MDP Class of 2028

Born and raised in Michigan, Aaliyah Brooks received her bachelor’s degree in Global and International Studies from Michigan State University. Aaliyah speaks fluent Kiswahili and worked as a research assistant at the Center for Community and Economic Development for two years. She also participated in a sustainable community development study abroad under MSU’s Tanzania Partnership Program (TPP). After graduating, she worked as a multilingual paraprofessional at Estabrook Elementary. Aaliyah is now entering the MDP program excited to expand her knowledge of sustainable development and effective research methods.

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Asheé Groce is originally from San Jose, California, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Spelman College in 2021. Shortly after graduation, she answered the call to serve with the Peace Corps, spending three years in Ben Guerir, Morocco as a Youth Development Volunteer. During her service, Asheé focused on Professional Development, English Literacy, and Women’s Health Programs, working closely with community members to design and implement initiatives that supported youth and women in achieving their personal and professional goals. After completing her service, Asheé rejoined the workforce as a Resident Services Coordinator with Project Access, a nonprofit organization serving affordable housing communities. In this role, she managed partnerships and developed programs centered on economic stability, education, and health and wellness, connecting residents to critical resources and opportunities. Asheé’s experiences have strengthened her commitment to sustainable, community-driven development. At Emory, she hopes to build her skills in program design, monitoring and evaluation, and impact measurement. She is particularly interested in developing and scaling culturally responsive, locally led programs that promote long-term community resilience.

Jonathan Lambertis was born in the US Virgin Islands, St.Thomas. He earned his bachelors in anthropology from Georgia State University, where he studied the social and cultural ripple effects of natural and man-made disasters such as hurricane and intracommunity violence. Specifically, he is interested in how exclusionary polices expand and intensify the effects of catastrophes, producing precarious conditions that persist long after the visible disaster has passed. Committed to perusing regenerative initiatives that empower community members to actively shape their futures as opposed to transient top-down investment. During his time at GSU, he worked closely with professors to consider how anthropology could be politically mobilized to empower activists and affected communities. While there, he produced an in-depth essay tracking the weaponization of immigrant status at various points in American history and how undocumented communities and advocates have adapted to hostile conditions. During his time at Emory, he aims to expand his practical experience so that he can assist marginalized communities in places like the Virgin Islands to achieve more economic and political sovereignty as well as withstand the effects of climate change.

Granville Winkjer holds a B.A. in International Affairs and a minor in Arabic from Georgia Southern University. Additionally, he earned a certificate in Non-Profit Grant Writing from the University of Georgia. During this time, he spent an extended period in and around Rabat, Morocco honing his Arabic and working with local NGOs to support terminal medical patients and the unhoused. In the last 9 years, Granville’s professional experience spans several nonprofit sectors. These industries include agriculture, environmental conservation, environmental education, grant writing, refugee resettlement, and domestic violence advocacy. After holding director level positions in U.S. based 501c’s, he decided to pursue freelance grant writing to obtain funding for worthy causes in the greater Atlanta area. His most notable awards include securing multiple funding streams from Japanese-based foundations to support an Atlanta-based director featuring a series of documentaries covering the generational and social trauma surrounding the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings of 1945. While in MDP, Granville aims to deepen his understanding of sustainable economic development, environmental justice, and food/water security.