2022 FAIT Fellows
Jacquetta Cook is a first-generation college student, holding a bachelor’s degree from Florida A&M University and an MBA from the University of Florida. She has traveled to the Dominican Republic and China, interned as a teacher at Ghana International School, and interned at the U.S. Embassy Windhoek in Namibia. As a FAIT Fellow, Jacquetta is pursuing a Master of Science in Information Technology at Florida State University.
A first-generation American, Anass El Bekkari came to the U.S. from Morocco as an international student in 2013. He earned three associate degrees from Cuyahoga Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from Franklin University. He is pursuing a Master of Science in Cybersecurity from Franklin University. Anass is tri-lingual in English, Arabic and French. He enjoys flying drones for recreation.
Jolene Farley, from Southern California, is pursuing her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at Oregon State University. She completed her lower division work at Riverside City College where she worked on the editorial staff on MUSE, the college’s literary journal. As a military spouse, Jolene has lived and traveled in South Korea and Japan. Aside from school she enjoys roller skating, volunteering in her local community, and studying languages.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Conrad Finos is pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration in Cyber Security at the University of Texas at San Antonio. At UTSA, he is a member of CompTIA, a club dedicated to enhancing students’ cyber skills, and is enrolled in the UTSA Honors College. His hobbies include long distance running, rock climbing, mountain biking, drawing, and martial arts. Conrad speaks Spanish and Japanese.
Born and raised in Albania, Elton Hima became a U.S. citizen in 2014 and is a first-generation college graduate from the University of Maryland Global Campus. He has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and is pursuing a Master of Science in Cybersecurity at Brown University. Elton has lived in several countries, speaks French, Italian, and Albanian, and enjoys hiking, discovering new restaurants and reading books.
Born and raised in Morocco, Achraf Kamni is a first-generation American. He has an Associate of Science degree from Moraine Valley Community College and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence from the Illinois Institute of Technology where he is a Transfer Leadership Scholar and an active member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. Achraf speaks Arabic, Tamazight, and French.
Born in New York, Faith Lin grew up in Hong Kong and is fluent in English, Mandarin-Chinese, and Cantonese. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering from The Cooper Union. She has studied in Singapore and has volunteered on service trips to Cambodia, Xiamen China, and Macau. Faith enjoys traveling, cycling, photography, and volunteering.
Chad Peterson was born in Utah and primarily raised in the Northern Virginia, but he calls North Carolina, where he graduated from high school, “home.” Peterson is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. He is fluent in Korean and is currently studying Mandarin Chinese. Peterson plays jazz trombone and sings baritone.
Kathryn Riordan, a native of Columbus, Indiana, is pursuing a B.S. in Cybersecurity and Global Policy at Indiana University. Riordan led the Diplomacy Lab at Hamilton Lugar, working with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security to integrate AI into their efforts, and was a 2021 X-Force Fellow with the Department of Defense. In her free time, she enjoys helping to train service dogs with her family, playing ping pong, and teaching young students to code.
Ayesha Siddiqui is a first generation Asian American, born in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. She earned a Bachelor of Management Information Systems and a Certificate in Global Studies and Research from the University of Houston. She is pursuing a Master of Science in Management Information Systems from Lamar University. Ayesha is fluent in Urdu and English, and she enjoys learning languages and exploring different cultures.
Born and raised in northwest Indiana, Jacob Williams earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations and global service from Valparaiso University. He has studied in Arabic language programs in Jordan and Palestine, and he was a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer focusing on youth development in Morocco. Jacob is pursuing a Master of Science in Cybersecurity Risk Management. He speaks multiple dialects of Arabic.
Andy Wu, a second-generation Chinese American and first-generation college student, earned his bachelor’s degree from Lehigh University. Andy won a Gilman Scholarship to Hong Kong in 2019 and he is a 2021-2022 Gilman Alumni Ambassador. In fall 2022, he will enter the Master of Information Systems Management (MISM) – Global degree program at Carnegie Mellon University Heinz College. Andy is fluent in Mandarin Chinese and Fujianese dialect.
