Archive for Meet Seeples – Page 47

It’s Friday… and still thinking SIPA.

It’s Friday and all day the halls were bustling with activity — even though there are very few classes going on in the International Affairs Building today.  The academic year has begun and for the next eight months IAB will be busy.  After leaving a financial aid meeting, it was refreshing to join students at the Welcome Back reception.  The fascinating stories of our students’ summer adventures and their plans to better the global community  … makes our job of getting them here worthwhile.

One of  our newest members (from the Class of 2016) posted why she chose to come to SIPA on her personal Blog… Hope Hila doesn’t mind that I am linking to it here.  Reading her blog may give you another reason to study at SIPA and pursue a MPA degree… or it may just instill in you a reason to make a social impact… which is AWESOME too.

 

Meet our newest Admissions Program Assistants (PA)

Each year we are blessed to have an enthusiastic core group of SIPA graduate students serve as Admission Program Assistants (PA).  For prospective students interested in hearing the SIPA student perspective, the PA is here to provide that insight.  Chances are you will meet one or two or all of them during the admissions process — either in the office, online or on the telephone.

We will post a few Q&A responses from each of them in the next few days so you get to know who is on the other end.  Our wonderful PAs come from different backgrounds and experiences and bring a diverse perspective.  They will also be a great resource on what to do (and not do) as you consider going back to school … since they’ve all been where you are now.

Eric Medina  fall 2014

Eric Medina, MPA 2015 is concentrating in International Security Policy with a focus on the United States (specialization)

What was your previous professional experience?
I spent 10 years in the United States Army. I was assigned to Fort Bragg, NC for the majority of my career. My first international assignment was a combat deployment to Afghanistan with the 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne). My last international assignment was as the Military Development Liaison Officer to the United States Embassy in the Philippines.

What kind of work do you want to do when you graduate?
I would like to work in the Intelligence Community as a policy advisor for senior government officials.

What has been the best part of your SIPA experience?
The best part has been the friends I’ve made. The diversity of the student body never ceases to amaze me. The opinions and perspectives they bring to conversations regarding domestic and international policy is by far something I have not experienced elsewhere.

Do you feel like you have gotten to know some of the faculty members?
Yes, the faculty at SIPA is exceptional. Not only are there brilliant scholars, but also many are still current practitioners in their field. The experience and insights they bring into the classroom is immeasurable.

 

New Student Photo Series #8

Hawa Ansary is an incoming Master of International Affairs student.  She will be concentrating in International Security Policy and plans to specialize on the Middle East.

Hawa Ansary, born and raised in Afghanistan moved to the United States in 2007 for college.  She has not been able to visit Afghanistan but her passion to give back and stay connected remains.   Hawa is currently working for the Embassy of Afghanistan.  As an Afghan woman who missed 5 years of her education under the rule of Taliban she is dedicated to help educate women not only in Afghanistan but around the globe.  Hawa has been working with the Muslim Women’s Association that promotes and provides access for the many unprivileged Muslim women in the U.S. She is also volunteering for Razia Rays of Hope Foundation, a non-profit organization that built and continues to fund the first school for girls in Ansary’s village, Day Saabz, Afghanistan.

 

Summer 2014:  Hawa Ansary and Former Afghan Ambassador to Bulgaria at a fundraising event showcasing traditional Afghan clothes.

Summer 2014: Hawa Ansary and Former Afghan Ambassador to Bulgaria at a fundraising event showcasing traditional Afghan clothes.

 

 

New Student Photo Series #7

We’re only a few days from Orientation.  Students are stopping by the office to “introduce” themselves.  And even though this new class is just starting, we feel like they’ve been around for a while.  We’ve gotten to know them during the admissions process so it’s very exciting to finally see all of them in person.

As we count down to Orientation, we’ll post the rest of the photo contributions from our new students so you may share their adventures before arriving at SIPA.

Our next submission comes from Bartosz Garbaczewski who will be pursuing his Master of International Affairs, concentrating in Energy and Environment and specializing in Advanced Economic and Policy Analysis.

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This coming September I will officially join the family of  Columbia University | SIPA – a family of incredibly diverse backgrounds and experiences! I look forward to meeting you all, and sharing personal interests and passions, as well as  professional experiences in and beyond classrooms. 

As we all arrive in NYC and arrange for housing for the upcoming academic year, here are some facts about myself, which I would like to share.  I am originally from Poland where I spent the first twenty years of my life. Since the last nine years I studied, worked and lived in six countries around the globe including Germany, England, China, Canada, the Netherlands, and Qatar. My professional experience is in the energy industry, where I have spent four years working across downstream and upstream businesses in one of the world’s largest oil majors.  

As a keen traveler, I am sharing three photographs, which I took in Qatar, Thailand and most recently in Sri Lanka.

Cheers,  Bartosz

 

Qatar : "Stopping for a picture with camels in Al-Shahaniya in Qatar in March - a place where every visitor should stop to catch a camel race during the season..."

Qatar : “Stopping for a picture with camels in Al-Shahaniya in Qatar in March – a place where every visitor should stop to catch a camel race during the season…”

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Sri Lanka : “Stilt fishermen fishing from their poles in Unawatuna in Sri Lanka presented a view worth capturing with my camera this July”

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Thailand : “While visiting Thailand in May I visited Damnoen Floating Market – one of the most famous Thailand’s floating markets.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New Student Photo Series #6

Max Arvid Anderson will be joining SIPA in two weeks.  He will be among 200+ new students pursuing the Master of International Affairs degree this fall.  Before beginning his studies, Max spent his summer in the Economic and Social Council Chamber at the UN Headquarters in New York.

max

The silly grin on my face is due to some over-the-top self satisfaction, the fatigue is due to spending the summer working. The picture was taken last month, when the draft resolution on General Assembly Revitalization was adopted by consensus in the Ad Hoc Working Group on GA Revitalization. The GA Revitalization process is a yearly affair (like so many things at the UN), and was formalised after the 2005 World Summit. This year I had the privilege to function as negotiator on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The other main stake holders are the NAM, certain members of the Security Council and UN Member States who value the GA and the UN reform process. This year proved particularly difficult due to well known political sensitivities when it comes to the selection and appointment of the next UNSG, due to take place in 2016. On a more consensual note, we managed to agree that the Security Council elections for non-permanent members should take place earlier than October; to allow smaller UN Member States to adequately prepare for the two years they spend there.
 

"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

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