Kathryn Hall grew up in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania and currently lives with her husband, Michael. She first graduated from Archmere Academy in 2004 as class president and received the highly respected Archmere Award. Four years later, Hall received a BA in biology, with minors in chemistry and nutrition, from the University of Pennsylvania and as of now still attends there as a medical student in training.

Hall’s father, Scott Cunningham, enjoyed telling Hall about his time in the Peace Crops in West Africa, and it was from these stories that Hall’s interest in Africa came about. Hall was also a dedicated girl scout, which helped her to develop a love for community service.

Hall started Power Up Gambia not only to provide electricity for hospitals but also to save lives from being lost to inadequate healthcare. As a student studying healthcare, Hall was given the opportunity to volunteer at the Sulayman Junkung General Hospital one summer. There, she was invited to observe what turned out to be a life changing tragedy. During the emergency cesarean section, everyone, including Hall, waited for any signs of life from the newly delivered infant. After twenty-five minutes, however, it became evident that the new life was already dead. Hall writes,

"The surgeon later explained that the baby had suffocated in utero. If only they had had enough power to use the ultrasound machine for each pregnancy, he would have detected the problem earlier and been able to plan the C-section. Without early detection, the C-section became an emergency; moreover, the surgery had to wait for the generator to be powered on."

The absence of reliable electricity will continue to strip life from the citizens of The Gambia if the matter is not addressed immediately. The average life expectancy of the country already lands at a mere fifty-four years, whereas that of the U.S. is about seventy-eight years and about sixty-six years for the world. Thankfully, the experience was enough to inspire Hall to save the people of The Gambia, and coincidentally, being a student who enjoys studying after sunset, Hall’s approach is efficient. Knowing that The Gambia is a sunny region, Hall and her team use only top-of-the-line solar panels with two-year warranties.