Meet the ARIN 53 Fellows

By Amanda Gauldin – Project Manager

ARIN staff is busy preparing for ARIN 53, our spring Public Policy and Members Meeting taking place 14-17 April 2024 in Bridgetown, Barbados. Meanwhile, we are also excited to be kicking off the ARIN 53 Fellowship Program!

A Hybrid Experience

The Fellowship Program will once again be conducted in a hybrid format. The agenda will include:

• Three virtual sessions introducing the workings of the organization and the Policy Development Process (PDP),
• The virtual ARIN 53 Meeting Orientation, and
• Participation in ARIN 53 and CaribNOG 27 either virtually or in person in Bridgetown.

Throughout the program, Fellows will also benefit from mentorship by an experienced ARIN community member.

Click here to learn more about this spring’s program agenda.

The ARIN Fellowship Program provides a fun and engaging way for Fellows to get immersed in ARIN’s work and feel ready to participate in the upcoming meeting. With the addition of this group of 15 Fellows, we have now welcomed 227 new voices to our community throughout the last decade.

Meet the Fellows

To get to know them better, we asked each of our new Fellows to share a little information about themselves, including: one word that describes how they felt upon learning they were selected for the program; what they are most looking forward to about the experience; and their favorite book, movie, or hobby. Let’s meet the ARIN 53 Fellows!

USA

Atefeh Mohseni Ejiyeh — Software Engineer II, Harness Inc.
Reaction: Hopeful
Looking forward to: Mentorship, learning, and meeting other Fellows and ARIN members.
Favorite hobby: Rock climbing

Brad Fecker — Network Engineer, State of Oregon
Reaction: Excited
Looking forward to: Learning about the inner workings of ARIN meetings.

Benjamin Goldstone — Senior Network Engineer (Global), Dell Technologies
Reaction: Elated
Looking forward to: Meeting amazing people.
Favorite book: “The Name of the Wind” by Patrick Rothfuss

Shashwitha Puttaswamy — Research Scientist, The George Washington University
Reaction: Excited
Looking forward to: Engaging in substantial learning, actively contributing to the ARIN community, and fostering the development of a robust social network.
Favorite app: Instagram

Namra Naseer — Graduate student, Columbia University
Reaction: Intrigued
Looking forward to: Connecting with peers and especially ARIN’s workforce and community.
Favorite podcast: “Diary of a CEO”

Adair Thaxton — Cyberinfrastructure Security Engineer, Internet2
Reaction: Excited
Looking forward to: Never been to an ARIN meeting before, so looking forward to that as a new experience.
Favorite hobby: Tae kwon do

Makenzie Thompson — Transfer Analyst, IPv4.Global by Hilco Stream Bank
Reaction: Thrilled
Looking forward to: Making connections and being more involved.
Favorite hobby: Cooking

Sierra Udland — Associate Contracts Manager, Amazon Web Services
Reaction: Intrigued
Looking forward to: Examining the diverse perspectives of the ARIN community.
Favorite movie: “Kingsman: The Secret Service” (2014)

Canada

Olayinka Afolabi — Business Analyst, Payworks Canada
Reaction: Elated
Looking forward to: Learning every and anything that has to do with ARIN.
Favorite podcast: “The Learning Leader”

Rookayya Gulmahamed — Bilingual Recorded Information Management Coordinator, Government of Prince Edward Island
Reaction: Elated
Looking forward to: Everything.
Favorite book: “The Sands of Time” by Sidney Sheldon

Svetlana Visinscaia — Data Intelligence Manager, Addrex Inc.
Reaction: Elated
Looking forward to: Listening, understanding, and working with other Fellows towards a resilient Internet.
Favorite movie: “The Big Short” (2015)

Nancy Wachira — Unaffiliated
Reaction: Inspired
Looking forward to: PDP process of policy formation and how the community holds the organization [accountable] by asking questions.
Favorite movie: “Roots” (1977)

Caribbean

Orren Joseph — Software Engineer, Government of St Kitts and Nevis
Reaction: Ecstatic
Looking forward to: Meeting people.
Favorite book: “The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri

Shanelle McPherson — Full-time student, University of the Commonwealth Caribbean
Reaction: Honored
Looking forward to: Immersing in a collaborative environment, engaging with fellow participants, exchanging ideas, and gaining insights.
Favorite hobby: Watching football

Rayshorn Richardson — General Manager and Technical Leader, Eknotec Services Ltd.
Reaction: Ecstatic
Looking forward to: Networking with everyone.
Favorite podcast: “Diary of a CEO”

Our Mentors and Special Guests

Fellows will be paired with an experienced ARIN community member to help guide them through the meeting and policy discussions. Mentors also lead small group breakout sessions to discuss policy development and other topics in more detail. A few additional members of the ARIN Advisory Council (AC) and staff will join us throughout the program to explain the PDP, what policies to expect on the docket for discussion at ARIN 53, and ARIN resources and services.

Thank you to these volunteers for their involvement in the ARIN 53 Fellowship Program — their participation is key to our Fellows’ success!

Mentors

Douglas Camin – ARIN AC member and Chief Information and Technology Officer for Coordinated Care Services, Inc.
Gerry George – ARIN AC member and ICT consultant
Brian Jones – ARIN AC member and Assistant Director of Operations for Virginia Tech

Peek Inside the Program

The ARIN 53 Fellowship Program will consist of multiple sessions held virtually in the weeks leading up to and immediately following the Public Policy and Members Meeting.

AC Chair Kat Hunter and AC Vice Chair Matthew Wilder will join us and, along with ARIN’s Policy Analyst, Eddie Diego, will discuss the PDP at ARIN and policies on the docket at ARIN 53. Kevin Blumberg, CTO of The Wire Inc. and an ARIN representative on the Number Resource Organization (NRO) Number Council, will provide a high-level introduction to global Internet governance through ICANN’s NRO Number Council/Address Supporting Organization Address Council. Each Mentor will also have time in the spotlight to talk about their career journeys and experiences with ARIN.

After attending the virtual Meeting Orientation to learn more about ARIN and receive helpful information for attending and participating in ARIN 53, Fellows will have the opportunity to travel to or participate virtually in both the meeting and in CaribNOG 27. At each event they will experience firsthand the policy discussions, presentations, and networking that serve as the backbone of the Internet community.

In a final virtual session held after the meeting, Fellows will discuss their experience in the program and takeaways from ARIN 53. We look forward to a fun and meaningful time with this group of Fellows and to adding more new voices to our public policy discussions.

“I learned so much from this process and met a wonderful community of folks who are inclusive and want to see more young people getting into Internet governance/policy (I’m 27). If you’re young, maybe a grad student, or just interested in finally learning about ARIN/RIRs and Internet governance, then definitely apply; you won’t be disappointed in the slightest!” — Dana Cramer, ARIN 52 Fellow

For more updates, follow us on LinkedIn at ARIN’s company page and at @TeamARIN on Facebook and X. Stay tuned for information regarding the ARIN 54 Fellowship Program this summer!

Post written by:

Amanda Gauldin
Project Manager

Recent blogs categorized under: Fellowship Program

• Introducing the ARIN 54 Fellows
• Journeying from Novice to Contributor: My Path into ARIN Policy Development
• Apply Today for the ARIN 54 Fellowship Program
• Navigating the Internet Policy Landscape: A Transformative Journey with ARIN