Hilary Geneva Tackie is the Communications Intern at the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP). In this role, Geneva supports IHEP’s media monitoring, social media strategy, newsletter production, and partner engagement.

Prior to joining IHEP, Geneva served as a Princeton in Africa Fellow at Rwamagana Leaders’ School in Rwanda, where she led school-wide literacy programming, provided monitoring and evaluation support, and supported students navigating international college admissions. Before her fellowship, Geneva worked for First Lady Jill Biden in the White House Office of the First Lady and contributed research and public writing on college access, transfer pathways, and online learning with New America’s Higher Education program. She also conducted quantitative research with the Cornell Education Policy Lab.

Geneva earned an associate degree from Northern Virginia Community College before completing her B.S. in Public Policy at Cornell University. She will begin her Master’s in International Education and Development at the University of Pennsylvania in fall 2026. Geneva is the founder of Excel Ed, a social venture that helps students across Africa discover their passions and turn them into real world projects.

As a community college transfer student, Geneva experienced firsthand how the right guidance at the right moment can change a student’s trajectory. She is motivated to ensure that all students, in the United States and around the world, can access the transformative benefits of postsecondary education. Outside of work, she loves traveling and anything purple.