Current position and employer: Consultant at the IDB Lab

Hometown: Yokohama, Japan

Current City: Washington, DC

Why did you choose McCourt? It was critical for me to obtain analytical skills of evaluating development programs at a graduate school. While there are many public policy schools in the US, I found the McCourt was attractive because it is located in DC, the heart of policy-making, and offers a unique curriculum focusing on international development and quantitative analysis. I became confident of pursuing my degree here when I discussed with the MIDP faculty who cared a lot about students, and I can confirm my intuition was right after two years of my school life at the McCourt School.

What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? Prior to Georgetown, I worked as a financial and economic analyst focusing on emerging markets at a Global Financial Institution, where I conducted financial market research and published investment reports to financial investors. Additionally, I also served as a financial advisor specializing in the infrastructure sector at a Global Consulting Firm and engaged in various large-scale infrastructure projects such as project finance, public-private partnership (PPP), research and merges and acquisitions (M&A), where I advised both governments and private companies on financial, procurement, strategic and PPP issues.

What was the best part of your experience? I would say the time spent with friends of my cohort. I am privileged to have brilliant and thoughtful classmates who always inspired me and encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone. The MIDP program is definitely demanding but I am having a great time thanks to my cohort.

What internships did you have during your time at McCourt? I had two summer internships with the Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). For the first IPA internship, I engaged in a financial inclusion project in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. My role was to clean baseline, midline, and endline surveys, conducted a balance test, and contributed to a part of analysis using a statistical software called STATA. Also, I interned at the development impact measurement department at the IFC as part of the Global Internship Program, where I supported economic analysis for urban infrastructure investments.

Undergraduate University, degree, and major: Keio University, Degree: BA in policy management, Major: development economics

Hobbies/ Interests: I like outdoor activities including camping, scuba diving and jogging. I am also a big fan of Onsen (hot springs)!

Reach out to me about: Career shift from the private sector