Meet Our Summer 2010 Interns

Alexis Strader, Research 
Alexis Strader is originally from Greensboro, NC and received a BA in Romance Languages in 2005 from UNC-Chapel Hill.  After graduation she worked in France and Spain and speaks French fluently and is proficient in Spanish. A passion for development and women’s rights inspired Alexis to return to school in 2009. She is currently pursuing a dual masters degree in Business Administration and International Development at American University, with an expected graduation date of May, 2012. She hopes that upon completion of her graduate work she will be able to use her business expertise to help empower women in developing nations.

Antonia Bernhardt, Communications
Oona recently completed her first year at Johns Hopkins University, where she is majoring in Public Health. Prior to PAI, she interned for her local chapter of Planned Parenthood, and she is thrilled to continue work in this exciting field. Passionate about population issues, Oona hopes to use knowledge and experience gained this summer to help build a career in international family planning. Specifically, she is interested in the correlation between women’s education and societies’ attitudes towards healthcare. Oona is originally from Dallas, Texas, and in her spare time enjoys cooking and singing in one of Hopkins’ a cappella groups.

Damon Powell IT Intern
My name is Damon Powell. I was born and raised in Maryland. I graduated from Largo High School in 1996, after which I did a four year enlistment in the US Navy. I am a recent Strayer University graduate with a Bachelor’s in Computer Information Systems. I am currently seeking employment in the various fields of computers – ranging from engineering to information technology - and someday hope to own my own business, once I figure out what that business is.

Kathleen Fransen
Katie is originally from Arlington, Virginia.  She graduated in May 2009 from the University of Delaware with her Bachelors in Anthropology.  She is currently attending the Catholic University of America to obtain her Masters in Library and Information Science.  Katie is interested in working in archives and special libraries in order to preserve access to information and education for future populations.  She has traveled to Ghana in the past, and wants to be able to further help the people of developing nations through providing resources of information.  In her free time, Katie loves reading and spending time with her nephews.

Kimberly Josephson, Center
Kimberly (Kimby) Josephson is an undergraduate student at Carnegie Mellon University studying International Relations & Politics and Hispanic Studies. She works with CMU's chapter of FORGE, an international organization dedicated to improving the lives of refugees around the world, and personally works with some families in Pittsburgh relocated from Nepal. Through this internship at PAI she is excited to gain valuable knowledge about the relationship between reproductive health and our environment, as well as how an effective NGO operates.

Qing Lin, Climate
Hi, everyone! My name is Qing (or Kylee) Lin, and I am from Gaithersburg, Maryland.  Originally, I came to the United States from China when I was 14 years-old.  I recently graduated with a Bachelors degree in Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics from the University of Maryland.  I am now working as a research intern at PAI, focusing on the population health in relation to climate change.  My passion for climate change issues led me to this exciting internship and motivates me to work hard.  I enjoy traveling and interior designing.

Roxy Romer, Finance & Administration Intern
I am a South Florida native but currently living in Ashburn, Virginia. I am a full-time student at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. I'm pursuing a bachelor's degree in Finance and plan to graduate in the fall of 2011. From the PAI Finance and Administration internship program, I hope to gain as much experience as possible on non-profit accounting and handling the daily finances of an organization. I am very excited about the program and look forward to acquire more knowledge in the finance field and taking on all the challenges that may come along. On my leisure time I enjoy playing video games, shopping, exercising, and video editing. My absolutely favorite way to spend my leisure time above all others is spending time with my family.

Shannon Christie, Communications
Shannon is originally from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is currently a rising senior at American University, studying Environmental Science and Economics.  In fall 2009, Shannon studied abroad in London, United Kingdom at University College London and is eager to return in the future.  She has avid interests in climate change, environmental health, and environmental policy and hopes to work in policy, research, or consulting.  Last spring, Shannon interned at Climate Lab, a nonprofit dedicated to knowledge sharing and collaboration in order to find effective solutions to climate change.  She is excited to work with PAI in their communications department and contribute her ideas and experience to the organization.  This summer, she will be working in a research lab, playing ultimate Frisbee, and mourning the end of LOST. 

Stephanie St. Clair, Development Resources Intern
Stephanie St. Clair is from Chicago, Illinois. She is an upcoming junior at George Washington University majoring in Human Services and minoring in Sociocultural Anthropology. Stephanie went to high school in London, England and loves to travel. She hopes to visit every continent at least once before she dies; she has three left. Stephanie went on two service trips to South Africa during high school and those led her to choose her major and fueled her desire to study abroad in Cape Town in the spring of 2011. After seeing firsthand the effects of HIV, she is passionate about PAI’s mission.  Stephanie hopes to gain experience in development and fundraising this summer because she would like to work in development at a non-profit organization after graduation.

Vincent E. Jones IT Intern
I am from the City of Brotherly Love, where at the age of twenty, I enlisted in the Army because there was not much being offered in my neighborhood and I envisioned this opportunity as a means of both free education and free travel.  I retired from the military after twenty years and I still hold onto those service experiences that I endured. My travels allowed me to see parts of Europe, mostly the Bavaria region of Germany, a part of Turkey and the Black Sea, a taste of Somalia as part of a peacekeeping force and various states along the Gulf of Mexico, the Southwest and California, and I worked primarily in computer repair after a brief stint in artillery.

I graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in 2001 and have completed work towards a Masters Degree in Information Systems. I joined PAI so that I could get valuable hands-on experience to compliment my education and some of my interest include stamp collecting, kite flying, visiting museums, do-it-yourself projects, card and board games, travel, photography, and doing all kinds of puzzles including jigsaw.