Assistant Professor Charles Senteio has joined the Mandela Washington Fellowship program as a Professional Development Mentor. For the summer, he is hosting Daouda Gueye of Senegal. Gueye is a Project Coordinator at the Institute for Health Research in Epidemiology Surveillance and Training (IRESSEF). His work closely coincides with Senteio’s, focusing on healthcare research.

Senteio had never heard of the program until a few months ago. He said, “I was asked by Rutgers Professor Ron Quincy, who has been very involved in the program. He told me of the benefits of participating as a mentor and it didn’t take much convincing.”

Gueye discovered the Mandela Washington Fellowship program when his friend shared a link to it on Facebook. His interest grew as he read more about the program, and he decided to apply. He said, “Actually, I was very confident that I would be selected. The program description and requirements perfectly met my skills and needs.”

Gueye arrived in New Jersey on June 16, 2017. For the next six weeks, he will shadow Senteio every Thursday. The program provides Senteio and Gueye with the freedom to independently decide how they will spend their time together. Senteio said, “Daouda and I have discussed doing a project which investigates how his NGO uses technology in its HIV prevention outreach activities. We will decide fairly soon if we move forward with that as use of technology for health promotion clearly overlaps with my own work.”

In addition to his work with Senteio, Gueye also has the opportunity  to interact with other young African leaders working in various socioeconomical sectors. Together, they attend academic sessions and workshops on leadership, grant writing, democracy, and more. Gueye’s trip will conclude with a summit in Washington D.C. in the end of July.

Gueye said, “I am convinced that what I am learning at Rutgers will reinforce my capacity as a project coordinator and help me boost my project performances.” In the future, Gueye hopes to earn his Ph.D. in Health Communication at Rutgers. He also said, “I would be very interested in building a partnership between Rutgers and our health research institutes in Senegal.”

Sentieo said, “I think this is really unique and rewarding program. I look forward to working with Daouda over the summer, and potentially beyond.”