Somalian by birth, Mukhtar Mohamed earned a master's degree in Public Health as well as a master's degree in African Studies. He was a child soldier and led a refugee's life in Eritrea and Ethiopia. At an international conference in Asmara, Eritrea, he met Ann Biersteker, Director of Graduate Studies in African Studies, who suggested he apply to study at Yale. He escaped the war between Eritrea and Ethiopia and obtained a U.S. visa with the help of the Office of International Students and Scholars.

Professor Lamin Sanneh, the D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity in the Divinity School and Professor of History, is an internationally recognized authority on Muslim-Christian relations. Professor Sanneh is a native of Gambia. He is noted for his publications and lectures on international aspects of Christianity today and its relations with other religions.

Anna Dolinsky (left) and Alana Rosenberg (right) of the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS traveled to Rwanda and Uganda, where they met with participants in the Association Francois Xavier Bagnoud's projects to aid children affected by war or the HIV/AIDS crisis.