Ava Kamdem is a rising junior psychology major at Columbia University School of General Studies. Ava applied to the Social Impact Fellowship to develop innovative methods to bridge the gap between the private sector and workforce development programs as a means to combat human trafficking. Her own lived experience as a survivor of human trafficking motivates this work. Despite being free from her trafficker, Ava continued to face systemic barriers to formal sector integration. She has used this experience to advocate for others in the anti-trafficking movement, including assisting federal agents in recovering victims, publicly sharing her story, advising NGOs, creating outreach programs, and serving on the Human Trafficking Survivor Leadership Council of Texas.The Social Impact Fellowship will augment her past experiences by providing the structure, tools, and frameworks to develop livelihood programs with measurable impact in the lives of trafficking survivors and other vulnerable populations.

Biography current as of 2023-2024 program year.