GML Scholars Past and Present
Current Scholars
The Garland School of Social Work currently is home to five Global Mission Leadership Scholars from countries all over the world. The rich heritage and culture they bring to our Baylor Community is immeasurable. Meet them below.
2026: Arreya Achasuksan, Thailand
Arreya Achasuksan, 2026 GML Scholar from Thailand and graduate of Mae Fah Luang University, is passionate about advancing equity and opportunity for marginalized communities along the Thailand–Myanmar border. Originally from Mae Sot in Tak Province, Arreya is of Karen heritage and grew up in a diverse environment where she was exposed to people from different backgrounds and ways of life, shaping her understanding of the challenges and inequalities faced by underserved communities. Before coming to the Garland School, Arreya served as a Government Liaison with Acts of Mercy International coordinating with Thai authorities and advocates for survivors of human trafficking. In this role, she provided translation support and helped survivors navigate complex social support systems. Through her work with a Compassion Thailand church partner working in holistic child development for vulnerable children along the border, Arreya has developed a deep understanding of the systemic challenges affecting displaced families, including lack of legal documentation and limited opportunities to pursue higher education. She is passionate about advancing sustainable, community-based solutions that promote long-term stability and access to education. Arreya comes to the Garland School aspiring to “serve my country and people with faith, responsibility, and long-term commitment,” and hopes to work collaboratively with government and international organizations to influence policies that promote equity, dignity, and lasting change for children.
2025: Moyosore Adebanjo, Nigeria
Moyosore Adebanjo, 2025 GML Scholar from Nigeria, is a passionate advocate for healthcare accessibility. Since graduating from Redeemer’s University in Akoda, Moyosore has worked as a project technician with the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), supporting fieldwork and data collection on endemic diseases and public health challenges faced by communities in Nigeria. Through this work, Moyosore has seen how preventable diseases like schistosomiasis and malaria disproportionately affect children, often due to limited access to basic health education and resources. As a result, Moyosore is committed to deepening his understanding of interventions that target preventable diseases among children, with a broader goal of shaping policies that make quality healthcare and education more accessible in underserved communities. In addition, in his volunteer role with Shades of Us, a non-profit organization utilizing storytelling to address the socio-economic needs affecting Nigeria and the larger continent of Africa, Moyosore has led initiatives to promote quality education and gender equality. He comes to the Garland School specifically aspiring to, “bridge the gap between research and policy, ensuring that evidence-based solutions translate into meaningful societal impacts,” and hopes to work across both governmental and non-profit sectors to advocate for community health and education initiatives that uplift the most vulnerable communities in Nigeria.
2026: Rodgers Mieno, Kenya
Rodgers Mieno, 2026 GML Scholar from Kenya and graduate of the University of Nairobi, has spent over a decade working in community-based programming that addresses the complex and interconnected challenges facing vulnerable populations. Rodgers’s most recent role as a project manager at the Child & Youth Development Center with Deliverance Church International in Busia focused on promoting holistic development programs by advancing child and family well-being and providing interconnected interventions. In Deliverance Church International’s Early Survival Support Program Rodgers is fully involved in the mobilization and coordination of interventions that support vulnerable mothers and infants through prenatal care, nutrition, and parental education. Through education and life skills, he supports efforts to remove barriers to education by facilitating access to school fees & academic support programs providing learning materials and equipping children and youth with skills for sustainable futures. Rodgers promotes safe and supportive environments through mentorship, faith-based guidance, positive relationships that nurture children’s emotional resilience, self-esteem, hope, and a sense of belonging in spiritual and emotional care. His leadership includes coordinating mentorship opportunities, mobilizing community resources, and evaluating program impact to strengthen sustainable practices. While at the Garland School of Social Work, Rodgers hopes to strengthen his skills in clinical assessment, program design, and research, with the goal of bridging community experience and systemic change. Ultimately, he seeks to build and scale sustainable, evidence-based programs while empowering organizations and communities to deliver impactful, long-term social services across Kenya.
2026: Agnes Situma, Kenya
Agnes Situma, 2026 GML Scholar from Kenya, believes every Kenyan deserves equitable access to opportunity. After earning her degree in social work from Moi University, she served in Northern Kenya with the Compassion International Assisted Child Development Center, where she confronted entrenched gender inequality, poverty, and limited access to education and protection for women and children. Through this work, she witnessed how social systems often silence women and restrict opportunities for girls, reinforcing her conviction that sustainable change requires not only charitable efforts but also policy reform and structural intervention. In her more recent work with children and youth across both urban and rural communities in Kenya, Agnes focused on connecting families to essential resources while advocating for system-level change. Her passion include a commitment to strengthening Kenya’s National Care Reform Strategy with a focus on child-centered policy reform. As a GML Scholar and student at the Garland School of Social Work, Agnes aims to bridge grassroots advocacy with macro-level systems reform. Her interests include evidence-based interventions, organizational leadership, and stakeholder collaboration.
2025: Joseph Twumasi-Ankrah, Ghana
Joseph Twumasi-Ankrah, 2025 GML Scholar from Ghana, has a deep passion for serving and empowering Ghanian children and youth. Since graduating from the University of Cape Coast he has worked as a teacher and administrator in a variety of educational settings, developing and implementing a peer-assisted learning program to foster student empowerment and inclusion through interactive storytelling, acting, and art. Joseph also volunteers as a Peer Educator at his current school, counseling students on wellness and organizing health promotion programs for the school community. Joseph envisions himself as an advocate for student wellbeing, supporting both their academic and personal development and hopes to explore opportunities to engage in research and advocacy work focused on improving social welfare policies. His passion to serve others also led him to Global Brigades Ghana, a nonprofit organization focused on public health education and initiatives that combat illness and disease in his region. Joseph describes Ghana as “a vibrant West African nation known for its rich cultural heritage, warm hospitality, and commitment to peace,” attributes Joseph clearly embodies. He looks forward to his graduate journey and for the opportunity to use his education and faith-driven passion to influence social welfare policies, strengthen communities, and promote justice both in Ghana and around the world.
Alumni Stories
Brooke Abuya, MSW ‘14 • Nairobi, Kenya
Passionate about the needs of vulnerable individuals, Brooke works as a caseworker at the Church World Service, Africa conducting refugee prescreens throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. As he works, he envisions an app bringing together communities across Kenya to support children in crisis.
Dhiana “Dyen” Anggraeni, MSW ‘17 • Papua, Indonesia
Dyen is a highly accomplished and experienced child rights practitioner and advocate working as a Child Protection Officer for UNICEF Indonesia, specifically in communities in Papua, a rural and secluded island of Indonesia. Currently, Dyen sees a gap in support between formal government institutions, faith-based services, and more informal grassroots organizations. She dreams of a more integrated network of support for vulnerable children connecting all social services across the many islands.
Read more about Dyen's thoughts on connecting social services across all of Indonesia's many islands
Shade Atanda, MSW '21 • Sokoto, Nigeria
Shade Atanda is a missionary, lawyer and Social Worker, currently working in community development projects with Zion World Prayer, Zether Al-Umm Foundation, and Global Hope Network International. She is applying a Transformational Community Development Approach where she identifies and coaches community leaders, develops project champions, and helps vision cast with key stakeholders.
Read more about Shade and the Transformational Community Development Approach
NuSung Biak, MSW '12 • Yangon, Myanmar
Inspired by watching her father, a community educator, NuSung has devoted her life to the children of Myanmar, working as a Child Protection Specialist at UNICEF since graduating from Baylor. Nu Sung knows the realities of living in Myanmar, but where others may see despair, she sees opportunity—a community of people who love their children, who want to care for them, who have the capability to build their child’s healthy brain with the resources at their fingertips.
Read more about NuSung’s belief in the latent opportunity present in the villages of Myanmar
Paul Conteh, MSW '15 • Freetown, Sierra Leone
In 2022, Alumnus Paul Conteh (MSW '15) was living in Freetown, Sierra Leone employed as a consultant, a Lab Lead, and a lecturer. But while reflecting on the vast, under-utilized farmland of provincial Sierra Leone, he realized something needed to change. So he started Agraverse, a Christian-based agribusiness dedicated to ending hunger by participating in farming, food production, and the foundations of economic justice.
Read more about Paul, Agraverse, and its impact on communities in Sierra Leone
Mukupa and Chad Harrod, MSW '15 • Ndola, Zambia
Mukupa Musonda Harrod (GML Alumni Scholar) and her husband, Chad, met during their MSW studies in the Diana R. Garland School of Social work. After relocating to Zambia and starting work at a Christian University, the began to notice a chronic population of “street boys” on their commute. After meeting the boys willing to talk and finding out more about the persistent challenged facing these young men, Mukupa and Chad are currently exploring how to bring relief to this aching population.
Read more about Mukupa and Chad and their heart for the unhoused children in their community
Belinda Onyango, MSW ‘19 • Nairobi, Kenya
Belinda is currently the Program Manager for adoptions at Buckner International and is passionate about a “Prepare to Care” training curriculum for families going through the adoption process. In her role, she has finalized 42 adoptions with Kenyan families in 2020 and co-authored a user-friendly booklet for Kenyan families interested in adopting.
Rose Wasike, MSW '15 • Kitale, Kenya
Rose Wasike worked with vulnerable children and families for over 10 years before traveling to the United States to earn her MSW at Baylor University. Upon graduating and returning to Kitale, Rose was able to apply the Family Hope Center Model in many Kenyan communities, a model she developed. Currently, the model is implemented across five family centers working in foster, kinship and residential programs.
Read more about Rose and Family Hope Center Model
To read about more GML Alumni visit our Map of GML Alumni around the World.