KENNY NTWALI
Gustavus Adolphus College, B.A., International Management

Raised in Rwanda and Burundi, Kenny moved to the U.S. to attend college. While at Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota, Kenny pursued his passion for sustainable business, working with local cooperatives with the hope of one day bringing some of their practices back to his home country of Rwanda. He organized “African Night” events for students and their parents to address and offer an alternative to the negative portrayal of Africa in the media. After college, Kenny worked in advertising, helping startups all over the U.S. to shape their narrative for fundraising. Last year, Kenny decided to return to Rwanda to pursue his dream of becoming an entrepreneur while also contributing to the economic development of his country. He is currently working on a specialty coffee startup. Kenny is a native Kinyarwanda speaker and is fluent in French and English.

PORTIA WATSON
University of Kentucky, M.A., Diplomacy and International Commerce
Georgetown College, B.A., English and Cultural Studies

After finishing her undergraduate studies at Georgetown College, Portia was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship grant in the rural province of Kalasin in northeastern Thailand. Upon completing her grant year, Portia moved to the far north of Thailand to teach Shan youth from Myanmar with the nonprofit organization Kwah Dao. Having gained an interest in international relations and development issues, Portia returned home to Kentucky in 2014 to pursue her master’s degree in diplomacy and international commerce with a focus on economic development. During her graduate studies, she completed a Certificate of Global Health along with an internship in Thai traditional medicine at Abhaibhubejhr College of Thai Traditional Medicine in Prachinburi province, Thailand. After completing her M.A., Portia worked as a caseworker for a refugee resettlement agency in Louisville, Kentucky, before deciding to move back to Thailand in the summer of 2018. She is now based out of northern Thailand, where she works as a consultant for the Human Rights and Development Foundation. Portia has led a total of six high school student trips in Thailand for National Geographic Student Expeditions and Putney Student Travel.