Current position and employer: Analyst, Water Practice, Castalia Advisors

Hometown: Boston, MA

Current City: Washington, DC

Why did you choose McCourt? I was already admitted to MSFS, and felt that doing that degree alone wouldn't be enough to build the strong quantitative analytical foundation required for the fields I wanted to break into. Quantitative rigor presented accessibly is McCourt's selling point, so I felt that the two degrees would synergize well.

What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? Prior to starting at McCourt, I lived in Dubai, UAE for around five years. I spent most of that time working as a political risk analyst for a private firm that worked with clients to help them understand how political and security risks could affect their operations in the Middle East. This built on my undergraduate education in international security, the history and politics of the Middle East, and the Arabic language.

What was the best part of your experience? I never knew I could enjoy, or be good at, quantitative analysis of any kind. McCourt totally changed that dynamic for me. And those skills in turn helped me land some very neat opportunities (see below).

What internships did you have during your time at McCourt?

• US Embassy Sana'a (Virtual Student Federal Service internship)
• World Bank, Office of the Chief Economist for the Middle East
• Castalia Advisors, water infrastructure practice

Undergraduate University, degree, and major: Tufts University, International Relations (security studies)

Hobbies/ Interests: Academic/professional: political risk, development economics, infrastructure (energy & water), illicit finance, Middle East & North Africa. Non-academic: tennis, ultimate frisbee, board games, food.

Reach out to me about: Dual degrees, careers in the Middle East, political risk fields, development, infrastructure, utilities.