Duke School Under the Oak Magazine, Fall 2017

Life After Duke School: Princeton in Africa
PRINCETON IN AFRICA
Shan’s interest in Africa began when he studied
abroad in Tanzania during his junior year at
Bowdoin.
“My academic focus has been in conservation
biology and wildlife conservation, and I was really
captivated by the biodiversity of the region as
well as the issues surrounding conservation and
human-wildlife conflict.”
Princeton in Africa (PiAf) is an independent,
nonprofit organization that offers year-long
fellowships in partnership with organizations
across the continent.
Shan Nagar has always loved being outdoors
— something that contributed to him finding
his current role as Volunteer Coordinator and
Sustainability Fellow at Nyumbani Village in Kenya
through the Princeton in Africa program.
A self-proclaimed Duke School “lifer,” Shan began
Duke School as a preschooler and graduated
in 2008. From Duke School he graduated from
Durham Academy in 2012, and Bowdoin College
in 2016. He is the oldest sibling of three, who are
all Duke School graduates.
“I have such a deep, deep fondness for Duke
School,” he says. “So much of my ability to work
and live independently, think critically, and be
creative, I attribute to the 11 years I spent as a
student there.”
“When they saw that I was comfortable living
and working in rural conditions, and that I was
interested in environmental work, they put me
up for consideration with Nyumbani Village,” he
explains.
NYUMBANI VILLAGE
Nyumbani Village is a sustainable HIV/AIDS
community in Kenya that spans more than 1,000
acres and houses roughly 1,000 children and 100
grandparents affected or infected by HIV/AIDS.
They use a family group model — each household
consists of ten children and one grandparent. The
village boasts a robust Sustainability Department,
in an effort to be completely self-sustaining.
“These programs focus on both waste reduction
and generating revenue, and include raising
livestock for food and to sell in market, a 500-
acre agroforestry project, and large complex of
greenhouses, and a variety of water harvesting
systems,” Shan says.
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UNDER THE OAK