The Misadventures of Margo Marie
CONTRIBUTORS
Margo DeKoch
Margo DeKoch attended Texas A&M University, where she participated in an accelerated joint degree program, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Master’s in Public Administration from the Bush School of Government and Public Service. During her time at The Bush School, DeKoch discovered her passion for development and gender issues, focusing her studies on Women and International Development. Presently, DeKoch is serving as a TEFL instructor at the American Language Center in El Jadida, Morocco.
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In addition to her professional experiences, DeKoch has also led a number of personal fundraising initiatives. From creating and managing a GoFundMe campaign that provided 320 students with winter clothing and books at an all-girls school in Afghanistan’s Badakhshan province, to walking 52 miles of the Texas Coast to fundraise $660 for the non-profit “Limbs for Life,” she has aimed to make a difference in both her local and global communities.
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Metra Mehran
Born and raised in Afghanistan, Metra Mehran is a young social entrepreneur with a particular interest in women’s empowerment and education. Currently working on Sustainable Development Goals with the United Nations Development Programme, she has also worked as a program manager at the Department for International Development in Afghanistan, where she managed grants for nonprofits that primarily focused on women's empowerment, human rights, justice, media, and political accountability. Prior to that, she served as the director of the Civil & Liberal Initiative for Peace and was the co-founder and vice president of New Motion Campaign Management and PR Consulting.
A Fulbright Scholar and a leading voice in child education and women's empowerment, Mehran writes opinion pieces for local and international outlets and delivers speeches in her free time. Aside from having published op-eds in international outlets including Foreign Policy and The Diplomat, she has also given talks at Oxford University, Rice University, Arkansas University, and the United Nations headquarters in New York City alongside notable figures such as Michelle Obama.
Ray Talamantez
Born and raised in Corpus Christi, Ray Talamantez is an up and coming Texas-based artist. Over the past few years, he has worked to establish his platform by participating in shows benefiting the local community, exhibits, contests, and also social media. His goal always being to reach as many people as possible, he hopes to inspire others by bringing attention to life's hardships and highlighting the human experience through art. Using his art as an outlet, his end goal is to create a positive community for those in need of emotional support. With no plans of slowing down, he hopes to one day have enough eyes on him to partner with charities so that he can make a significant impact in the world.