Archive for seeple

Program Assistant Introduction: Julia Chung

We’re introducing our new group of program assistants with the Office of Admissions. You’ve already met Niara and Kier, so now please meet Julia!


Julia Chung was born and raised in New Jersey but hopes to be considered an honorary New Yorker. She is a second-year MPA student concentrating in Urban and Social Policy and specializing in Technology, Media, and Communications. After graduating from Vassar College with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Asian Studies, Julia worked at various nonprofits in New York City on issues including housing, immigration, education, and civic engagement.

Photo courtesy of: Sandy Zhang

What were you doing before you came to SIPA?
Before SIPA, I spent four years working at various nonprofits in New York City, focusing on immigration advocacy and civic engagement. After working on various grassroots-level campaigns, I realized that I needed more knowledge and expertise. I decided that the best way to serve my community was to first learn how to create better policies and how to better include multiple voices and communities in policy-making.

What attracted you to SIPA and Columbia University?
When looking at graduate schools, the two factors that were most important to me were the classes and professors and where the school was located. I wanted to be in a city so I could remain involved in local issues and I wanted professors that had expertise on social policy and municipal governments. After my acceptance, I sat in on Mark Steitz’s Data Driven Approaches to Campaigns and Advocacy class. Less than half way through the class, I knew that SIPA was the school for me. It was clear that SIPA would not only provide the theory and best-practices about policymaking, but also teach the practical skills I needed to further my career.

How did you find the core curriculum at SIPA?
With no previous quantitative experience, I was apprehensive about the economics and quantitative analysis series. However, in the end, I found both to be extremely useful. Microeconomics and macroeconomics provided me greater insight in why governments make certain decisions around monetary and fiscal policy. And having enjoyed Quantitative Analysis I, I enrolled in Quantitative Analysis II, which is not required, the next semester. Now I highly recommend all students to take Quantitative Analysis II because I think it’s crucial for all policymakers to know how critique the methods of an academic journal article.

How did you obtain your internship?
I found the general internship posting for NYC Department of Transportation on SIPAlink, our platform for career resources. Having had mainly nonprofit experience, I was looking for opportunities in municipal government. Soon after sending in my resume and cover letter, I was invited to interview with the Grants Management team and offered a College Aid position.

What are your goals for the second year?
Having completed all my core classes for my degree and concentration in my first year, almost all my second year classes will be elective courses. My goal for the second year is to continue building my skills in design thinking and data analysis. I also want to take classes in other Columbia University schools, such as Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia Business School.

What do you think makes a good SIPA student or what qualities do stellar SIPA students typically possess?
I think stellar SIPA students typically are:

  • Skilled in time management. There’s quite a bit to juggle between lectures, recitations, office hours, club meetings, networking events, group projects, and life in general! A stellar student knows exactly how much they can take on, where to allocate their energy and when they need to say no and have some self-care time.
  • Open minded and willing to listen to other perspectives. Classmates are from all walks of life with different personal and professional experiences. We don’t always agree on the merits of certain policies or hold similar political views, but we have to respectfully hear the other perspective.
  • Proactive in getting involved in SIPA and off campus. There are so many events and opportunities at SIPA, but also in New York City. Stellar students do their research and get involved!

Q&A: Moises Mendoza, MIA ’16, pursues project on statelessness

Moises Mendoza MIA ’16

Moises Mendoza (MIA ’16) sat down with SIPA News to discuss the limbo facing stateless people in the United States, the upcoming launch of his new multimedia project on statelessness (including the website Stateless Voices), and his transition from a career in journalism to a career in the U.S. Foreign Service.

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SEEPLES Perspective: What’s your specialization?

sarah  

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.

 

 FT

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.

 

Seeple Snapshot: Oscar Pocasangre, MPA

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)

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.

 

Seeple Profiles – Can you see yourself here?

 

Kristen Stamboulian

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.

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Eric Shrago

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.

 

"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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