As an entrepreneur and consultant, Jean Suhas has traveled across Europe, South America, North America, Asia, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa.
But what he encountered in Hanoi, Vietnam was worthy of a photo submission. You don’t see one of these every day.
Jean is an incoming Master of International Affairs candidate.
Today’s submission comes from Karen Mustiga, MPA 2016.
Karen was born in Lima, Peru and immigrated to the U.S. in the 1990s. Her disposition for public service and helping out the less fortunate comes from her roots and keen awareness to third-world poverty, political turmoil, and immigrant experience. She plans to concentrate her studies in Urban and Social Policy. We look forward to welcoming Karen to SIPA this fall.
Photo taken in Mallorca: A photo of my friend Tom and I in Mallorca this past May. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting most of Spain while teaching English in Madrid and Mallorca was definitely a trip worth taking. As a Florida native, I was impressed by the breathtakingly beautiful beaches and stunning cliffs.
We kick off the 2014 new student summer photo (and story) series today with a photo submission from incoming MIA student, Supriya Kumar. Ms. Kumar, a global nomad who has lived in five countries on three continents will be joining SIPA this fall.
Photo taken at the Taj Mahal, in Agra, India
Here is a photo of my friend Susan and I at the Taj Mahal this June. Words cannot really describe the overwhelming beauty of this structure – it is quite surely a sight that has to be seen in person to really appreciate, and I’m so grateful that I was lucky to pay it a visit this summer.
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If you are an incoming SIPA student and have photos or stories you would like to share with our community, please send them to [email protected].
Summer officially begins this weekend but school is out and for most, summer is already here with lazy days and mild summer temperatures.
If you are a follower of the SIPA Admissions Blog, you will know that each summer we run a series of new students’ photos. Last year we included stories about their summer adventure prior to beginning classes at SIPA in the fall. Blog readers have informed us that they like seeing/reading what our students are up to each summer. Well, it’s that time of year again when we make a request for submissions.
All you NEW SIPA STUDENTS, we encourage you to submit pictures (travel photos, artistic photos, event photos) to post and share on the Blog. If you would rather provide a short post about what you are doing this summer before enrolling at SIPA, we’ll be happy to share that too. We typically post 3 photos per student so the maximum number to send along for consideration should be no more than four. If you are sending a story about your summer activities, please limit it to five paragraphs.
To participate, simply send along your photos or story as attachments to this address: [email protected]. Please include the subject: 2014 Blog submission. We will try to post everyone’s submission but it may take a few weeks/months (depending on how many people are willing to share their experience) for us to share all of them this summer.
If you plan to submit (and experience at least 24-hours of fame), please include the following when submitting your pictures/story:
Looking forward to receiving your submissions.
Traveled to: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Monaco, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UK, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Turks and Caicos, St. Barts, Virgin Islands, Mexico, South Africa
Hobbies: The Arts (ballet, theater, museums, exhibitions, art shows), avid follower of current events, academic interest in francophone countries, travel, cooking, languages
Languages: French (fluent), English (fluent), Mandarin (basic), Italian (learning)
After SIPA, I hope to remain in New York City working for a foundation and specializing in public-private partnerships. I would also be happy working in the private sector with a focus on public sector engagement. Either way, I am very interested in public-private partnerships, particularly in regards to corporate social responsibility. Since SIPA is such a global school, I am very open to moving abroad after graduation. However, I do hope to start out a company in New York. “Though I am American, I have always grown up in a very diverse and global environment. From age six and on, I attended the United Nations International School where I was among 17% of Americans in a 1,200 person school. SIPA’s commitment to enrolling an international student body really drew me to the school and that quality is one reason why I am so happy at SIPA. Most of my friends at SIPA are from abroad and I love hearing about their backgrounds and their goals after school. It has really given me a whole new perspective.
After the University of Virginia, I worked for a year at Doctors With Out Borders in New York. I was part of the advocacy department team. My responsibilities mainly involved following political contexts in regions and specific countries (Doctors Without Borders has programs in over 80 countries) for organization-wide reports on current activities, tracking US policy changes in countries of interest, monitoring broader trends on aid, food security, global healthcare, and patent laws, translating media and documents from French to English, and responding to program inquiries.
At SIPA, I am concentrating in Economic and Political Development and specializing in management. Both disciplines provide a lot of opportunity to learn more about corporate social responsibility and effective development programs, which relates to what I would like to do after finishing school. Currently, I am part of several SIPA student groups, including UNSP, the Journal of International Affairs, and the consulting club. I participated in a public policy case competition in the fall, which was a wonderful opportunity to network with leaders in consulting and to develop real-world solutions to social, political, and economic challenges. Outside of SIPA, I am serving as a youth representative to the United Nations through a small NGO called the World Council of Peoples for the United Nations (WCPUN).”
For me, what makes SIPA is its students. My classmates are so inspirational, have such diverse backgrounds, and a very driven and enthusiastic attitude. I have felt discouraged by setbacks, like difficulty understanding course material, not getting into a class or program, or not hearing back from an internship. My classmates at SIPA have been my greatest supporters. They have offered suggestions for internships, help in classes, and just general encouragement. Sometimes SIPA can be overwhelming because it is so rigorous academically and has so many things to be involved in. Fellow students support your interest and help keep you focused on your goals. I chose SIPA because I wanted a place that could open doors in New York and internationally. Its name is respected on a global scale but it is still a much respected school here in the city. Since I plan to stay in New York after graduation, I wanted a place that would position me well for the short term (NYC) and long term (abroad). I also wanted a school with a practitioner focus. SIPA’s capstone component really separates it from the pack of policy schools. I am so excited to participate in a capstone project next year and gain tangible skills that are really marketable when applying to jobs.
"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
