Two more incoming students are featured today in our New Student Photo Series.

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My name is Leena Khan.  I am an incoming MPA-DP student and would like to share the following photos.

These photographs were taken in 2008 in the village of Airayan Sadat, which is located in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.  My time in Airayan Sadat gave me some exposure to the types of development challenges faced by rural villages across India and South Asia.  This experience solidified my passion for working on poverty alleviation and other development issues.

The first photograph is of the only primary school in Airayan Sadat.  There was one female teacher for this entire school and the ages of students ranged from approximately five to ten years old.  Classes were overcrowded and basic education supplies noticeably absent.   Nonetheless, the smiles and energy exuding from these children filled me both with hope.

The second photograph is of a female agricultural worker who shows me some carrots pulled fresh out of the ground.  Women play a significant role in India’s agriculture and rural development but have remained largely unaccounted for in measuring economic performance.

The third photograph shows the evening ritual of a local sheep herder leading his flock through the village.

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Serene Ghneim, incoming MPA student.

Monastery – This photo was taken in May; that’s me sitting on the edge of a cliff overlooking St. George’s Monastery in Wadi Qelt (a valley in the Judean desert) in the eastern West Bank. Its origins date back to the fourth century A.D.  Today, it is active and occupied by Greek Orthodox monks.

We Will Return – This photo was just beyond a security checkpoint in the West Bank, on the outskirts of Jericho – a symbol of Palestinian hope that persists even after more than half a century of wars and “peace talks” that have produced nothing.

Lightning – A bunch of my cousins and I set a camera on a tripod and just let this photo happen as we sat on my cousin’s balcony in Nazareth, Israel, and watched the most spectacular lightning storm the region had seen in recent memory.

Today we feature more pictures submitted by incoming students.

Name: Nicole Margaretten

Degree Program: MIA

Pinar Del Río Province, Western Cuba.  Two boys were playing hide and seek next to their small, neon blue farmhouse. The stoic oxen and hand painted grave reminded me of The Grapes of Wrath while the giggling children capture the heart of Cuba.

A plaza in La Habana Vieja, Old Havana – I noticed a small boy pedaling ferociously across the plaza as I stood on the balcony of an artist’s studio. Quickly jumping behind a white column I waited for the perfect moment.

The sky was drizzling over thousands of tiny statues. I had traveled from Tokyo to Kamakura to visit the Little Statues of Jizo. The statues pictured covered a large stone wall while thousands of smaller gray figurines filled the gardens and flowed into the walkways. Many were clothed to stay warm and lovingly surrounded by vibrant flowers and pinwheels. At first appearance the shrine resembles a magical garden, until one learns that Jizo is the patron boddhisatva of travelers and lost children. Each statue was placed by a mother who lost a child to miscarriage or abortion.

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Name – Jaivardhan Singh

Degree Program – MPA-DP

Location – An election rally in Madhya Pradesh, India. Description – India…. the world’s largest democracy.

Location – Bihar, India.  Description – The floods in Bihar which affected over 2.3 million people were one of the worst in Indian history. Here you can see a family which was rendered homeless by the swelling waters of the Kosi river.

Location – Satpura National Park, Madai, Madhya Pradesh, India.  Description – A group of disciplined geese in height order……