Ukweli consists of an interdisciplinary group of undergraduate and graduate students from Lehigh University representing each college. Additionally, our team is composed of Lehigh University faculty, past members of the team, and employees from World Hope International, our partner in Sierra Leone. Although we all have varying backgrounds and experiences, we are passionate about developing realistic, sustainable solutions to real world problems.
Meet our team
Sterling Salmini
Class of 2024
B.S. Cognitive Science
I joined
Ukweli because
we are
the best
group ever,
heck yeah.
Sterling Salmini
Class of 2024
Studying:
Molecular Biology
Why I joined Ukweli:
I had interest in joining Ukweli due to my desire to contribute towards solutions for complex challenges worldwide background and my past experiences working at my local hospital and in clinical and social research. My care for this particular topic of maternal health stems from the influential women in my life who have helped shape me into who I am today, and because of this I feel as though it is particularly important to aid the resilient mothers of Sierra Leone who may otherwise die while giving life.
Isabelle Glazer '23
Studying:
Population Health, Maternal and Child Health
Why I joined Ukweli:
I joined the Ukweli team in the winter of 2020 because of my passion for maternal health. Ukweli is such an important project because it has and will continue to provide access to preventative health care measures that can save mothers from the devastatingly high maternal mortality rate in Sierra Leone. Working on this project has been an amazing experience and I am grateful and excited to see Ukweli expand and become accessible to more and more women.
Matthew Rivera '23
Studying:
Molecular Biology
Why I joined Ukweli:
I joined Ukweli because engaging in a social venture aimed at mitigating the effects of poverty seemed like an exciting, effective way to shift to an active role in improving lives in low-/middle-income countries. That has been a longtime goal of mine.
Kayla Miller '23
Studying:
Marketing
Why I joined Ukweli:
I joined Ukweli in order to help women in Sierra Leone who lack the necessary health care resources. With one test strip at a time, the Ukweli team has an opportunity to educate and positively impact the lives of these women and their families.
Grace Duke '25
Studying:
Bioengineering
Why I joined Ukweli:
I joined Ukweli because of my want to help women in Sierra Leone. I aim to be an active member in educating women and workers about the importance of early intervention on UTIs and Preeclampsia. Being a part of this amazing team has allowed me to learn how important accessible and affordable healthcare is.
Samara Everman '23
Studying:
Population Health
Why I joined Ukweli:
Athiel Mading '25
Studying:
Material Science and Engineering
Why I joined Ukweli:
Lehigh Faculty
Khanjan Mehta
Ukweli Faculty Advisor, Vice Provost for Creative Inquiry at Lehigh University, Director of the Mountaintop Initiative at Lehigh University
Mehta champions the creation of integrated learning, research, and entrepreneurial engagement ecosystems where students, faculty, and external partners come together to increase their capacities for independent inquiry, take intellectual risks and learn from failure, recognize problems and opportunities and effect constructive and sustainable change. Mehta is the prime instigator for four signature academic programs – the Mountaintop Summer Experience, the Global Social Impact Fellowship, the Lehigh Valley Social Impact Fellowship, and the (upcoming) Campus Sustainable Impact Fellowship that engage faculty and students in multi-year impact-focused ventures. Across these programs, Mehta expects students to take radical ownership in their projects, and envisions faculty mentors as partners and co-creators striving to propel their projects forward on the journey towards tangible, sustainable impact: impact that concurrently builds the skillsets, mindsets, and portfolios of pioneers and change-makers in a rapidly changing world.
World Hope International Members
Hassan Koroma
Distribution Manager
Jawara Mohamed Saio
Distribution Manager
Tori Chan
Project Coordinator