In The Community

GLOBAL

VISION

Eva Hartman ’20, currently a student at USC, has been working to make a difference in the world. She was recently named an editorial fellow at the Dornsife Global Policy Institute, writing about under-reported events in world politics and has also been working to design curriculum and train youth public health ambassadors in Uganda.

Tell us about your work for Ray United FC, a Ugandan public health NGO.

Ray United FC (RUFC) is a public health non-governmental agency (NGO) that was started about a decade ago by my mentor and former World Health Organization Official Dr. Heather Wipfli. RUFC began as a series of camps connecting Ugandan and American youth. The program has

expanded rapidly in collaboration with the Makerere University International Health Department to promote greater public health throughout Lira, Uganda. We have dual teams of American and Ugandan university students and faculty that work together to conduct research and design on-the-ground community health interventions. These interventions are then implemented by our amazing public health ambassadors, highly trained youth ages 18-22 who live in Lira.

What’s your current role with RUFC?

I’m a program management intern, but I’m also involved in a fair amount of data analysis. I was a part of the original team that designed the curriculum and trained our ambassadors, which meant learning how to communicate in both English and Luo (the local language) and work on 3 a.m. Zoom calls because of time differences. I’ve also designed census-style demographic research, run data collection on malaria infection rates, and conducted case studies on COVID-19. I’ve written reports for the Peace Corps, presented to members of the Ugandan Parliament, and written grant applications for the U.S. Embassy. We also have multiple journal articles in the peer review stage and have been invited to present at various academic conferences in the next year!

What else are you involved in?

I’m an editorial fellow at the Dornsife Global Policy Institute, where I write articles on under-reported events in world politics, specializing in economic development and the future of United States security. I also research for the Near Crisis Project, which seeks to create a database of past near crises that can be used by government offi cials to develop strategies that prevent conflict escalation.

How do you like the University of Southern California?

USC is fantastic! I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to attend a university with such amazing opportunities. I’ve had class canceled because a professor had to travel to Washington, D.C. to brief the State Department, and I met Andrew Yang on a Zoom call this past year. My peers are passionate about what they study and always want to collaborate across fields, which is a blessing considering that my major is so interdisciplinary. The biggest change from EC is definitely the size of the student body and the professors cold calling on students in lecture!

Did EC prepare you well for college?

Absolutely. Ms. Deardorff introduced me to the amazing world of international relations in her AP World History and AP Human Geography classes, and Ms. Maletta gave me the statistical tools I needed to work in research at the university level. Dr. Wootton’s AP Language class is why I’m able to piece together the seemingly thousands of journal articles I read each week.

Do you have any post-graduation plans?

I’m majoring in international relations and minoring in global health, and plan to study abroad at France’s Ecole Libre des Sciences Politiques, or Science-Po. Post-grad, I hope to work in NGOs for a few years before attending law school—I have my eye on a few dual JD/Master of Foreign Affairs programs.

We Are EC

Off the Tee

The EC Golf Team was off to an impressive start this fall! Four girls and 30 boys participated in nine matches followed by the Metro Tournament.

Nicole Koong won the Metro Tournament, was awarded the Metro League Player of the Year and was named to the Girls First Team All-League with teammate Ashley Seigel, who fi nished fourth in the Metro Tournament. All four women golfers qualifi ed for Districts in May.

Nicole had an impressive summer as well—she won the Junior Club Championship at Sahalee Country Club and played in the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Chambers Bay.

On the men’s side, Jack Hufford, Charlie Powell and Thaddeus Schaeffer qualifi ed for the District Tournament. To cap off fall play, Jack Hufford qualifi ed for the State Tournament when he won a playoff hole by sinking a heartstopping 55’ putt!