The SIPA Office of Alumni and Development is pleased to share A View from the Class, a SIPA stories series featuring current SIPA students, recently graduated alumni, and faculty. 

Hello, I am Ryan Dahm, a first-year Master of Public Administration (MPA) candidate, concentrating in International Security Policy and specializing in Management. I am also honored to be the recipient of SIPA’s Michael and Polly Brandmeyer Fellowship.

What were you doing prior to attending SIPA?

I served five years in the U.S. Army as an infantry platoon leader, company executive officer, battalion communications and signal officer (S6), and battalion operations officer. I participated in many multinational efforts in the North Sinai Peninsula, Eastern Europe, and as a part of a NATO Battle Group in Bemowo Piskie, Poland. Being stationed in Europe and operating in an international environment were the most thrilling aspects of my professional life.

Why did you choose SIPA?

Columbia SIPA was my dream school after I commissioned out of the ROTC program at my undergraduate school majoring in international affairs and economics. SIPA’s diversity and predominantly international student body was something that appealed to me. I also knew names like Professors Dipali Mukhopadhyay, Thomas Christensen, and Richard Betts from my academic studies in international relations, and I wanted to go to the school that had the most renowned academics in diplomacy and international affairs.

Why did you choose to focus your SIPA studies on International Security Policy and Management?

Although I voluntarily separated from the military, I knew my future was in the American foreign policy or national security apparatus. The International Security Policy program seemed like the perfect fit. I also wanted to civilianize my leadership style through SIPA’s management courses. Dr. Kirsti Samuels, a lecturer at SIPA and an experienced leadership trainer and coach, mediator, and facilitator, has taught me valuable leadership concepts that I hope to utilize in the future.

What are your plans this summer?

I was chosen as a Harold W. Rosenthal Fellow in International Relations, a program by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service, and will be interning this summer at either the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction section, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), or the Bureau of Refugees and Migration at the U.S. State Department.

How is the COVID-19 pandemic affecting your studies and post-graduation plans?

It has definitely made me appreciate in-person education and the resulting relationships developed with fellow classmates. I think students will need to be more mindful about proactively pursuing opportunities.

What are you looking forward to studying and doing during your second year at SIPA?

I am looking forward to taking any class taught by Dr. Peter Clement, our intelligence officer in residence, Professor Thomas Christensen, or Dr. Kirsti Samuels. I am also excited to attend the Latin American Student Association (LASA) party and class boat party. Neither disappoints.

What makes SIPA unique?

In addition to its world-renowned faculty, SIPA attracts bright students with a unique mindset and motivation. Being a part of SIPA reminds me of military camaraderie—everyone has a shared mission to contribute in public service, just in civilian attire.

Is there a particular SIPA experience that stands out?

Learning about China’s foreign policy from a giant like Professor Thomas Christensen was the academic highlight of my life. Having spent fifteen months in the Middle East and four years in Europe, it was thrilling to learn from a leading expert about East Asia, a region I knew little about.

What are your plans after SIPA?

I will likely join the Foreign Service or the U.S. State Department’s Civil Service.

The SIPA Office of Alumni and Development is pleased to share A View from the Class, a SIPA stories series featuring current SIPA students, recently graduated alumni, and faculty. 

Hello, I am Maria José Pinto, a Master of International Affairs (MIA) candidate, concentrating in Economic and Political Development (EPD) with a specialization in Gender and Public Policy and a regional specialization in Latin American Studies.

What did you do before attending SIPA?

After graduating from the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Peru, my home country, with a degree in business management, I worked with Carolina Trivelli, former Minister for Social Inclusion and Development in Peru, on a financial inclusion initiative focused on vulnerable populations, and later, for the British Embassy as a Science and Innovation Fund coordinator in the Economic Development Department. Besides working on international aid cooperation initiatives, I had the chance to discover my passion for gender equality, as the Embassy gave me flexibility to work on issues that were close to my heart. I designed a project to eliminate gender roles within the Peruvian national STEM education curricula, to encourage girls to go into STEM studies.

Why did you choose to concentrate in EPD and specialize in GPP?

I believe that before policy makers can effectively shape public policy, it is essential they understand the needs of those they hope to help. EPD gives you that opportunity through its focus on fieldwork, providing equally important quantitative and qualitative experiences.

Before coming to SIPA, I was hesitant about pursuing a career in gender studies. However, after listening to Professor Yasmine Ergas, Director of the Gender and Public Policy specialization, speak about gender studies during my first week at SIPA, I immediately registered for the specialization. The focus that SIPA gives to this specialization is incredibly useful for today’s world, as it perfectly combines gender and women studies and public policy.  It’s one of the best choices I’ve made during my time here, as it gives me an opportunity to apply my passion to my work.

What are some of your most memorable SIPA experiences?

I am grateful for all of the SIPA experiences I have had during the last two years. No other place in the world has made me feel like I fit in more. These two years have been as academically challenging as professionally fruitful, as I have taken advantage and enjoyed all of the resources SIPA has to offer.

In my first semester, I was elected President of Women in Leadership (WIL), a SIPA organization that contributes to women’s development at the School. Our board strived to showcase SIPA’s proud student diversity in all our activities, as each of our five board members came from a different region in the world. During the summer, I worked at the Inter-American Commission on Women at the Organization of American States (OAS) and was assigned to a project on women’s leadership in the Americas. This was such an exciting experience for me, as it was my first time working for a multilateral organization, and also because I met incredible figures for Latin American politics, including Maxima Apaza, indigenous congresswoman and activist in Bolivia, and Luis Almagro, OAS Secretary General.

In this, my last semester, I am working on my EPD Workshop with the Self-Employed Women Association (SEWA) from India. My team and I are developing a business plan for SEWA’s social enterprise, an outcome of their partnership with Airbnb to increase women’s income through rural tourism. I will travel to India soon, and couldn’t be more excited. This is also my second semester working for Professor Ergas, as a program assistant for the Gender and Public Policy specialization. Professor Ergas has opened an incredible spectrum of opportunities and possibilities for me. Last semester for example, we organized a talk with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Sweden, who is advocating for a feminist foreign policy. After the event, Leymah Gbowee, Liberian activist and Nobel Laureate, thanked my colleague and me for helping to organize the event. It was a memorable moment!

How as SIPA affected you?

I was a completely different person before coming to SIPA. The challenges that one faces here definitely make you grow as a person and as a professional. Being surrounded by similarly minded people who want to change things and fight for injustices is invaluable. I leave SIPA with a feeling of hope, knowing that with SIPA students as future leaders, we are moving towards a better world. I am so thankful for this experience.

What are your plans after SIPA?

I definitely want to pursue a position in Washington, DC; hopefully, doing gender-related work with a multilateral organization. I fell in love with the city while working there this past summer. I would like to work in DC for a couple of years before returning to Peru to contribute to my country’s development, particularly in the gender equality sphere. Ideally, I will work for either the Ministry of Women or the Ministry of Social Inclusion and Development, and one day, run for office, with the objective of reducing the gender gap in Peru and Latin America.

The SIPA Office of Alumni and Development is pleased to share A View from the Class, a SIPA stories series featuring current SIPA students, recently graduated alumni, and faculty. 

Hello, I am Erika Bañuelos, a Master of International Affairs (MIA) candidate, concentrating in International Security Policy (ISP) with a specialization in Technology, Media, and Communications (TMaC).

What were you doing prior to attending SIPA?

I graduated from Brown University with a degree in Science, Technology, and Society (STS). Upon graduation, I was selected as a Fulbright grantee, working for nine months as an English teaching assistant helping to implement the Global Classrooms, a Model UN program, in a middle school/high school in Madrid, Spain. After returning to the U.S. in May 2019 and before starting at SIPA that fall, I interned for a U.S. Representative from Arizona on Capitol Hill, where I performed research and wrote memos concerning healthcare technology and research, foreign affairs, and legal frameworks and regulation around blockchain technology.

Why did you choose to attend SIPA?

I chose SIPA because I want to pursue an interdisciplinary graduate degree that will fill the gaps in my existing knowledge of world politics and economics, while further pursuing my interests in science and technology policy, specifically cybersecurity. I also want to have the opportunity to live in New York City to gain an understanding of how numerous sectors collaborate to address issues at various scales – whether at the municipal, state, federal level, and beyond.

Why did you choose to concentration in ISP and specialize in TMaC?

I chose ISP and TMaC because they are related to what I studied as an undergraduate, that is, my concentration in STS. A large focus of my STS concentration was theory based – examining the process of scientific discovery and discussing the establishment of scientific policies. Pursuing a MIA with a focus in ISP and specialization in TMaC takes my studies a step forward, away from the theoretical frameworks I had studied to being able to understand the manner in which various policies in the scientific and technology realm affect people and governments on a day-to-day basis. One of my undergraduate professors emphasized the importance for policymakers to become well versed in the technological realm, and conversely, for technologists to develop the skills to write and talk to diverse public audiences about complex subject matters. My goal as a graduate student at SIPA is to develop the skills and confidence to be able to do both.

How has your SIPA experience been so far?

SIPA students strive to create a collaborative environment. My recent experience as a participant in the annual NYC Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge, hosted in cooperation with the Atlantic Council and run by students in SIPA’s Digital and Cyber Group, showed me just that. Thirty-two teams from across the country came together to compete in a cyber policy and strategy competition to develop policy recommendations for tackling a fictional cyber catastrophe. I was part of a team that really tried to teach and learn from one another in order to work together on a policy challenge consisting of hypothetical cyberattacks on various infrastructure and services across New York City.  Because of this competition, I learned about the New York City Cyber Command (NYC3) – an agency that leads the City’s cyber defense efforts to prevent, detect, respond, and recover from cyber threats. This initial interaction and exposure to the agency’s role in protecting one of the most populous municipalities in the country paved the way for my current internship with NYC3 as a policy intern. My internship will allow me to refine my policy development tradecraft; develop practical, policy-related research skills; confidently communicate on security topics, terms, technologies, and concepts; and have a practical understanding of computer networking concepts.