Communications Interns

We are pleased to have a team of enthusiastic volunteers, starting in October 2013, many of whom are students based in Cambridge, to support our communications and outreach. While they each have individual themes they have chosen to represent, they will all collaborate in the areas of publicity, social media, and journalism for the Humanitarian Centre as a whole. From a variety of backgrounds, we look forward to seeing the products of their cumulative efforts!

Jess Martin

Jessica is currently in her final year reading geography at the University of Cambridge and recently undertook her dissertation research in Western Kenya looking at the occupational and educational aspirations of secondary school leavers. She has also spent the last two years working for the UK charity and East African NGO Education Partnerships Africa; their aim is to improve the quality of education in rural secondary schools in Kenya and Uganda.

Oliver Knight

Oliver works full time in London as a Supporter Services Assistant at international development charity, CAFOD. He gained an MSc in Food and Water Security at Aberystwyth University, writing his thesis on the potential use of natural plant alkaloids as food preservatives and stabilisers. He enjoys travelling and has a particular love for Kenya, having schooled there for two years. This year, Oliver will be focusing on Food Security in line with our ‘Global Food Futures’ theme.

Pippa Smith

Pippa is a third year Historian at Newnham College. She is Education Director of the Cambridge Development Initiative, a student society designing volunteering projects in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She also coordinates The Series, a programme of weekly talks on ethical issues, for Cambridge Hub. She is interested in human rights, the role of education in the developing world and technological innovations. She will be writing on the latter and ‘What Works?’ for the Humanitarian Centre, including coverage of the Cambridge International Development Conference.

Zoe Liu

Zoe Liu is a Communications Intern working on human rights. She is in her second year of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at Clare College, Cambridge, and an editor for the Wilberforce Society’s 2014 Conference Papers. She first became interested in human rights during a visit to the UN in New York, and furthermore through involvement with Amnesty International. Away from her studies she plays the piano and sings in the shower, and sometimes likes to flit about town with a camera from the seventies.

Fiona Latham

Fiona is currently studying for an MPhil in Modern European History at King’s College, Cambridge. With a keen interest in the history of health, her undergraduate dissertation was on civilian health during World War I. Fiona will be covering the topic of ‘Global Health’ for the Humanitarian Centre this year. She has previously volunteered for cancer charity Tenovus and run the Race for Life for Cancer Research UK, but is keen to put a wider perspective to her interests in the coming year.

Outside of studying, Fiona likes to get involved in as many things as possible, including filling the role of Vice Captain of the university lacrosse team, organising the King’s Affair June Event, Cambridge RAG, and writing for the Varsity student newspaper; she then uses her remaining time to take part in whatever college sports there are left!

Lizzie Mahoney

Lizzie is a second year student at Homerton College studying English. This year she’ll be focusing on Human Rights, as she’s really passionate about freedom, fairness and justice for individuals around the world. Lizzie is particularly interested in the intersection between social inequality and international development, particularly in terms of gender, race and sexuality, and she’s looking forward to covering these issues in her writing this year.

Feng Rao

Feng is doing a PhD in Biochemistry. He is hoping to bring his technical expertise as he tackles global health issues. He is also hoping to further his communication skills through the year. In his spare time, he rows and coxes for his college, Trinity Hall.

Kirsty Brain

Kirsty is a final year PhD student at the University of Cambridge and a member of St Catharine’s college. Her research focuses on heart disease and the mechanisms by which it develops. This year she will be covering both “Global Health” and “What Works?” topics as an intern for the Humanitarian centre.

Abi Calver

Abi is a Politics and International Relations finalist at Downing College, currently writing her dissertation on the politics of food security in a climate conscious world. With her keen interest on this issue, she will be working on Global Food Futures – the Humanitarian Centre’s current focus. When she’s not studying, Abi can be found on the netball court captaining her college and representing the University, or volunteering for SOS Children’s Villages with whom she interned in the summer of 2013.

Mollie Shomali

Mollie Shomali is a second year Social Anthropology student at St Catharine’s College. Her interest in human rights is particularly rooted in the issue of gender inequality. Her previous charity work has mainly been focused around environmental issues but she is looking forward to exploring issues of human rights and international development.

Letty Key

Letty graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2012, and is working in Anglia Ruskin Students’ Union as a Volunteer Coordinator, where she works on getting students interested in volunteering in the community and finding placements for them to do so. In the communications internship she is concentrating on the theme of ‘What Works’ as she is particularly interested in how we go about about discovering what is most worthwhile to be focussing on.