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Fall 2016 New Student Series Part 4: Ma. Angelica Feliz Chua Cruz

Posted by Kaitlyn Wells

· Thursday, July 7th, 2016

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In our fourth edition of this year’s new student series, meet Angelica Cruz. She’s an incoming MPA in Development Practice student and is from Manila in the Philippines. She’s obsessed with technology, and hopes to one day help improve urban development plans in Manila.

Full Name: Ma. Angelica Feliz Chua Cruz
Program: MPA in Development Practice
Anticipated Graduation Year: 2018
Hometown: Manila

Undergraduate University: University of the Philippines – Diliman
Undergraduate Major: Geography
Undergraduate Graduation Year: 2012

What’s your professional background?
Since graduating from college, I’ve been working in non-government organizations. The three organizations I worked in helped me gain experience in microfinance, education, and good governance reform. While I knew from the very beginning that development work was what I wanted to dedicate myself to, I wasn’t sure what aspect of it I really wanted to focus on. Working as an outsider with the government for the last two years or so has helped me understand that the biggest hurdle to Philippine development has really been governance. Through my organizations’ strong relationships with cities and local government units I’ve observed that balanced urban development that is driven by thoughtful and strategic leaders is the key to regional cohesion.

Did you apply to SIPA to change careers or to gain experience in a career path you already have experience in?
I applied to SIPA, because it was/is the ideal school for furthering my career. While I’ve had a lot of local experience, I think that incorporating international perspectives to my understanding of development issues is of utmost importance. This is particularly true in the Philippines where leaders are prone to reinventing the wheel, or going the complete opposite direction, and fully adopting a solution without considering the context it came from.

What was your reaction when you found out you were accepted to SIPA?
I was honestly shocked. I thought about the admission results constantly, and I was in a permanent state of anxiety for almost half a year. Because of the time difference, I stayed up each night of the first week of March just waiting for an email. The day I got my decision, I found out four hours after it was released since my email categorized the notification as an ad. I just felt so happy after reading that first sentence that I only actually read the full letter a half day later. I had a Plan B, C, D, E in case Plan A didn’t work out, but amazingly enough it did. I’m still awed when I think about it.

Why did you say “yes” to SIPA?
I didn’t really apply to any other school. SIPA was the only one I wanted to go to. I figured that if I didn’t get in the first time, I didn’t want to settle for any other school or program, and I’d just try to make myself a better candidate after another year.

What do you most look forward to as a graduate student at SIPA?
As mentioned before, I’m really interested in urban development. The fact that SIPA is in New York is so important to me, because I see New York as a model for Manila. I’m excited to learn from faculty who have worked with the city government on urban design—for both infrastructure and institutions.

Do you have any apprehensions about starting graduate school?
A lot. I like to think that I’d do well academically, but of course that’s not a given. And financial constraints linger in the back of my mind. But if I’m honest, my main concern is fitting in. I don’t know if I’ll be overwhelmed by the complete change in environment or if I’ll thrive in it. Part of me is still in disbelief that this is happening at all, so I can’t seem to imagine myself actually being there when the time comes. (On a more personal level, I’m really afraid of leaving my dog who is 16 years old.)

What are your goals after SIPA?
I hope to work in the UNDP, so that I can get a better picture of different development strategies around the world. But in the long-term, I’d really like to be part of improving urban development plans here in Manila. While the big cities have been booming, the growth has been terribly unequal.

If you could change one small thing about your community, country or the world, what would it be?
For the Philippines, I think it’s most important for us to foster a sense of unity. While class divisions are evident in cities like Manila, regionalism prevents us from working together on a national level. There’s a very strong us-against-them mentality that inhibits Filipinos from thinking about the best programs and people for the whole country, not just for ourselves or those closest to us.

Tell us something interesting about yourself:
I love technology, and I am addicted to tech news. However, I only started using a smartphone this January. For the longest time, I stuck with my Nokia 3310 because of Snake II. The only reason I’m not using it now is because it gave up on me. Like a lot of people, I like to think of myself as a forward thinker and (maybe) would-be pioneer, but there are irrational traditions and habits that I am too attached to let go of.

View all of Fall 2016’s interviews here.

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Tags : Angelica Cruz, Ma. Angelica Feliz Chua Cruz, New Student Self-Interview Form, New Student Series, new student survey

Fall 2016 New Student Series Part 3: Bobby Eric Musah

Posted by Kaitlyn Wells

· Wednesday, June 29th, 2016

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Today is our third edition of this year’s e-introduction series. Say “hello” to Bobby Eric Musah. Bobby is from Monrovia, Liberia and is the Director for Economic Policy Unit with the Department of Economic Management at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. He’s attending SIPA to learn more sustainable development so he’ll be better prepared to adjust his career path and ultimately become a stronger professional in the field.

Full Name: Bobby Eric Musah
Age: 34
Degree Program: MPA in Development Practice
Anticipated Graduation Year: Spring 2018
Hometown: Monrovia, Montserrado, Liberia

Undergraduate University: African Methodist Episcopal University, Liberia
Undergraduate Major: Accounting and Economics
Undergraduate Graduation Year: 2006

What’s your professional background?
I am currently the Director for Economic Policy Unit with the Department of Economic Management at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. I have been in the public service since 2006, rising from a mere bookkeeper position, to analyst, to senior financial analyst, to principal analyst, then onto being an economist before becoming a Director. Within the interval of time, I have held these technical positions in various departments at the Ministry; including the erstwhile Bureau of General Accounting, the Office of the Comptroller & Accountant General, the Department of Expenditure & Debt Management, the Department of Administration and the Department of Economic Management. Off my duty, I once served as a fiscal budget preparation consultant for the Ministry of Public Works during Fiscal year 2008/09. I also served as a part-time lecturer for the Investment portfolio analysis undergraduate course at the African Methodist Episcopal University in Liberia.

Did you apply to SIPA to change careers or to gain experience in a career path you already have experience in?
Coming to SIPA, my ambition is exactly in two folds. One is to change career and the latter is to augment my existing expertize in policy analyses. I have realized that the world’s ambition to ending extreme poverty cannot be realize unless we champion the desire to make it work by engaging in sustainability studies of our economic development, social inclusion and our environment. Because of this, I have change gear! The task that I usually perform relates to policy analyzes, it is important to note that keeping up to date on issues that matters is relevant for decision making; so I need to enhance and upgrade my skills and expertise to suit current realities.

What was your reaction when you found out you were accepted to SIPA?
I had like to make an open confession that once you apply to SIPA you never keep your eyes off the internet, just trying to get a pop notification from your computer regarding any status sent by the Office of Admissions and financial aid. It took me approximately a year back and forth, from the first time I contacted the school up to the day I got my admission decision. Applying to SIPA is intensive but rewarding if you are prepared. When I got the news, I knew from that very moment my transformation has finally come and my future joy will definitely be the outcome of my struggling past. It is fantastic when your admission decision is positive, you will see the e-letter on the Welcome portal with fabulous balloons and ribbons floating all over the page. This innovation is incredible!

Why did you say “yes” to SIPA?
I said “yes” to SIPA because of three interconnected reasons; the diversity, reputation and solutions to real world problems. The fact that SIPA is the most global public policy school in the world; it is both an academic and career advantage to be a product of that community.

What do you most look forward to as a graduate student at SIPA?
Taking a close look at the recent 2016 review of SIPA applications window posted on the MIA/MPA student blog few months ago, you see clearly that the global community rests at the heart of Columbia University. It means I am looking forward to networking for the future and to expand knowledge sharing for the benefit of mankind as well as the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs), for which my country has a huge capacity gap need. I am also looking forward to network with other ivy league colleagues from Harvard, Yale, Princeton even Oxford and Cambridge University in the UK.

Do you have any apprehensions about starting graduate school?
Yes, I do have! When you think about the time, resources and efforts put into the application and attending serious graduate school, it is so enormous. The truth is that it is worth the cost when the outcome suits your energy and zest used in the process. Attending graduate schools are indeed expensive and funding is scarce; but attending the right one will yield the desire positive expected return in the long-run.

What are your goals after SIPA?
I expressly so desire to be a lead policy expert on sustainable development issues. With the knowledge obtained from my graduate studies at Columbia University SIPA, I will be able to help drive the positive change the world desires; at the same time help to proffer better policies that will improve the living standard of the poor, disadvantaged and unfairly marginalized people. Perhaps, I wish to become an international civil servant, helping the fight against poverty. I will endeavor to build a team of development experts through knowledge sharing and capacity development. I will extend my expertise to schools, institutions of higher learning and Governments.

[Photo courtesy of Bobby Eric Musah | A pictorial with Noble Laureate Professor Joseph Stiglitz at the side meeting on “Unlocking public and private capital for Africa Infrastructure” at the Global Conference on Financing for Development(FfD3) in July 2015, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.]

If you could change one small thing about your community, country or the world, what would it be?
In my community, country and the world, I would not only change one thing but I will advance positive transformation for that thing. Conclusively, I will change poverty and turn it into prosperity.

Tell us something interesting about yourself:
Honestly, I am from a poor and humble background, so I have serious ambition of helping the fight against poverty through education. I am currently the Director for Economic Policy Unit within the Department of Economic Management; the nodal Department at the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning which is responsible for the formulation and monitoring of economic policies for the Government of Liberia. I serve as the department focal person on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as Co-Chair for the steering committee on the National Human Development Report (NHDR) of 2015 in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Within the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ), I serve as the Ministry’s focal person on the Technical Committee of experts on the macroeconomic and monetary convergence. By profession I am a Financial Economist. I obtained my Masters of Science degree with honor from the Bristol Business School in the United Kingdom specializing in empirical finance. I also have a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the African Methodist Episcopal University in Liberia.

My technical skills are noticeable in areas of economic analyses and report writing, growth model, financial programming, debt and money market operations, investment project appraisals, risk management, public finance issues, and econometric modeling for monetary policy analysis ,having attended short-term specialized courses at various renowned training institutions globally; including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Institute and the IMF Research Department in the USA, Duke University in the USA, Crown Agents International in the UK, and the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management(WAIFEM) in Nigeria. I have also attended technical experts meetings globally; including South Africa, Algeria, Ethiopia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Ivory Coast, etc.

In addition, I have held several positions at the Ministry since I joined the cohort in 2005; rising from a mere Bookkeeper position to Financial Analyst, then onwards to being the Assistant Director for Financial Reporting Unit in the Office of the Comptroller & Accountant General in 2008. While serving in that capacity I introduced a multi-layer reporting template for cash expenditure report to include Forex transactions and bank reversals tracking. A report which is still widely use today by the International Monetary Fund as part of the country’s Extended Credit Facilities (ECF) conditionality. Having demonstrated exceptional professionalism and commitment, I was promoted to the position of Principal Financial Analyst assigned to the Office of the Deputy Minister for Expenditure & Debt Management. My role included preparation, analysis and implementation of the national budget of the Government of Liberia. During my tenure, I developed templates used in monthly reporting on budgetary expenditures for line Ministries, Agencies and Commissions. I Monitors cash balances at the Central Bank of Liberia and compiled expenditure reports for fiscal policy decision making. My participation in internal and external Debt relief analysis helped Liberia to reaching the HIPC point for debt waiver and cancellation. I also served as Economist for Macroeconomic Analysis and Forecasting Section at the Macro-Fiscal Analysis Unit. While serving in that capacity, I was one of the fresh brains behind the introduction of the Annual Economic Review (AER) for Liberia in 2012. The last time such a report was ever produce for Liberia was 1976. The AER research report critically analyses the real, external, fiscal and monetary sectors of the economy as well as defining social dimension and its existence during a given year. The AER since 2012 is now used by donors and other stakeholders as trigger for budget supports and other in- kind gesture.

Regarding my extra activities, I enjoy basketball, soccer and parties.

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Fall 2016 New Student Series Part 2: Manali Purohit

Posted by Kaitlyn Wells

· Monday, June 13th, 2016

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Today is our second edition of this year’s e-introduction series. Say “hello” to Manali Purohit. Manali is from Mumbai, India and studied business administration and international relations at the University of Southern California.

Full Name: Manali Purohit
Age: 26
Degree Program: Master of International Affairs
Concentration: Economic and Political Development
Anticipated Graduation Year: Spring 2018
Hometown: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Undergraduate University: Univ Southern California
Undergraduate Major: Business Administration & International Relations
Undergraduate Graduation Year: 2011

What’s your professional background?
After graduating from USC in 2011, I interned with a micro-finance start-up – InVenture – based out of Santa Monica. I learned that micro-credit was not doing enough to help existing micro-businesses in developing countries (such as India) become scalable enough to expand beyond sole proprietorships. I grew more passionate about helping small businesses access financial, social and intellectual capital necessary to scale up and drive local growth. Upon returning to India in 2012, I joined CRISIL (a subsidiary of Standard & Poor’s) as an associate in their Institutional SME Department. Here, I prepared extensive due diligence and credit rating reports for small and medium enterprises to help them access formal credit facilities. Since 2014, I have been working with Teach For India in their National Alumni Team where I’ve had the opportunity to prepare case studies on Alumni, several of whom are trying to address socio-economic challenges faced by those in low-income communities.

Did you apply to SIPA to change careers or to gain experience in a career path you already have experience in?
A little bit of both. My undergraduate degree and professional experience so far have helped build my understanding of several challenges (cultural and financial) encountered by small and medium enterprises. Most of my work rested on providing existing ways to access flexible capital to help micro-small businesses grow; capital that they could not currently access. I haven’t really thought about the system as a whole, finding newer and more innovative solutions to provide such capital and learn more about why this kind of capital didn’t exist. Through my education at SIPA, I will be able to delve deeper into some of these questions, understand more about the system from a global perspective, look for more innovative ways to support small business entrepreneurs (especially women) and eventually work with an organization such as Women’s World Banking.

What was your reaction when you found out you were accepted to SIPA?
My only regret is that I didn’t know how to cartwheel because I absolutely would have. I read the word “accepted” and started making frantic calls to all my close friends and family members. The confetti blast on my computer screen was such a nice touch!

Why did you say “yes” to SIPA?
One of the main highlights for me is the school’s location in New York City, which is not only one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world but also a hub of international development organizations. Plus, I had the opportunity to interact with several of SIPA’s Alumni during my application process and they all had great things to say about the school, the program, the city and their classmates. One of them sent me a beautiful, hand-written post card too!

[Photo credit: Manali Purohit | My first time in New York City. In 2010, I visited my friend in New York City for the first time and also took a tour of the Columbia campus because I dreamt of applying to SIPA someday. 5 years later, I’ve realized that some dreams do come true.]

What do you most look forward to as a graduate student at SIPA?
Making new friends from all over the world and being in a learning environment where the class sizes are small. I learned that there are about 42 SIPA student groups, and they host 12-15 events each week which is quite exciting. I’m also looking forward to living in NYC.

Do you have any apprehensions about starting graduate school?
Not so much with regard to the school and the program, per se but I haven’t experienced an east coast winter before and I definitely haven’t encountered snowfall. I’ve heard that winters in New York can be quite challenging so that’s one of my biggest apprehensions right now. In fact, the biggest tip one of my close friends gave me was around selecting an apartment building that has laundry facilities because walking a few blocks in the winter just to do laundry can be frustrating.

What are your goals after SIPA?
My career goal is to find ways to counter barriers to women’s greater participation in the financial sector and focus on building opportunities for women in the developing world. I’d really like to work with Women’s World Banking upon graduation.

If you could change one small thing about your community, country or the world, what would it be?
One of the most gut-wrenching books I’ve read this year is called Ash in the Belly which describes India’s hunger problem. I learned that the real challenge isn’t lack of food but making food consistently available to everyone who needs it. So if I could change one thing about the world, it would be towards the efficient allocation of surplus food (from restaurants and homes, for instance) to the lesser fortunate sections of society.

Tell us something interesting about yourself:
I am a self-taught baker and have been one of the top 25 food reviewers on Zomato (India’s equivalent of Yelp). My love of writing aside, this can be attributed to two reasons: One, I grew up watching a lot of travel & living TV shows. Two, I spent most of my life living in metropolises like Mumbai and Los Angeles and had the good fortune of sampling foods from around the world. One of my latent desires is to own and operate a dessert food truck someday.

[Main photo credit: Manali Purohit | The Bosphorus Strait, Istanbul. It bridges Asian Turkey with European Turkey, making Istanbul the only city in the world to be situated on two continents.]

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Fall 2016 New Student Series Part 1: Meet Sayan Supratim Das

Posted by Kaitlyn Wells

· Friday, June 10th, 2016

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Wow that was fast! On Wednesday, I announced we’ll be introducing the incoming class on the blog, and already I’ve received a few submissions. To kick if off, meet Sayan Supratim Das. Sayan was a researcher with an NGO and drafted a thesis on water scarcity. After SIPA, he hopes to work for UN Water or UN Women where he can combine his career interests of water access to the intersection of gender and human rights work.

Full Name: Sayan Supratim Das
Age: 28
Degree Program: Master of International Affairs
Concentration: Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy
Anticipated Graduation Year: Spring 2018
Hometown: Chandigarh, Chandigarh, India

Undergraduate University: ILS Law College, University of Pune
Undergraduate Major: Law
Undergraduate Graduation Year: 2011

What’s your professional background?
My professional experiences range as a researcher for a NGO where I designed and drafted a thesis on water scarcity, and an internship under an Indian parliamentarian which gave me a glimpse of the bureaucracy at work, a public policy institution where I researched and drafted a book on a grassroots entrepreneurship giving me a window to create my own career goals in the sphere of water while utilising the many grassroots organisations operating within India and a lawyer which has given me a deeper understanding of the judiciary. All these have been attempts to understand the public policy space from the different aspects of research, administration and execution. I have also worked as a freelance editor for a publishing house and a literary journal and currently am an English tutor with an educational consultancy.

Did you apply to SIPA to change careers or to gain experience in a career path you already have experience in?
I applied to SIPA to learn and to hopefully create opportunities to become an international civil servant and policy maker.

What was your reaction when you found out you were accepted to SIPA?
It was seven in the morning when I received a call from a dear friend who had made it to SIPA as well. Groggy and overjoyed with her success, I opened my mailbox full of trepidation only to find floating balloons in the portal declaring that I had made it as well. I took a deep breath and then brought my best smile with me to wake my parents to such a great news. I can still scarcely believe that I am heading towards an Ivy League education.

What do you most look forward to as a graduate student at SIPA?
The opportunities, both professional and personal. The wide range of classes. Even after shortlisting the classes I want to take at SIPA, I still have a dozen or more classes which fascinates me. I am eager to study, to really delve deep into policy issues of interest, to learn from my peers and professors and gain a sense of empowerment, a voice, because living in a far more democratic world than my parents, I know I can make a difference, a real, tangible difference in the lives of others.

[Photo credit: Sayan Supratim Das | Ma, Baba and Me. #TheThreeMusketeers #AllForOne #OneForAll]

Do you have any apprehensions about starting graduate school?
The finances bother me. It does. I will not lie. New York is not pleasant to our bank accounts. However, I overlooked this bit in favour of an education from a top school at the time of applications, and now that I have made it in, I must look beyond my own fears and celebrate what will be a life altering process.

What are your goals after SIPA? I hope to work with the United Nations. I am focussed on making it to the organisation. I hope to either work with UN Water or UN Women, given that my interest area is the intersection of gender and human rights with access to water.

If you could change one small thing about your community, country or the world, what would it be?
Isn’t this a loaded question? I would inculcate the habit of listening into any community in the world. Listen closely, listen intently, listen with the hope to respond and not react, listen to collate the views of others with your information, listen to not become opinionated but to be informed, and listen to make others feel heard. A lot of today’s global issues began as a cry for help or to be heard which was wilfully ignored in a room of opinionated and ill-informed people who were or perhaps still are in positions of power.

Tell us something interesting about yourself:
I am a talker so this can take a while. I was raised in six cities, attended five different schools and worked and studied in three different parts of India. So I do feel like an immigrant within India given how diverse we are in terms of language, culture, lifestyle and food. I am a writer, or I like to say I am. I had the privilege to study Creative Writing at the University of Oxford (graduated in 2015) which has made me obsessed with someday living and writing in a cottage in the English countryside overlooking a chattering brook. I am in the middle of my novel on displaced Bangladeshis at this point. I am huge Bollywood aficionado, and like our actors in the 90’s I can dance on the streets at the a drop of a hat (provided there is good music). I love to cook, feed people and one day I will become the ‘Brown’ Nigella Lawson of the western world. Finally, chicken tikka masala, films by Mira Nair, Priyanka Chopra (Quantico fame), books by Jhumpa Lahiri and JK Rowling and Roger Federer are my kryptonites.

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Incoming students, join our new-student series

Posted by Kaitlyn Wells

· Wednesday, June 8th, 2016

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Every summer, I introduce our readers to the incoming class of Seeples. We learn about the experiences that led them to SIPA, their ambitions for the future, and a few quirky details about their personalities. So today I’m excited to share that I’m now accepting submissions for this year’s questionnaire! If you’re an incoming Fall 2016 MIA/MPA/MPA-DP student and want to e-introduce yourself to the masses, make sure you submit the New Student Self-Interview Form.

I look forward to reviewing your submissions!

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"The most global public policy school, where an international community of students and faculty address world challenges."

—Merit E. Janow, Dean, SIPA, Professor of Practice, International and Economic Law and International Affairs