Meet one of our inaugural Princeton in Africa fellows, Catherine Blizzard, who is our Grants and Fundraising fellow in 2021-2022. Catherine graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in international and global studies with coursework focusing on global health and international development. As she begins her career, she hopes to continue working in fundraising and development for social enterprises and NGOs.
Over the past seven months as an El-Koony fundraising fellow, she has been navigating working across time zones with her team members – thanks to Zoom, Google Drive and Whatsapp, and learning more about conservation work in western Kenya.
Earlier this year, Catherine shared her experience on Princeton in Africa’s Instagram through a two-day Instagram takeover. Here is what she had to say about her work with the El-Koony Center.
Throughout my fellowship post, I have worked directly with my co-fellow, Haja Isatu Bah and here is a bit of information about us and its parent organization, the Mount Elgon Ecosystem Trust.
My work tasks change daily, and this week, some of my tasks include keeping track of new grant applications, writing a proposal for a conservation grant, and working to craft our fundraising and development strategy. One of the best parts of my fellowship is getting to work with a diverse team located across continents. Although I am working virtually from the US, I am able to connect with my team daily!
Outside of work, I am an avid long-distance runner and am learning how to improve my cooking skills while living in an apartment for the first time after college. Throughout my time with the El-Koony Center, I have become an expert on navigating zoom with variable wifi and have become friends with my colleagues. Although I am based remotely, my colleagues and I often chat about our weekends and about what is happening in our corners of the world.
