Meet Benjamin, Christina, and Prajwal

Benjamin Blanchard

I was born and raised in southeast Michigan, the third of four boys. I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 2013, and spent the following year teaching high school oral English in Hunan, China, as a volunteer teacher through WorldTeach. In September of 2014, I moved to Chicago for doctoral research on the evolution and ecology of ants, receiving my PhD in evolutionary biology in June of 2020. Since October, I have been working with four brothers from a refugee family in Hyde Park to facilitate their remote public-school instruction and provide other support and tutoring assistance. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with ATD Fourth World archives in Chicago and see firsthand some historical documentation of the organization’s efforts. It turns out that photo archival work is not unlike ant specimen curation!

Christina Samaroo

Hello everyone, my name is Christina Samaroo and I am a junior at John Jay College. I am majoring in political science and minoring in philosophy. My career goals once graduating from college would be to attend law school to accomplish my professional goal of becoming an attorney. I’m currently working for the Student Academic Success Programs Center at John Jay as a Peer Success Coach to help incoming freshman students adjust to the college experience and guide them throughout their journey. I am also affiliated with the APPLE Corps program in John Jay College which has allowed me to take part in serving the community and learning about different varieties of social justice throughout my 3 years in the program. 

I am excited to be working with ATD 4th World and I look forward to being a part of this movement that stands in solidarity with people living in poverty, being able to uplift their voices and tell their stories. I have witnessed different aspects of poverty throughout my life with my family roots originating from a third-world country. After traveling to different countries in the Caribbean such as the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, and my home country of Guyana, I have witnessed poverty abroad as well. Being born and raised in New York City, I have seen my friends and strangers enduring the hardships of poverty. After having all these experiences with poverty I have made it a priority to always give back to the community and help those in need. I am grateful and excited to be a part of the ATD Fourth World team and excited to be a part of this movement. 

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” - Desmond Tutu

Prajwal Gurung

Hello Everyone,

I am Prajwal Gurung, and it is a pleasure to meet all of you. I am currently a junior at John Jay College with a major in Computer Science and Information Security and a minor in Cybercrime. I am interested in the field of Cyber Security as it is a growing field. I want to be able to help people through technology as everything is surrounded by technology. 

I am interested and excited to be interning with the ATD Fourth World because I have had both good and bad experiences, even regarding poverty, as I was born in a third-world country. Due to this very experience, I think I can relate to the people in poverty to a certain level, and I want to help them in any way possible. Interning with the ATD Fourth World allows me to have the opportunity to help those very people. 

My hobbies include playing all kinds of outdoor sports, mainly soccer and volleyball. But mostly, I have spent my time on the computer due to the pandemic and the weather. I am looking forward to my time with the ATD Fourth World and the experience that I will gain. I hope we all can get along together and make progress in helping people overcome poverty.