Introducing Indego Africa's Spring 2012 US Interns

Spring has officially arrived in New York, and with it, Indego's Spring 2012 US interns! This season's interns share a passion for Africa.  For many, this passion was ignited after spending time on the continent for work, study, travel, or a bit of all three. Each intern brings unique experiences and expertise to the Indego Africa team.

Brittany Barb (Graphic Design): After spending a semester living in Arusha, Tanzania, Brittany discovered a passion for African culture and social change. Brittany is an undergraduate studying Communications and Digital Media Art at Manhattan College. Propelled by her enthusiasm for East Africa and the arts, Brittany looks forward to working with the Indego Africa team and using her creativity to aid in their empowering mission.

Erin Covert (Legal): Erin is a J.D. candidate at Brooklyn Law School and a legal intern at Indego Africa. She is also Treasurer of the non-profit Brooklyn Public Interest Law Foundation, and a 2012 Brooklyn Law Students for the Public Interest Fellow. In 2011 Erin interned in Nairobi, Kenya at the United Nations Office of Staff Legal Assistance, which represents staff members in litigation before the United Nations Dispute and Appeals Tribunals. She is interested in administrative law, international trade, and how the nexus of governments, businesses and NGOs interact to spur economic development. She came to Indego to learn legal skills essential to running an international nonprofit, and to learn about taking advantage of market demands to empower businesses abroad in realistic and sustainable ways. Erin plans to continue her studies at Bucerius Law in Hamburg, Germany in the fall semester. Prior to law school, Erin worked in the office of a Member of Germany’s Federal Parliament (Bundestag) through the Internationales Parlaments-Stipendium. She has a B.A. in German from the University of Texas at Austin.

Elizabeth Fisher (Communications): Beth is a Masters in Public Administration candidate at NYU Wagner's Graduate School of Public Service.  Prior to starting with Indego Africa, Beth worked for the Clinton Foundation at the Economic Opportunity Initiative.  Beth moved to New York from Canada, where she grew up in Vancouver and received her BA from McGill University in Montreal. She is particularly interested in social enterprise in the developing world, and has worked for social enterprises in Africa and South East Asia.

Rose Spiegel (Sales and Marketing): Rose is an undergraduate student at NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study where her individualized concentration focuses on innovative trends within Social Enterprises. As a freshman, Rose was Assistant Director of Customer Service, Marketing, and Sales for Teri Jon, a multi-million dollar designer. Yet, despite her love of fashion, Rose craved a path of a greater good. That summer she volunteered for Agahozo Shalom, a youth village in Rwanda where she fell in  love with the country and found her passion of empowering the powerless. Back in NYU, she then heard a representative from Indego Africa speak at an impressive panel and heard her calling. She then reached out to Indego, and convinced them that she is capable of handling any task they would propose despite her age. Now, Rose funnels her previous extensive marketing and sales expertise in bringing both her and Indego Africa's mission come to life.

Robert Wintersteen (Operations): Robert is Indego Africa's "Jack of All Trades" intern.  In the fall of 2011, Rob  took a leave of absence from Columbia University to participate in Indego Africa's fall internship program in Rwanda.  Back in New York, he is working to complete his final semester and receive a B.A. in African Studies with a minor in Political Science. While in Rwanda with Indego Africa, Robert assisted the Country Director and the Rwanda Operations Manager with all of their respective responsibilities. In addition, Robert applied his logistics and operational systems expertise acquired from eight-and-a-half years of service in the U.S. Navy to help standardize and streamline Indego Africa's production, operations, and administrative processes. Immediately prior to joining Indego Africa, Robert completed a summer internship at a microfinance institution in Masaka, Uganda as well as a fall study-abroad program in Nairobi, Kenya.

Interested in interning with Indego Africa?  Visit our internship page for postings.

Stay tuned for the introduction of our Rwanda interns!