Esther Ishimwe is a Social Impact Fellow working with the Education Policy Program at New America. She graduated with a B.A in Architecture & Urbanism from Smith College, and is currently a graduate student at the Princeton University School of Architecture.
Her research interests center around exploring the intersections between vernacular architecture and sustainability, and how they can inspire modern solutions to climate change. In her time in undergraduate school, her interest in youth advocacy & education developed when she was the co-chair of the International Students Organization, representing the socio-economic concerns of students, and when she served as an instructor and mentor in the Yale Young African Scholars Program. This experience has influenced how she views policymaking in education, rendering colleges and other educational institutions as spaces that can cultivate sustainable solutions that not only protect and advocate for students, but the community at large.