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SEEPLES Perspective: What’s your specialization?

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Friday, November 28th, 2014

Sarah Park – East Asia Regional Specialization

What did you do before SIPA?

Prior to SIPA, I was a litigation paralegal at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, a law firm based in New York. After two years in Paul, Weiss, I went to South Korea for a year as a Fulbright fellow to conduct research about North Korean refugees.

Why did you choose to specialize in the East Asia Region?

Growing up in China as a Korean-American, I’ve always been interested in U.S. relations with East Asian countries, more specifically Korea and China. At SIPA, I wanted to pursue my interest in North Korean human rights through a combination of the human rights concentration and the East Asia specialization. Through the East Asia specialization, I have taken courses with North Korea experts like Professor Sue Mi Terry. Moreover, the specialization has helped me learn more about East Asia from a variety of perspectives, including security, human rights, economic, and political.

What do you plan to do after SIPA?

Upon graduation, I would like to work on U.S.-Korea relations in the public sector, think tanks, or NGOs. I also hope to pursue my interest in North Korean human rights in some way.

Filip Tucek – East Central Europe Regional Specialization

What did you do before SIPA?
Before joining SIPA, I worked first for the Government of the Czech Republic and then as EU Affairs Advisor for Senator Tomas Grulich in the Parliament of the Czech Republic. Having practical experience, in addition to educational background in international affairs, has been extremely helpful for me at SIPA.

Why did you choose to specialize in the East Central Europe Region?
I have specialized in East Central Europe Region as my pre-SIPA interest and work had focused on the region. Moreover, the courses offered in this specialization are taught with some of the world-leading experts and learning from them is a fascinating opportunity. In general, I believe that specializing early on from the studies at SIPA gives a student a competitive advantage and allows to maximize the SIPA experience.

What do you plan to do after SIPA?
After SIPA, I plan to keep working in policy consulting and policy research focusing on security policy in Central and Eastern Europe. I would prefer to stay in the United States.

Categories : Meet Seeples, SIPA

Tags : East Asia, East Central Europe, regional specialization, seeple, student

Seeple Spotlight: Rina Lila, MIA ’15

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Thursday, November 13th, 2014

One of our very own students, Rina Lila, MIA ’15, will lead the first focus group discussion about a positive digital media registry about Kosovo. Lila’s organization, Kosovo Diaspora will host “From a Concept to Success: Focus Group on the Diaspora Virtual Registration,” this Friday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m., in room 1302 of the International Affairs Building in New York City. Read this Q & A excerpt to get a sneak peek at how a SIPA education, along with her background, has prepared her to take on such an exciting and challenging project:

Born and raised in Kosova, Rina Lila, a Master of International Affairs student, came to the United States in 2005 to finish high school in southern California; she went on to major in political science at Whittier College. Lila spoke with SIPA News about growing up in Kosovo, the impact the United Nations has had on her life, and being a part of Kosovo Diaspora in New York City.

Kosovo Diaspora’s upcoming event, “From a Concept to Success: Focus Group on the Diaspora Virtual Registration,” will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, November 14, in room 1302 of the International Affairs Building.

Tell us a bit about Kosovo Diaspora.
A former SIPA student, Behar Xharra MIA ’12, established the Kosovo Diaspora initiative, which is meant to raise awareness on Kosovo, and to highlight Kosovo through digital diplomacy. We want to make available positive digital media about Kosovo.

Behar graduated in 2012, before you came to SIPA. How do you know him?
Everyone from Kosovo knows each other. Behar actually convinced me to come to SIPA. [I was considering other schools], but he told me that SIPA is more international. He said you have more international students, you get to make more connections, it’s close to the United Nations—it’s an invaluable experience. So I came here. Then, last year, he got me involved with the Kosovo Diaspora.

How are your studies at SIPA related to this?
My concentration is in Economic and Political Development, and my specialization is in International Conflict Resolution. I am one of the co-presidents for the UN Studies Working Group and the Conflict Resolution group and I work very closely with Professor [Elisabeth] Lindenmayer as one of her course assistants. She’s been an inspiration for me with respect to the UN. I’ve always wanted to work for the UN. The fact that the UN was here was the main reason I wanted to come to SIPA.

Tell us more about the Kosovo Diaspora event you’ve planned for this Friday [November 14].
This year Behar asked me to lead the first focus group discussion on diaspora registry. Kosovo Diaspora is partnering with International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Kosovo Ministry of Diaspora to promote the registry among our widespread diaspora communities across five continents. The information collected will provide the Kosovo government with a better understanding of geographic and demographic profile of Kosovo Diaspora in order to establish evidence-based policies in Kosovo to address the needs and concerns of diaspora worldwide. As Kosovo Diaspora, we see a lot of potential to having a database of all Albanians everywhere, while working on our mission to digitlize diplomacy. The mission of this diaspora virtual registration is to bring together Albanian civil society leaders, successful entrepreneurs politicians well as students.

Read the rest of the Q & A here via SIPA News.

Categories : Meet Seeples, News, SIPA

Tags : Behar Xharra, Diaspora Virtual Registration, economic and political development, Elisabeth Lindenmayer, Kosovo Diaspora, Master of International Affairs, MIA, Rina Lila, United Nations

November 11, 2014 Veterans Day

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Tuesday, November 11th, 2014

SIPA honors Veterans Day today! We have a number of military veterans in our student body and are proud to recognize their service today.

November 11^this a time to pause and thank our military veterans for the sacrifices they have made by serving our country in the defense of our freedom. I am proud to call myself a military veteran. I served my country for ten years and deployed twice to combat areas. My decision to separate from the military was for a myriad of reasons. It was the most difficult decision of my life, as I decided to leave a profession that I respected and brothers-in-arms whom were family. I decided to pursue an MPA at SIPA, in order to one day advise policy makers on security related topics. Like most of my fellow veterans, the transition to civilian life was extremely difficult. Fortunately for me, SIPA has an amazing veteran’s community in SIPAVets.

For any prospective applicants with a U.S. military background, we invite you to check out Columbia SIPA Veterans Association (CSVA)’s student organization page for information about the veteran community at SIPA.

Photo courtesy of the Columbia SIPA Veterans Association

These veteran students have become my new family. We are able to assist each other personally, academically, and professionally.

Personally, SIPAVets can advise new veterans on the on-campus and off-campus resources to best assist them with their needs; whether it be acquiring a basic housing allowance for NYC apartments, advising which is the best Veterans Affairs hospital for a particular ailment, to where to turn for certain Veteran educational benefits, organize a Tough Mudder team, or have that happy hour beer after a long week of studying. Academically, SIPAVets continue to have each other’s back. I’m not the best mathematically, but I always have a SIPAVet buddy make sure my econ or stats homework makes sense. Similarly, I would proofread their papers, since writing is more of a strength of mine. Professionally, the network of SIPAVets has been second to none. Former SIPAVets continually recruit other SIPAVets for full-time employment, as well as assist on workshops to make sure our military skills are captured on a civilian resume.

SIPAVets is an inclusive organization. We routinely hold forums for the general public to share our stories, as well as to educate the student body on veteran’s issues. The strength of the SIPA Veterans Organization was a main factor as to why I chose to attend Columbia. Any prospective students, who are currently active duty or are veterans, should feel free to call SIPA Admissions. There is always someone available who can assist them with questions about the admission procedures, as well as a Veteran on staff that can advise them on a myriad of Veterans issues; from active duty separation procedures to Veteran benefits processes. I want to end this blog by thanking my fellow veterans for their service. Happy Veterans Day to all!

Blog by Eric I. Medina, 2^nd year SIPA student and U.S. military veteran

Categories : Meet Seeples, SIPA, Student Life

Tags : SIPA Veterans Association, SIPAVets, student organization, Veterans Day

Seeple Snapshot: Oscar Pocasangre, MPA

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Wednesday, October 22nd, 2014

Oscar Pocasangre

Master of Public Administration (MPA)

Concentration: Economic and Political Development (EPD)
Specialization: Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis (APEA)

Oscar speaking at a panel on emerging markets at the OECD as a representative for SIPA’s Center on Economic and Global Governance (CGEG)

What did you do before SIPA?

Prior to SIPA, I worked for two years at the MIT Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) as a policy and training analyst in their Chile office. I focused on creating courses on randomized trials for policymakers and also worked with governments and NGOs throughout the region in promoting the use of good evidence when crafting public policies. I was also able to write up various policy publications, including a book chapter on conditional cash transfers.

What has been the best part of your SIPA experience?

There have been many highlights! Academically, I think the highlight has been taking a class with Andrés Velasco, a former finance minister of Chile and former presidential candidate during the Chilean primaries in 2013. He was very accessible as a professor and he was able to combine rigorous theories from political economy and game theory with his personal experience in politics to explore issues that policymakers face in practice. Another highlight was being able to represent SIPA at two conferences in Paris sponsored by the Center on Global Economic Governance. There were many distinguished speakers at the conferences, including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, the Minister of Finance of France, representatives from the UN and the OECD, among many others. It was a great opportunity to hear what these experts think about the world’s current problems and how to solve them.

What kind of work do you hope to do when you graduate?

I want to be a university professor and do research on the political economy of development, governance, and ways of using experimental methods to answer questions of political science. So, that’s a cool way of saying that I hope to stay in school after I graduate.

Can you describe the nature of the SIPA curriculum?

The SIPA curriculum is flexible enough that you can choose to focus on the areas that interest you the most and approach these areas from both theoretical and practical perspectives. SIPA does tend to emphasize practical experience. One of the big values and strengths of the SIPA curriculum is that it requires students to take a series of economics and statistics courses, which I think, are vital for anyone involved in policymaking.

Do you feel like you have gotten to know some of the faculty members?

Yes! This has been one of the other highlights of my time at SIPA. I find that professors here are very accessible and willing to help and offer advice. Many students don’t take much advantage of the office hours of the faculty, but these are great opportunities to get to know professors. I’ve been able to work closely with one faculty member on a research project. As an aspiring academic, this has been an incredible experience and opportunity.

Categories : Columbia University, Meet Seeples, SIPA

Tags : Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis, APEA, curriculum, economic and political development, international, J-PAL, MPA, profile, seeple, snapshot, student

Seeple Profiles – Can you see yourself here?

Posted by Columbia SIPA

· Thursday, October 16th, 2014

Kristen Stamboulian

What did you do prior to SIPA?

Prior to SIPA, I was a public school teacher in the Bronx for six years. I taught 6th-8th grade English and served on my school’s leadership team.

Why did you choose Management and is it meeting your expectations?

I chose management because I wanted to gain the skill sets that I knew I would need in order to one day work as a leader in public education reform. The specialization, by far, exceeded my expectations! Professor Holloway is an incredible chair of the department and has thoughtfully designed the program to fit students’ areas of interest. She’s very accessible to students and has become a mentor to me along the way.

What do you plan on doing after SIPA?

After SIPA, I am hoping to return to my hometown of Detroit and work on education policy to improve student outcomes across the city. I know my specialization in management has provided me with the skill sets needed to meet this challenge head on.

***

Eric Shrago

What did you do prior to SIPA?

Prior to SIPA, I worked in financial services in the US and in Asia helping companies grow and expand into new markets.

Why did you choose APEA (Advanced Policy & Economic Analysis) and is it meeting your expectations?

I chose APEA because I wanted to further build my quantitative and analytical skills. The APEA program presents a multitude of opportunities to do this as the courses not only draw from SIPA but also from many of the other departments and schools at Columbia. This has allowed me to tailor my coursework to my interests.

What do you plan on doing after SIPA?

After SIPA, I want to work in policy that encourages renewable energy development.

Categories : Meet Seeples, SIPA

Tags : Advanced Policy and Economic Analysis, APEA, management, MIA, seeple, specializations, student profile

"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