Oneile Gorata Baitlotli ‘21

The profile below was current as of 2021 when she was part of the on-campus Kellogg community.

Oneile Gorata Baitlotli is a senior political science major, international development studies minor and peace studies minor. She worked as a research assistant to political science professor, Jazmin Sierra. As a research assistant Baitlotli did a preliminary phase of data-collection on how the Chinese government supports its firms and how the United Kingdom government responds to Chinese investments. Baitlotli went on to do an International Summer Service-Learning program in the early childhood education department of an organization called Afrika Tikkun in Diepsloot, South Africa.

This experience propelled her to begin doing research on access to early childhood education for underprivileged communities in Botswana, her home country. Baitlotli planned to do field research in the summer of her junior year but had to pivot to a different project due to COVID-19. She is presently working with the Rusalia Resource Foundation, a non-profit entity operating in Kisumu, Kenya with the goal of empowering girls from western Kenya by awarding them with high school tuition scholarships as well as opportunities for mentorship focusing especially on life skills education. Baitlotli is currently designing the mentorship program for the Rusalia Foundation as part of her capstone project.