Miranda Bolef

Miranda holds a BA in Political Science from Princeton University and recently completed a dual Master’s degree in Global Economic History and Global Studies as an Erasmus Mundus scholar, studying at the London School of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and the University of Vienna. Originally from the Central Coast region of California, her first significant travel outside of home was as a Bridge Year Senegal student from 2013-2014, and she has also lived and worked in Jackson, Mississippi; she considers California and Mississippi her twin home bases in the US. She is beyond excited to return to the BYP Senegal program as an instructor this year!

Her educational and experiential journey has taken her from de-carceral approaches to addressing harm, to migrant labor rights, to energy history, to the study of economic systems, and she is constantly excited to find new connections and points of intersection among the histories and issues she cares about. She strives to continuously hone her ability to listen – to loved ones, to people from different backgrounds, to history, and to the natural world around her. During her career, Miranda has worked as a college statistics tutor, ESL educator, and middle and high school academic tutor, and she loves supporting young people in their journeys. She is passionate about local history, democratic institution-building (especially economic ones), dance music throughout the decades, sustainable development and permaculture, games, conflict resolution, comedy and puns, and community building in its many forms.