mr. Pir Qasim Shah is an Assistant Director at the Higher Education Commission Pakistan. He has a B.Commerce (Hons) with majors in Finance and a Masters in Management Sciences with Majors in Finance. He is interested in studying public policy, governance, and financial regulation with special emphasis on the Business Education Framework of the US. He hopes to enhance his leadership abilities. He also wants to learn more about the local culture here and share his own. During his professional affiliation, he intends to work with multilateral humanitarian organizations and work towards leaving a positive impact on people and the planet. Apart from work and study, he likes to hang out with his family.
Dr. Vladislav Slavov is an associate professor and a vice-dean at the Faculty of Automatics, Technical University of Sofia, Bulgaria. He is responsible for the science and research activities of the faculty university as well as the international and business relations. Dr. Slavov has a Ph.D. in Virtual Laboratories for Measurement of Electrical Quantities. In addition, he has a bachelor’s degree in Control Systems and a master’s degree in Measurement Systems. Furthermore, he has authored more than 45 papers published nationally and abroad. Dr. Slavov is interested in engineering education and the uses of artificial intelligence in higher education. During the Humphrey Fellowship program, he hopes to enhance his knowledge and skills on the applications of AI in higher education. Vlado is excited to meet new people and learn more about life in America.
Mr. Pamoussa Sawadogo is a Supervisor at Ecole nationale d'administration et de magistrature (ENAM) in Burkina Faso. He is the head of the student service department. His main responsibilities include ensuring that pedagogical activities are performed according to the prescribed objectives and organizing students' internships and student enrollment. He has a Master's degree in education after graduating in management and innovation. He is currently enrolled in a doctorate program in which he intends to analyze the evaluation practices in the professional training of civil servants in Burkina Faso. He is focused on adult education and professional training strategies. He hopes to learn more about training policies, learning sciences, and educational administration. He is excited to build a partnership between Ecole Nationale d'administration et de Magistrature (ENAM) and an American university.