Since the Kroc School's founding, we have been proud to partner with our Rotary District 5340. This active relationship has included many District-wide events held at the Kroc School’s Peace & Justice Theatre, such as District Assemblies, co-sponsored Peace Forums, Rotary Model UN trainings and conferences, grants workshops, and special events like trainings and the Big West Rotaract Conference.
Perhaps the most consequential relationship between our Rotary District 5340 and the Kroc School of Peace Studies has been the financial partnership that supports one or more international students in our graduate degree programs every year since the Kroc School's founding. A total of 34 students from 21 developing countries have received funding as Rotary Scholars.
Let’s look at what we have recently learned about the careers and achievements of many Kroc School graduates over the past 20 years.
Beginning with 2002’s first cohort of Peace & Justice Studies students at USD's Kroc School of Peace Studies, Rotary District 5340 has helped to support one or more Rotary Scholars in each annual cohort. Of 34 Rotary Scholars to date, over 30 have completed their master’s degrees.
Here are brief profiles of some of the Kroc School Rotary scholars alumni, in chronological order.
Saba's dream was to return to Eritrea and found a Peace and Justice program at the (now defunct) University of Asmara. Upon graduating from the Kroc School’s first cohort (2003), Saba found that it was not safe for her to return to Eritrea. Instead, in 2018, she co-founded of the first independent media organization to broadcast news and information about Eritrea via satellite: ERISAT (Eritrean Satellite Television). For the past 31 years, Eritrea has been and is a country with no constitution, no elections, no Congress, and no independent media. Media plays a significant role in the democratization process.
A Fulbright Scholar, a Rotary Scholar, and a graduate of the second Kroc School cohort in 2004, Kioi first applied his Master's degree skills as a resident researcher for the Security and Information Center in Nairobi, Kenya, training and facilitating peacebuilding workshops in several Districts including one conflict-prone District bordering Ethiopia. He developed peace education materials for the government of Kenya. He trained police at the Kenya School of Government and trained peace and civil society organizations working in Somalia. He facilitated mediation and reconciliation programs in the most conflict-prone areas of Kenya.
Since 2012, Kioi has distinguished himself as an applied peace and security researcher for The International Peace Support Training Center in Nairobi. He conducts peacebuilding research projects in Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. He trains other peacebuilders in conflict analysis and prevention, theories of conflict, security sector reforms, governance for peace and security, elections and conflict, rule of law, conflict in Africa, and the Africa Peace and Security Architecture.
Kioi believes his core competency skills are writing, editing, peace and security research and training, especially in the area of East Africa. He has analyzed conflict, and of institutional legislative and policy implications for peace and security, including gender analysis.
A Fulbright and Rotary Scholar, Yohane graduated from Kroc School in 2004 and obtained a Master of Laws degree at the University of Dar es Salaam in 2006. Soon after he became private secretary to the Attorney General of Tanzania.
Yohane rose through various ranks in the Office of Tanzania’s Attorney General, where he served for nearly 20 years. As of February 2021, Yohane became the Principal Judge of the East African Court of Justice (EACJ), appointed by the Summit of EACJ Heads of State and Governments. He also still serves as a Judge of the High Court of Tanzania (since January 2019, named by the president of Tanzania). His portfolio includes hearing and determining various law cases (civil, criminal, land, probate, labor, corporate, matrimonial) and determining appeals, applications, and revisions arising from lower courts.
Before these appointments, Yohane served in Tanzania’s Civil and International Law Division, representing the Government in matters for and against the government. As the Acting Director of Contracts and Treaties, he provided legal advice on Government contracts and negotiations of International Treaties and other legal texts. He supervised over 20 State Attorneys and Law Officers and participated in negotiations and vetting of procurement and other bilateral or mutual contracts and agreements for the Government.
Yohane served with the Kriegler Commission, Kenya, as its Counsel – an international commission of inquiry established by the Government of Kenya to inquire into all aspects of the 2007 general elections, with particular emphasis on the presidential election.
A Fulbright Scholar and a Rotary Scholar, Tumaini was in the third Kroc School cohort to graduate (2005). Initially, he worked with the UN Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). In 2010 he began studies at the University of York in the UK; working remotely he completed a PhD in Politics and Human Rights in 2022. The focus of his work Is South Sudan. He expects to work in Sudan for some time.
Tumaini works with the UN Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) as a Human Rights Officer.
He collaborates with other UN Mission personnel to protect civilians, monitor and report on human rights violations, and works with humanitarian partners to create a protective environment for civilians. He documents patterns of abuse and human rights violations and supports building the capacity of the National Human Rights Commission and other human rights defenders and civil society organizations to protect human rights. He advocates with military and civil society organizations to establish mechanisms to protect civilians and supports the creation of a human rights protective environment through policy development and engagement.
A Rotary Scholar and the first student in the Women, Peace, and Security Program at Kroc School, Monica graduated in 2015. Soon after she began work as a Conflict Resolution Specialist for UN Women in Colombia.
Monica served as a Peace Advisor to the government in Colombia’s conflict-ridden cities of Bogota and Medellin. She developed and implemented a UN Peacebuilding program to protect women leaders, organizations, and their families who were at risk for protecting human rights. Monica contributed to the design and implementation of national public policies for women’s rights and gender equity, and public policy design for national peacebuilding in Colombia, an especially difficult challenge in such a highly polarized environment.
Currently, Monica works with the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Bogota as a Program Policy Officer. She develops national guidelines for WFP’s programs for gender equity, protection and accountability to affected populations, and national conflict resolution. She designs and implements social protection programs for women leaders and organizations; she designs and implements WFP programs to promote sustainable food systems for women, small-scale farmers, and vulnerable communities. She partners with the Colombian Government and coordinates WFP partnerships with other United Nations agencies.
A Rotary Scholar, Deka graduated from Kroc School in 2017. She began work as a peace and conflict consultant for CARE International in Somalia. Soon after she was offered a contract with the Ministry of Education in Somalia to become Director of National Curriculum Reform, funded by the African Development Bank.
Somalia has experienced extreme social, cultural, economic, and environmental disruptions for many years. Social cohesion is challenged in Somalia by intense clan loyalties. Unifying the country is complicated by the lack of physical infrastructure (roads, etc.), a common national language, or social norms.
Deka’s curriculum development team of five designed a holistic national curriculum for early childhood through grade 8, the first-ever curriculum to be implemented in all of Somalia’s public schools. They created textbooks and instruction manuals for teachers and trained teachers to teach this holistic curriculum to build social cohesion.
In 2021 Deka was offered a position with UNICEF’s Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa as a Peacebuilding Education Specialist. Her position is funded by the government of the Netherlands and covers 22 countries, all of which have conflicts and/or post-conflict reconstruction needs.
A Fulbright Scholar, Rotary Scholar, and graduate of Kroc School in 2019, Lumbika returned to Uganda to his position as Medical Officer, Rakai Health Sciences Program, Uganda Virus Research Institute.
In 2020, Dr. Lumbika was hired as Program Manager for the Uganda Cancer Institute, which is part of the United States National Cancer Institute Center for Global Health’s Global Health Network. He is primarily responsible for research development, clinical trials, and care.
Dr. Lumbika also serves as Program Manager for the Uganda Cancer Institute’s East African Adult Hematology-Oncology Fellowship Program. The Uganda Cancer Institute hosts East Africa’s only hematology-oncology training program.
Dr. Lumbika is in the process of completing his residency training in hematology-oncology and is currently conducting collaborative hematology-oncology clinical trials in Uganda, including research for the prevention and treatment of hematology and oncology cases in fragile areas of the country.
A Rotary Scholar, Makunduse graduated from Kroc School in 2020 and returned to Peru as Deputy Director of Research for Amazon Peace, an NGO she co-founded that is focused on women’s health in the Amazon Basin. She became Regional Coordinator for Save the Amazon, a Peruvian NGO focused on sustainable economic development of indigenous communities along the Amazon River.
A family physician, in 2022 Dr. Makunduse accepted the position of Assistant Professor of Global Health in the School of Public Health, University of Texas at Austin. She divides her time between her two Peru NGOs and teaching at the University.
She works closely with midwives and other maternal health workers and volunteers in Peruvian Amazon villages to address medical needs, including dental care, improving sanitation and hygiene, nutrition education, sustainable agriculture, and other humanitarian services.
Dr. Makunduse works with teams of dentists, dieticians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals, collaborating with Peruvian and international NGOs, local health ministries, and other health service providers. She teaches community members about prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.
Dr. Makunduse’s outreach impacts an estimated 2,000 people a year. The women’s groups and midwives she works with have organized a quarterly train-the-trainers event, and use follow-up phone consultations to enhance community medical knowledge.
A Rotary Scholar, Lee graduated from Kroc School in 2021 and began work as a consultant to the Iraq Organization for Women and Children. She researched and published an award-winning report on maternal and child health in refugee camps in Iraq.
She was offered a position with the Global Campaign for Education as a Project Manager, the Middle East and North Africa. She managed five education projects in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Turkey. She developed projects in Jordan and Qatar.
In 2023, Lee accepted a position with UNICEF in Cairo, Egypt as Senior Program Coordinator for Middle East and North Africa. She manages UNICEF’s initiatives for primary and secondary education, child protection, and social inclusion. She designs and implements education programs, curriculum development, teacher training, social inclusion projects, and health initiatives for vulnerable children in Egypt and 10 other countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. She works with government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations to coordinate efforts, develop policies, and advocate for children’s rights and well-being.
Lee's advocacy work impacts approximately 500,000 children annually, with her initiatives reaching vulnerable children in both urban and rural areas. Her efforts help to promote access to education, protect children from violence and exploitation, and support the social inclusion of marginalized communities.
A Rotary Scholar, Juan Carlos graduated from Kroc School in 2021. He returned to El Salvador to work as a Program Officer for Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution with Catholic Relief Services.
Juan Carlos leads peacebuilding initiatives in El Salvador, working with communities affected by gang violence and civil unrest. He implements programs that promote dialogue, reconciliation, and social cohesion. He collaborates with local leaders, government officials, and civil society organizations to address the root causes of violence and build sustainable peace.
Juan Carlos also conducts workshops and training sessions on conflict resolution, mediation, and trauma healing. He mentors youth leaders and supports initiatives that empower young people to become agents of change in their communities.
A Rotary Scholar, Aliaa graduated from Kroc School in 2022 and began work as a Program Manager for the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.
Aliaa manages projects focused on human rights, gender equality, and social justice. She advocates for the rights of marginalized groups, including women, refugees, and LGBTQ+ individuals. She conducts research, develops policy recommendations, and engages in public awareness campaigns to promote human rights and social inclusion.
Aliaa also provides legal assistance and support to victims of human rights violations. She works with local and international organizations to strengthen the protection and promotion of human rights in Egypt.
Aliaa's work impacts approximately 10,000 people annually, with her initiatives reaching vulnerable communities in both urban and rural areas. She helps to promote access to justice, protect human rights, and support the social inclusion of marginalized groups.
A Rotary Scholar, David graduated from Kroc School in 2022 and returned to Kenya to work as a Program Officer for the National Council of Churches of Kenya.
David leads peacebuilding and conflict resolution initiatives in Kenya, focusing on areas affected by ethnic and political violence. He implements programs that promote dialogue, reconciliation, and social cohesion. He collaborates with local leaders, government officials, and civil society organizations to address the root causes of violence and build sustainable peace.
David also conducts workshops and training sessions on conflict resolution, mediation, and trauma healing. He mentors youth leaders and supports initiatives that empower young people to become agents of change in their communities.
A Rotary Scholar, Maria graduated from Kroc School in 2023 and began work as a Program Officer for the International Organization for Migration.
Maria manages projects focused on migration, displacement, and human trafficking. She provides support to migrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons, helping them to access services, rebuild their lives, and integrate into host communities. She conducts research, develops policy recommendations, and engages in public awareness campaigns to promote the rights and well-being of migrants and displaced persons.
Maria's work impacts approximately 20,000 people annually, with her initiatives reaching vulnerable communities in both urban and rural areas. She helps to promote access to services, protect human rights, and support the social inclusion of migrants and displaced persons.
The Rotary Scholars of the University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies have made significant contributions to peacebuilding, human rights, and social justice around the world. Their work impacts thousands of individuals and communities, promoting sustainable peace, protecting human rights, and supporting the social inclusion of marginalized groups
If you are inspired by the stories of our Rotary Scholars and wish to make a difference, consider creating a named scholarship fund, or donate at the link below. Donations of all sizes are appreciated and directly fund student opportunities. For more information, please contact Cristina Hernandez at cahernandez@sandiego.edu or 619-260-4146.