MPA in Development Practice

Student Biographies

Class of 2018

MADELINE (MADDY) ACHURCH University Attended: The University of Sydney Degree(s) Awarded: M.A. Public Policy; B.A. International and Global Studies Country of Origin: Australia MDP Summer Placement 2017: UN Women, Timor-Leste Madeline is originally from Sydney, Australia. She holds a Bachelor of International and Global Studies and a Master of Public Policy from The University of Sydney. During her tertiary studies, Madeline completed internships with UNICEF Australia and Habitat for Humanity Australia. She has spent the last two and a half years working as an international volunteer coordinator with Habitat for Humanity Australia, a role that has allowed her to travel and work on Habitat for Humanity projects overseas, including an HIV/AIDS project in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and a Typhoon Haiyan recovery project in Cebu, in the Philippines.

GABRIEL (GABE) BARRIENTOS University Attended: University of Virginia Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. in Global Development Studies Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: D-Lab's International Development Innovation Network, Colombia Born and raised in Virginia, Gabriel was raised in a multicultural home. His father is from Guatemala, and his mother is from Chile, and as a result he is fluent in Spanish. He also studied abroad in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, where he studied Portuguese. Upon graduating from U.Va. in 2013, Gabriel joined the Education Global Practice of the World Bank, where he worked as a Program Assistant. He has worked on a plethora of education projects in Brazil, Argentina and throughout Central America. In his free time, he loves to meet people and play sports (particularly soccer).

ANA PAULA BEDOYA CAZORLA University Attended: Pacific University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A Economics Country of Origin: Peru MDP Summer Placement 2017: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Laos Ana Paula is a young Peruvian economist, with a focus on and commitment to social development issues. Being raised in a developing country and having the chance to travel abroad has given her the opportunity to compare realities and social practices. She has participated in various rural development projects for private and non-profit initiatives. One of the first experiences was the ANDES Association in Cusco, which is developing an indigenous economic model under a collective mark. She has also worked on social entrepreneurship topics at the international non-profit organization “NESsT,” which has been giving financial and capacity support to social enterprises in ten countries since 1997. After a year abroad in New Zealand as a program intern for Oxfam, she has been serving as an advisor for the Innovation Direction at the Peruvian Ministry of Production.

MEGAN CASSEL University Attended: Northeastern University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. International Affairs Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Wildlife Conservation Society, Rwanda Megan holds a B.A. in International Affairs from Northeastern University. As an undergraduate, she participated in a Microfinance Field Study, where she surveyed borrowers of a microfinance institution in the Dominican Republic and analyzed data to propose a restructuring of their borrower-training program. Megan later studied fair-trade coffee cooperatives in Nicaragua. She interned at a refugee resettlement agency in Boston and an NGO in Peru, where she managed micro-loans and skills-training workshops for women. She worked as a youth leader in Costa Rica and an English teacher in Spain, France, Taiwan, and Australia. Megan speaks fluent Spanish and intermediate French.

LIA CELI University Attended: UPC Degree(s) Awarded: Bachelor in Business Administration Country of Origin: Peru MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Food Programme, Peru Lia studied economics and business in Peru and Spain, respectively. Prior to SIPA, Lia founded and managed Peru’s first food bank. This food bank, which started operation in October 2014, aims to reduce hunger by redistributing surplus food. The organization focuses on food recovery (fields, productive industry and supermarket residues), volunteer programs and training workshops (food handling, nutritive cooking and solid waste management). The food bank helps more than 110,000 people monthly, distributing almost 1,000,000 meals during 2016. Lia enjoys traveling, reading and cooking with her friends. She can be described as an empathic person with a lot of joy to share with her peers.

ZINNIA BUKHARI University Attended: Lahore University of Management Sciences Degree (s) Awarded: B.Sc. Social Sciences Country of Origin: Pakistan Zinnia has spent the last year working with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Islamabad, Pakistan. As a Reports Officer, she spent her time travelling to areas affected by natural disasters or complex emergencies in Pakistan, including the drought-affected Tharparkar and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, where more than 1.5 million people have been displaced from their homes due to a military operation against militant organizations. Prior to joining the UN, Zinnia was a journalist for 3 years, working as a Sectional Editor for The Express Tribune, partner of the International New York Times and DAWN Newspaper, Pakistan's most widely read English paper.

TIMOTHY (TIM) CHA University Attended: Simpson University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Cross-Cultural Studies; TESOL Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Practical Education Network, Ghana Timothy was born and raised in San Diego, CA, where his parents immigrated as refugees from Laos. Their stories of war, loss, struggle, and hope inspired his early interest in international affairs and humanitarian efforts. Timothy has worked with various organizations around the world, advocating for education and social justice. Most recently, he taught high school English in rural Japan with the Hokkaido Board of Education, where he pioneered a team-teaching curriculum and promoted intercultural understanding. He hopes to merge his experiences and ambitions with the resources of SIPA into a holistic practice for development.

SIJIA (SISI) CHEN University Attended: Concordia University Degree Awarded: B.A. Journalism Country of Origin: Canada MDP Summer Placement 2017: UNICEF, Armenia Sijia holds a B.A. in Journalism from Concordia University. She is returning to North America after five years in Beijing, China, where she studied Mandarin at Renmin University and helmed an English-language magazine for expats. In 2015, Sijia became a freelance travel writer reporting for outlets like BBC Travel and Travel + Leisure. During that time, she started volunteering at a Beijing-based NGO called Bethel China that fosters, educates, and advocates for visually-impaired orphans. After SIPA, Sijia aims to work on projects that improve access to education for vulnerable groups, particularly women and children. Sijia speaks English, French, and Mandarin.

CHRISTOPHER (TOBY) CHILDS University Attended: Bates College Degree(s) Awarded: Philosophy and Studio Art Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: D-Lab's International Development Innovation Network, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia After completing his undergrad, Toby took to traveling the world, living in 8 different countries on 4 continents. His work ranges the whole scale of the sector, from being part of a team of 4 running health programs in Rwanda, to working for the IRC in Oakland. As a fellow for Mama Hope in Tanzania, Toby helped fundraise and manage the expansion of an elementary school as well as organize a curriculum teaching youth about the LGBTQ community. Toby's passion for international development comes from the connections he has made with individuals around the globe.

MA. ANGELICA (MICAH) FELIZ CRUZ University Attended: University of the Philippines - Diliman Degree Awarded: B.S. Geography Country of Origin: Philippines MDP Summer Placement 2017: Instituto Atuação, Brazil Angelica, or Micah as she prefers, grew up in Manila—the densest city in the world. Her upbringing showed her the vibrant nature of cities, but also their conflicting social dynamics. Her degree in Geography broadened her perspectives by contextualizing patterns in growth through regional differences. This complemented her work where she learned that regionalism and identity politics created a gap between local and national development goals. However, she also found that with a clear vision, cities could be effective in driving national development. Because of this, she intends to focus on governance reform and urban development while in SIPA.

SARAH CRUZ University Attended: University of Montreal Degree(s) Awarded: B.A International Studies Country of Origin: Andorra MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Food Programme, Italy Born and raised in Andorra, Sarah completed her bachelor in International Studies at the University of Montreal with an emphasis in Latin American politics and economics in 2014. She worked for over two years as a teacher and mentor for the Santa Marcelina School’s network, setting her passion for continued work in the field of education. Upon graduation, she first moved to Benin where she taught French in the middle school of a rural community and supported a project of local agriculture development as a focal point for a Canadian NGO. She relocated to Argentina where she worked for the International Institute of Educational Planning (IIPE) of the UNESCO Office in Buenos Aires. Her research mainly focused on the bridges between school and the market place in Latin America. Most recently, Sarah joined The World Bank in Washington DC as a consultant in Disaster Risk Management for Latin America and the Caribbean. There, she implemented and managed technical assistance projects to strengthen institutional capacity in disaster risk assessments of water and sanitation infrastructures and hydrometeorological services. Multilingual, Sarah speaks French, Spanish, Catalan, English and became fluent in Portuguese during a study abroad program in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro) followed by an internship in a Sao Paolo favela. While at SIPA, Sarah will be a Fulbright fellow from Andorra and intends to learn a sixth language.

DIEGO DE LEON SEGOVIA University Attended: Tec de Monterrey Degree (s) Awarded: BA in International Relations Country of Origin: Mexico MDP Summer Placement 2017: Executive Office of the Secretary General, United Nations, USA Diego de Leon was the Foreign Affairs Director of the State Government of Jalisco until August 2016, when he started his studies as a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University SIPA. During his time at the state government, he coordinated the state’s international agenda in public accountability, economic development, innovation, migration, environment protection, gender equality, child safety, and metropolitan growth. Previously, he worked in the private sector as a consultant, as well as in the non-profit sector in various organizations. He has a BA in International Relations from Tec de Monterrey University in Mexico, a certificate in international environment and development from American University in Washington DC, as well as experience living and working in academic settings abroad (Canada, Ghana, Chile, and the Western Sahara).

NOOPUR DESAI University Attended: Foundation for Liberal and Management Education Degree(s) Awarded: BA International Studies Country of Origin: India MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Food Programme, Ethiopia Armed with a BA in International Studies, Noopur worked for social sector advisory firms like Intellecap and Shujog that introduced her to the compelling concepts of social enterprise and impact investing. Along with helping enterprises assess their impact, she has worked on research engagements cutting across themes like inclusive finance for agribusinesses, urban poverty, sanitation, health and sustainable land management, amongst others. Noopur is an active member of Robin Hood Army, a volunteer group that works to get surplus food from restaurants to the less fortunate. Her interests include disaster management, renewable energy, sanitation, health and agriculture. At SIPA, she hopes to learn about the different ways in which sustainable development can be created, so as perhaps to pioneer some of her own in the future.

COLETTE EUSTACE University Attended: Stony Brook University Degrees Awarded: B.A. Economics, B.A. Sociology Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: D-Lab's International Development Innovation Network, Guatemala Colette Eustace is originally from New York and graduated from Stony Brook University with degrees in Economics & Sociology. As an undergraduate, Colette volunteered in Honduras with Students Helping Honduras, building schools in rural villages and leading the chapter at her university. Following graduation, she moved to Honduras to pursue this work full-time as the organization’s National Volunteer Coordinator. Colette has led trips for many years for individuals from all around the United States while abroad. Her other work and internship experience includes Global Cities Inc. of Bloomberg Philanthropies, Room to Read & the U.S. Peace Corps.

TAYLOR FISHER University Attended: South Dakota State University Degree(s) Awarded: Bachelor of Science in Nursing Country or Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Bank, Rwanda/Tanzania Lost in a sea of understanding, Taylor graduated from South Dakota State University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. He first glimpsed a foreign world in Brikama, The Gambia where he worked under the direction of Cuban doctors. He returned knowing the vessel had only just departed on this voyage. The next step for him involved tutoring and mentoring local immigrant and refugee children in his local community. As disparities and gaps within the pedagogy of the world became increasingly clear, he left his career behind and ventured back to Fada N'Gourma, Burkina Faso for intensive French language immersion.

ELIZABETH FONT University Attended: Universidad de la República Degree(s) Awarded: B.S. in Chemistry, M.S in Environmental Science, Degree in Economics Country of Origin: Uruguay MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Experience for Georgia, Georgia With a BS in Chemistry, Elizabeth was always concerned about environmental issues. She started a master’s degree in Environmental Science, where she conducted pioneering studies in Uruguay on water-related issues. Elizabeth’s passion for sustainable development led her to pursue a graduate degree in Economics. In 2014 she was selected by Carolina Foundation to participate in the Iberoamerican Leadership Youth Program. In 2015 she joined the Iberoamerican Network of Young Leaders as part of the Committee Project, which aims to promote the growth and development of Iberoamerica by strengthening the leadership of the youth in the region.

MEGAN GERMAIN University Attended: University of California, San Diego Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. International Studies: Economics Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: UNICEF, Jordan At SIPA Megan will focus on education as a response and prevention to the cycles of poverty and violence. Raised and educated in California, she graduated from U.C. San Diego earning a degree in International Studies: Economics with a specialization in Latin America. As an undergraduate, Megan volunteered at a refugee resettlement agency to help refugees secure adequate housing, navigate the immigration system, and transition to life in the United States. Megan’s concern for social and economic development began on her first high school trip to El Salvador with the Tamarindo Foundation (a rural community center). She has since returned several times to El Salvador, sharing, working, and learning from the small community in the mountains. Megan has spent the past year living in El Salvador as a Program Development and Communications Director for the foundation, focusing on community and social development and educational advocacy.

MARIA JIMENA GONZALEZ MILLAN University Attended: Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. International Relations Country of Origin: Mexico MDP Summer Placement 2017: Columbia SIPA, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Peru Maria graduated from the Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico (ITAM) with a BA in International Relations. During her studies, she interned at the Mexican Embassy in the United States and the Mexican Commission of Refugee Assistance (COMAR). After graduating, Maria worked three years at Fundacion IDEA/C230 Consultores, a think tank/consulting firm in Mexico City devoted to public policy in economic and social development. There, she worked with the federal government and international organizations, such as USAID and the British Embassy, in projects in innovation, small businesses, gender-based violence, and social prevention of violence.

ANA LUCIA GRAJALES University Attended: Yale University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A Economics, B.A Global Affairs Country of Origin: Colombia MDP Summer Placement 2017: Echo Mobile, Kenya Ana Lucia graduated from Yale University with a double degree in Economics and Global Affairs. As a Colombian, Ana Lucia has always had a keen interest in economic development and social inclusion. After her time at Yale, she pursued these interests by working with SELCO India, a clean energy social enterprise based in Bangalore, India. In addition, Ana Lucia worked as a consultant at a leading Colombian strategy and management consulting firm in Bogota, where she had the chance to work with several government organizations and industry groups in developing and implementing their strategic planning.

CORA GRIFFIN University Attended: University of Texas at Austin Degree(s) Awarded: Bachelor in Accounting, Bachelor in Spanish, Master in Accounting Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Kiron, Jordan Cora joins SIPA after three years of living and working in Hamburg, Germany. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a double degree in Accounting and Spanish, Cora began her career as an auditor with Deloitte in New York. Since moving to Germany in 2012, she has helped business executives perfect their communication skills in international professional settings. She has also collaborated with and worked as a financial advisor to a local social enterprise that funds education programs in three African countries. Cora is passionate about social entrepreneurship and the positive impacts the private sector can have on the sustainable development field.

LUCIA DEL PILAR HARO University Attended: Universidad del Pacifico, Uppsala University Degree(s) Awarded: Bachelor of Business Administration Country of Origin: Peru MDP Summer Placement 2017: Educate Girls, India Lucia earned a degree in Business Administration from Universidad del Pacifico. After graduation, she worked for 5 years in marketing in FMCG companies, leading the re-launch and new image implementation of two important brands in Peru. Lucia is a communications volunteer in Ankay, a non-profit organization that gives university scholarships to students from low income families. In 2014, she joined the Ministry of Education to implement a new policy: COAR schools (public schools for high-talented students). She managed public-private projects for school infrastructure and worked on the design of the program’s impact evaluation. She is especially interested in social entrepreneurship and education.

LISA HATTORI University Attended: Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College Degree(s) Awarded: BBA in Accounting Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Mercy Corps, Uganda Lisa Hattori received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College. After graduation, she focused on parlaying the efficiency and output accuracy of business practices into the development field. This led to her work in M&E and operations management as a Fellow at the Deshpande Foundation in India, and as a Business Development Officer at Forcier Consulting in Egypt. In service of the principle that an organization is only as effective as their direct services staff, Lisa worked tirelessly as a caseworker for the Spanish speaking community at Jacob Riis Settlement.

NATHANIEL (NATE) HOFFMAN University Attended: Case Western Reserve University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A., Economics, B.A., English Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: PEGAfrica, Ghana Nate graduated from Case Western Reserve University in 2009 with degrees in International Economics and English. Following graduation he joined a consulting firm writing grant proposals focused on solar, wind, and other renewable energy technologies. For the last four years he has led business development and proposal management activities for a social marketing and communications firm in Washington, D.C. working on issues of poverty, healthcare, and education. Nate also works as a United Nations online volunteer helping organizations to secure funding for projects ranging from debit card training programs to building and maintaining soccer fields for youth in Zambia.

ZACHARY (ZAC) HOYER-LEITZEL University Attended: Oberlin College Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Sociology Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Kiron, Germany Zac Hoyer-Leitzel has worked in education and skill development, ranging from youth empowerment and career coaching to adult ESOL teaching. His recent position in Washington Heights has furthered his interest in the economic impact of training interventions. Adept at team leadership, workshop facilitation and direct service work with clients, Zac is excited to build a solid quantitative skills set and scale his previous work at the individual level. Zac is an Oberlin College alumnus who majored in Sociology with a concentration in Latin American studies and is now shifting his focus to East Africa. Zac lives in Queens, NY.

RUI HUANG University Attended: Georgetown University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Political Economy Country of Origin: China MDP Summer Placement 2017: Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Kenya; Acumen, Pakistan After graduation in 2012, Rui worked as an investment banking analyst at Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong for two years, before joining the city's leading English media, South China Morning Post, to look after its corporate strategies and investments in areas including data analytics, e-commerce and education. During college, Rui completed a thesis on labor migration and urban-rural income disparity in China, and developed a strong interest in social enterprise and impact investing after she volunteered with Dream Corps to establish libraries in rural China, interned with Calvert Foundation to monitor its investments in community lending institutions in the US, and engaged in a consulting project with Agora Partnerships. Rui hopes to further explore the possibilities of both socially and financially sustainable development programs by combining such interests with her professional experience.

CAMILA JORDAN University Attended: NOVA University Degrees(s) Awarded: B.S. Environmental Engineering Country of Origin: Brazil MDP Summer Placement 2017: Civic Hall, USA One grows up being taught to be sure about everything, but Camila came to realize the importance of not being afraid to ask pertinent questions. While working in the poorest favelas in Brazil with community development one might think the answers are obvious, but rather than arriving with set solutions, one should learn to listen to what people are saying. With multi- local experience in Europe, Asia and South America and five languages to aid in all the listening, Camila is hoping to find more people willing to ask questions and work together for an equal world.

MICHELLE JOSEPH University Attended: The George Washington University Degrees(s) Awarded: B.S. Public Health, Minor in Sociocultural Anthropology Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Kiron, Germany Michelle is originally from Brooklyn, NY. She completed her BS in Public Health at the George Washington University. Michelle has worked for the Centers for Disease Control for five years. She started as a fellow developing STD/HIV initiatives in Haitian and LGBTQ communities in Miami for two years. She then moved to CDC's emergency response division and worked with programs in NY and Chicago to strengthen local public health response capabilities. Michelle has filled several emergency management roles for national and global CDC response efforts to public health emergencies across the U.S., the Caribbean, and West Africa.

AIZHAN KAPYSHEVA University Attended: Nazarbayev University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. in Political Science Country of Origin: Kazakhstan MDP Summer Placement 2017: UNICEF, Jordan Aizhan comes to SIPA from Astana, Kazakhstan. She has been working with the World Health Organization on strengthening communication and relations between health care providers and patients in Kazakhstan. For the past year Aizhan has served as a member of the Asian regional steering group for the World Humanitarian Summit where she represented youth from Central Asia. Aizhan is an alumna of the US Government sponsored Future Leaders Exchange Program 2010, during which time she lived in Bath, Maine. Aizhan is interested in public health, women and youth empowerment, education, and social inclusion. She speaks Russian and Kazakh in addition to English.

MASAAKI KOMATSU University Attended: University of Tokyo Degree(s) Awarded: B.E. Civil Engineering Country of Origin: Japan MDP Summer Placement 2017: OECD's Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Local Development and Tourism, France Masaaki’s overall career goal to build better social systems was shaped by his childhood experiences. In 1995 he was living near Kobe, Japan when the Great Hanshin Earthquake struck. Many died, and those who survived were forced to adapt to a drastically different lifestyle. That experience motivated him to dedicate his career to preventing future tragedies and building a more stable, prosperous society. He wrote a graduate thesis about disaster management and received a Bachelor’s degree. Now he works for the Japanese government and engages in economic and industrial policies. At SIPA, Masaaki is looking forward to acquiring skill sets related to reducing vulnerability.

SABRINA KURI University Attended: Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Law Country of Origin: Mexico MDP Summer Placement 2017: UN Women, Timor-Leste Sabrina graduated from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México with a law degree. As an undergraduate she spent two years as a research assistant for the Mexican Council of Science and Technology, as well as a semester doing research on the regulation related to governmental performance. Afterwards, she studied a Diploma in Public Policy at the Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas. She has mostly worked as a consultant for both public and private entities, in regulatory and public policy matters.

JEREMY LAKIN University Attended: New York University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. in Politics & Romantic Languages Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: SeeSaw, South Africa Jeremy Lakin is originally from Reading, PA and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY. He graduated with honors from New York University in 2015 with a B.A. in Politics & Romantic Languages. Since then he has consulted for several NGOs in the WASH and health sectors including Global Health Corps, charity: water, and Saha Global. Jeremy also volunteers with several nonprofits in NYC including Girls on the Run NYC and Row New York and serves on the Young Executive Board of the latter. In his spare time Jeremy rows for Row New York’s Competitive Masters Team.

AIK HONG (LUCIAN) LEE University Attended: National University of Singapore Degrees Awarded: B.S. Materials Science & Engineering Country of Origin: Malaysia MDP Summer Placement 2017: CMMB, Haiti Originally from Malaysia, Lucian moved to Singapore in 2007 and completed a degree in engineering at the National University of Singapore. He joined Swiss power and automation group, ABB, as a Marketing Communications Executive, where he was part of the global marketing events team at the landing of Solar Impulse in Southeast Asia during the solar airplane’s first round-the-world flight. He also facilitated negotiations on corporate funding and the implementation of an access-to-electricity project with the NGO Pact. In joining SIPA, he hopes to translate the relevance of SDGs to the private sector and get involved in humanitarian work.

XIAOHAN LONG University Attended: China Agricultural University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Management, concentration in Regional Development Country of Origin: China MDP Summer Placement 2017: International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, UAE Born and raised in western China, Xiaohan witnessed the rapid development of his hometown and was well aware of the strengths and weaknesses of China’s development strategy. Xiaohan graduated from China Agricultural University with a B.A. in Management, concentrating in Regional Development Studies. During his study, he completed internships in China's Ministry of Commerce and The State Council Leading Group Office of Poverty Alleviation and Development. He also did field research in Tanzania and Kenya on the Sino-African cooperation and China's development assistance. He is excited to join the MDP program and looks forward to exchange ideas and opinions on poverty alleviation with others.

SARAH MONTGOMERY University Attended: Santa Clara University Degree(s) Awarded: B.S. Anthropology Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Educate Girls, India/USA; Inter-Agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE), USA Sarah graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in Anthropology. During her undergraduate career, Sarah spent her summers working at Daraja Academy, a free, all-girls secondary school, in Kenya. Following her graduation from Santa Clara, Sarah moved to Kenya to serve as the International Outreach Coordinator at Daraja. During her almost two years in Kenya, Sarah facilitated Daraja’s Women of Integrity, Strength, and Hope empowerment class, which is now being taught in numerous Kenyan public schools. In addition, she created an alumnae program, coordinated school volunteers, assisted with the 5th-year Transition Program, and conducted home visits with Daraja students.

ANVI MRIDUL University Attended: University of Bristol Degree Awarded: BSc Economics Country of Origin: India MDP Summer Placement 2017: International Center for Biosaline Agriculture, UAE During her time at the University of Bristol, Anvi presided over the Sustainability Team and coordinated climate change and sustainability conferences. To pursue her passion for community development, she interned with Jal Bhagirathi Foundation and Clinton Health Access Initiative working on health, sanitation and water conservation issues. Her work at Development Advisory Services at EY spanned across various thematic and functional areas. Social impact analysis, programme assessment and documentation projects for UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women and government bodies exposed her to on-the-ground development challenges. Most recently, she developed tools for qualitative assessments of the socioeconomic impact of biomass power plants across India.

BOBBY E. MUSAH University Attended: Bristol Business School, United Kingdom and A.M.E University, Liberia Degree(s) Awarded: MSc in Finance Country of Origin: Liberia MDP Summer Placement 2017: The Sustainable Development Goals Center for Africa, Rwanda With the passion of becoming a sustainable development expert to help in the fight against global poverty, Bobby has never ceased to tread the path of educational advancement. Bobby completed his undergraduate studies at the A.M.E University in Liberia and later pursued a graduate degree in Empirical Finance from the Bristol Business School in the United Kingdom where he graduated with honors. Prior to joining SIPA, he had over 8 years of work experience, having served the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning in Liberia in various capacities, traversing from a mere bookkeeper position to becoming the Director for Economic Policy Unit. He also served as the focal person on Sustainable Development Goals as well as the focal person representing the Ministry on the Technical Committee of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) on Macroeconomic Convergence. He is hoping that the MPA-DP will adequately prepare him to take on the challenge of working in developing countries, where an overwhelming majority of the population is poor, hungry and approximately 12.9 percent are undernourished. He wishes to focus on agriculture, food security and nutrition, thereby complementing it with infrastructure studies.

VARISTHA NAKORNTHAP University Attended: Chulalongkorn University Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts Country of Origin: Thailand MDP Summer Placement 2017: Almaty University, Kazakhstan Varistha received her Bachelor of Arts from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. She became interested in the public affairs field during the period of a severe flood in Thailand in 2011 where she, as secretary of the Student Government, led the university’s flood relief program along with her peers. Varistha worked for an international oil and gas company for two years in supporting the preparation and implementation of CSR projects. Wishing to explore the public affairs field beyond the business realm, she joined Ashoka, an international network of leading social entrepreneurs, in its Venture and Fellowship team in Thailand in June 2015.

MANASI NANAVATI University Attended: University of Illinois Springfield Degree(s) Awarded: MS Environmental Sciences Country of Origin: India MDP Summer Placement 2017: ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability, Germany Before entering graduate school, Manasi worked as an environmental executive in private environmental consultancy in Gujarat, India. During her Master’s, she interned in the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency as a data coordinator. Manasi also worked with Greenvolved, LLC to help community-led projects in developing countries to obtain funding based on their applicability. Before joining SIPA, she was working as a research consultant at World Resources Institute-India, where she was a part of the Urban Climate Resilience team. In collaboration with WRI-Brazil, Manasi assisted in contextualizing indicators for Indian cities’ resilience assessment and building urban resilience to climate change by helping cities address their climate risks and vulnerabilities.

KATHERINE (KATIE) NELSON University Attended: Stanford University Degree(s) Awarded: BA, Human Biology; BA, History Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: United Nations Population Fund, Turkey Katie comes to SIPA from San Francisco, where she spent the last three years working at a community development financial institution to provide financing and technical assistance to disadvantaged small business owners. Prior to that, she worked as an intern at the peer-to-peer microlender Kiva and on a WASH project in rural Cambodia with IDE. At SIPA, she is excited to expand her interest in the linkages between global health, reproductive justice, and infrastructure development.

CORTNEY NEWELL University Attended: University of Virginia Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. in English Literature Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Mercy Corps, Uganda After spending a year as a teacher in Siguatepeque, Honduras, Cortney transferred to Amigos for Christ, a nonprofit organization in Chinandega, Nicaragua, and spent the next four years specializing in the kind of integrated, sustainable community development that Amigos practices, eventually serving as the Director of Communications for the organization. The juxtaposition of her experiences in these two countries created a keen awareness of the critical and at times disproportionate role lack of personal security and exposure to violence can play in development, and she hopes to further explore and specialize in these issues during her time at SIPA.

FERNANDA BORGES NOGUEIRA University Attended: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. International Relations Country of Origin: Brazil MDP Summer Placement 2017: EA Consultants, USA Fernanda has worked on development in several organizations, whether focused on leadership and people empowerment, or business growth. Born and raised in Brazil, she managed a local Aiesec committee and actively participated in different academic activities. After acquiring her B.A. in International Relations, she joined the trainee program at Itau Bank to work with business development in Latin America. She is interested in applying best practices in public policies for education and entrepreneurship to contribute to Brazil’s progress, and make the country a successful model to be followed by the developing world.

HANNAH PAPAGEORGE University Attended: Fairfield University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. International Studies Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Save the Children, Mexico Hannah graduated from Fairfield University with a B.A. in International Studies. While at Fairfield, she assisted with research to support policy recommendations for the International Refugee Rights Initiative and volunteered with youth after-school programs and literacy tutoring initiatives in Bridgeport, CT. Following graduation she worked with the Argentine Network for International Cooperation, and volunteered with children’s education initiatives, but it was her Peace Corps experience that ultimately led her to SIPA. Hannah served as a Childhood Literacy Promoter in the Dominican Republic where she focused on curriculum development, teacher training, small group tutoring and the development of a school library.

KRUTI PATEL University attended: American University Degree(s) awarded: B.A. International Studies Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Muditar Foundation, Myanmar Kruti is originally from North Stonington, Connecticut. She graduated from American University in Washington DC in 2013 with a B.A. in International Studies and minors in Chinese Language and Economics. She served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Indonesia from 2014-2016 where she taught high school English. As a secondary project, she created Camp SEHAT (Sex Education and HIV/AIDS Awareness for Teens). She also served as the secretary for the Peace Corps Indonesia Gender Equality Committee.

ANA RAVIÑA EIRIN University Attended: HEC Paris, ESADE Business School Degree(s) Awarded: MSc in Finance; Bachelor in Business Administration Country of Origin: Spain MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Food Programme, Senegal Ana, born and raised in Spain, studied Business Administration at ESADE Business School in Barcelona and HEC Paris. Upon graduation she spent 3 months as a business consultant in the largest farmers’ cooperative in Nicaragua. Subsequently, she joined Morgan Stanley as an investment banking analyst, based in Madrid and London. After 3 years, she moved to the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board to do credit investing. She comes to SIPA to understand better the role that markets and institutions can play in tackling climate change. Ana speaks Spanish, Galician, English and French fluently and enjoys traveling, literature and practicing karate.

JOHN ROUSE University Attended: American University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. International Studies Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Asociación ANDES, Peru John was born and raised in New York. He studied international Studies and Arabic at American University. Since graduating, he has worked in Australia and Cambodia coordinating international volunteer projects. In Cambodia he worked on building an artificial coral reef, water catchment systems, and jump starting a volunteer program at the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary. He has a passion for international development and environmental science. Adding to an already miscellaneous set of skills, John has recently acquired a pilot’s license and a Scuba instructor license.

ANDREA CRISTINA (CRISTI) RUIZ University Attended: The George Washington University Degree(s) Awarded: International Affairs (B.A.) and Economics (B.S.) Country of Origin: United States and Ecuador MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Food Programme, Panama Andrea Cristina’s entrepreneurial spirit connected her to international development while founding and managing an initiative that provided books to underserved schools in Miami and South America. This led her to work in multiple sectors including NGOs, local, national, and foreign governments, multilateral organizations, and research institutes with organizations like Ashoka, Institute for International Economic Policy, the Ecuadorian IRS, Embassy of Ecuador, and the Organization of American States. She has research experience in macroeconomics, labor economics, trade, and taxation. Andrea Cristina is combining her passion for economics, science, and the environment to help communities be more resilient. She joins SIPA after a year in Miami working in climate education with The CLEO Institute and supporting the Miami-Dade County Office of Resilience.

JORGE SALEM University Attended: Colorado College Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. International Political Economy Country of Origin: Peru MDP Summer Placement 2017: Impacto Social Consultores, Mexico Jorge Salem studied International Political Economy at The Colorado College and graduated in 2007. He just completed a Supply Chain Program for Mining in ESAN postgraduate school. Jorge has more than nine years pioneering in the social capitalist field, finding viable and efficient alternatives to relieve poverty through market led initiatives. He has experience working in the microfinance industry, in the artisans’ cooperative business, and in the mining industry leading local procurement, business training programs for local suppliers and a social management program for contractors. Jorge has lived in Peru, US (college), Netherlands and Argentina (exchange program), and Guatemala (work).

MARIO SARAIVA University Attended: Trent University, Ontario, Canada Degree(s) Awarded: B.S. Business Administration Country of Origin: Brazil MDP Summer Placement 2017: Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment, USA Mario Saraiva is a Brazilian national and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Trent University in Canada. He joined the World Bank in 2012 as part of the Resource Management Team. Since then Mario has taken assignments in different sectors such as in the Sustainable Development, Social Protection and Disaster Risk Management departments. Mario is also a volunteer at a local NGO, and is the founder of The Kids Project, dedicated to fostering leadership development in children through engagement with local community projects. Mario is fluent in Portuguese, English and Spanish.

JAYANT (JAY) SHARMA University Attended: Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University Degree(s) Awarded: B.Tech in Information Technology Country of Origin: India MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Bank, Rwanda/Tanzania Jayant is joining SIPA after 7 years of bringing change at progressively bigger scale. Post engineering school, he co-founded an ultra-fast-moving management consulting firm, which served Indian Government’s trade promotion bodies. Then, he joined the moderately sized yet highly nimble Clinton Health Access Initiative to see through an initiative from start to its end. There, he successfully implemented a Greenfield supply chain management system with an embedded patient health record system for the Indian Government’s National HIV/AIDS program. Then, he joined a massive UN organization – UNICEF - to conceive and operationalize a global supply chain transformation project using mobile technologies.

BRENNAN SHEARER University Attended: University of South Carolina Degree(s) Awarded: B.S. Finance Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: TechnoServe, Botswana Brennan is a Marine Corps veteran who spent 5 years with a Marine fighter jet squadron, responding to military and humanitarian crises throughout the Asia-Pacific. After departing the Marine Corps and earning his B.S. in Finance he became a financial consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers and worked to solve complex problems for some of the largest banks in the world. Brennan departed PwC to join a fintech startup funded by legendary private equity group, Blackstone. During this time, he and another veteran started a non-profit named House of Stars and Stripes, which aims to eliminate Veteran homelessness.

ANJANA SHYAMNATH University Attended: Kerala University, India Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Economics, M.A. Economics, Certified Associate of Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB) Country of Origin: India MDP Summer Placement 2017: World Food Programme, Italy Anjana Shyamnath, a Central Banker by profession for more than seven years with a post graduate degree in Economics, has been actively involved in development policy implementation, enhancement of financial literacy and furthering financial inclusion. She has diverse experience in the realm of Central Banking, ranging from currency management and distribution to the conduct of Monetary Policy Conferences and release of various Central Bank publications/ communications. She has conducted studies on self-help groups and ways to empower women, as well as various classes, language workshops and skill development programmes for RBI officers and staff. She has also contributed towards knowledge development by taking pre-recruitment classes for RBI examinations for under privileged sections of the society.

BENJAMIN (BEN) TAN University Attended: University of Melbourne Degree(s) Awarded: Bachelor of Arts (Development Studies); Bachelor of Laws Country of Origin: Australia MDP Summer Placement 2017: Innovations for Poverty Action, Liberia Ben has worked for the last four years as a management consultant in the public policy team at KPMG in Australia. During this time, he spent a year on secondment as the executive officer of an Indigenous Australian community-controlled think tank, working on a national governance reform initiative for Indigenous development. Ben has also volunteered at Oaktree, a youth-run development organization focused on education in Southeast Asia. At Oaktree, he led fundraising campaigns that raised over $500,000 and more recently has served on Oaktree’s board of directors. Ben has also been employed in policy officer roles for national and state governments in Australia.

YUKO TERAMAE University Attended: Keio University, Middlebury College (exchange) Degree(s) Awarded: Economics Country of Origin: Japan MDP Summer Placement 2017: The Open Society Foundations, USA Yuko worked for GE for 4 years after finishing university. During her undergraduate studies, she enrolled in activities in developing countries where she became interested in using finance to impact the underserved communities. At GE, she joined one of its leadership programs, Financial Management Program (FMP), where she experienced several different roles in finance departments in GE Energy and Capital. Interested in impact investing and social impact evaluation, she started working for an NPO that conducts impact evaluation and promotes social impact investment in Japan together with the government and major Japanese foundations.

KATHRYN UHL University Attended: University of California, San Diego Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. International Studies - Political Science Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Laboratoria, Peru Kathryn graduated with a degree in International Studies and specialized in the Latin American region. She has studied and lived in Spain, Chile, and Brazil. Since graduation, Kathryn initially worked at a public defense law firm focusing on criminal defense and political asylum cases. Kathryn later worked as a researcher on a team that designs and develops mobile banking solutions for businesses. She also serves on a Young Professionals Council of a non-profit that provides meals to people with terminal illnesses and volunteers with Upwardly Global, an organization that helps immigrants rebuild their professional careers in the U.S.

STEPHANIE ULLRICH University Attended: University of California, Berkeley Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Peace and Conflict Studies, B.A. Media Studies, minor in Global Poverty and Practice Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: USAID, Guatemala Stephanie is interested in the nexus between development, crises, and food/water security. After graduating, Stephanie joined UNDP as a John Gardner Public Service Fellow and consultant. She has worked with UNDP to support environment and poverty project evaluations in over 75 developing countries. Stephanie has also worked on grassroots organizing in post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans; on livelihoods development in India with Tata; and on electronic-waste management in Ghana. She also co-leads a social enterprise in Madagascar and volunteers with asylum seekers at a detention center. Stephanie is excited to enter the MPA-DP program as a USAID Donald M. Payne Fellow.

BRIGETTE WARDRICK University Attended: Howard University Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Political Science Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: PEGAfrica and Community Development Alliance, Ghana Brigette Wardrick received a B. A. in Political Science in December 2013. As a McNair Scholar, she published a thesis entitled Resolving Issues of Conflict Countries Through Constitutions: South Africa and Afghanistan. Upon completing her undergraduate degree, she travelled to Ghana to learn more about her heritage. She dedicated two additional years to teaching in Ghana and evaluating some of the economic factors stunting the country’s development. Upon graduation of the MPA-DP program, Brigette aspires to be a supervisor of sustainable projects in developing countries. She is particularly interested in sustainable infrastructure and housing, agriculture, water management, and rural development.

HERMILA YIFTER University Attended: Georgetown University Degree(s) Awarded: B.S. Foreign Service Country of Origin: United States MDP Summer Placement 2017: Kiron, Germany; U.S. Embassy Rabat, Morocco Hermila Yifter graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University as a first-generation college student with a degree in Culture and Politics focusing on the intersectionality and role of women in development in the MENA and East African regions. She is a Pickering Fellow and will work with the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer upon graduation. Hermila is a Critical Language Scholar and studied Arabic in Morocco, studied abroad in Jordan, and interned at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ethiopia. She is fluent and proficient in Tigrinya, Amharic, and Arabic. Currently, Hermila is an AmeriCorps VISTA working in refugee resettlement.

GIOVANNI (GIO) ZENTENO HERNANDEZ University Attended: Instituto Tecnologico Autonomo de Mexico Degree(s) Awarded: B.A. Business with a specialization in International Business & Investment Analysis Country of Origin: Chiapas - Mexico MDP Summer Placement 2017: Ashoka, USA Originally from Chiapas, Giovanni is a Class of 2018 MPA-DP candidate. He holds a BA in Business with specializations in International Business and Investment Analysis from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México. Prior to SIPA, Giovanni was an Investment Analyst for the International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group) in the Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Services Department. During the summer of 2016 he interned at Shekere, a bottom of the pyramid distribution company in Eastern Africa; he is now a board member. Gio’s hobbies include general extreme sports. Goals for the future include cooperating towards the eradication of poverty and travelling.

XINCHENG (SHAUNA) ZHANG University Attended: Queen's University Degree(s) Awarded: Bachelor in Commerce Country of Origin: China MDP Summer Placement 2017: i4SD, USA Shauna Zhang was raised in her hometown Beijing, China before moving to Canada. She specialized in accounting and finance at Queen's University's business school. During her studies, she interned at top-tier banks to gain well-rounded perspectives of the global business world. While studying abroad at Peking University in her junior year, she first gained interest in international development, so she participated in Beijing week on Energy and Environment, organized by SIPA, to learn about sustainable development. Shauna is thrilled to join the MPA-DP program, as her goal is to become a strong advocate towards investing in sustainable opportunities.