2024 Fellows

The 2024 DSSRF cohort, four student standing together and smiling.
From left to right: Thandeka Bango, Malika Ali, Jackline Masetu , and Gianna Depina

Gianna Depina

Hello! Gianna Depina was born October 23 2003 in Boston, Massachusetts. She ethnically is a Cape Verdean American woman and identifies as a black woman. She has always been curious, outgoing, passionate, and extremely warm hearted. Gianna is a rising junior who is intending on graduating from Bucknell with a B.S in Neuroscience, on the premed track, with an intended minor in health humanities. She strongly believes that it is equally important for pre-health students…

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Malika Ali

Malika Ali ‘26 is an International Relations & Classics double major with an intended minor in Arabic. She grew up in Carteret, NJ, but moved around during the COVID-19 pandemic before settling in Lewisburg, PA. Malika is very interested in law and justice and hopes to eventually attend law school after graduating Bucknell. She is specifically interested in public policy and criminal justice. Her project focuses on studying the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on…

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Thandeka Bango

Thandeka Bango (’26) is a rising Junior from Harare, Zimbabwe majoring in Environmental Geosciences and Geography. Through his first-hand experience living on the African continent, Thandeka witnessed countries plagued by macroeconomic volatility, corruption, societal disparities and what can be deemed a human-induced famine, whose consequences have only been exacerbated by climate change and the enhanced greenhouse effect. His participation in the 2021 World Economic Forum Citizens Dialogues gave him the skills to cultivate a multifaceted…

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JACKLINE MASETU

Jackline Masetu is a rising sophomore at Bucknell University, majoring in Computer Science and Engineering. She is from Nairobi, Kenya. She is passionate about the lives of Africans and wants to help create awareness about ‘hidden diseases’ in the continent. Her research focuses on sickle cell anemia, a genetic disorder that affects many individuals in Africa but often lacks sufficient awareness and understanding. She aims to shed light on the struggles and resilience of those…

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