Earning a Master of International Development Policy degree is the rational next step for McCourt Scholar Maria Antonella Pereira. She brings precise, well-defined focus to her goals as a scholar and advocate with a disability. Hailing from Quito, Ecuador, Maria Antonella began working in the field of disability policy from her college years at Barnard. “At college I merged my passion for economics with inclusion and disability. Studying at a place such as Georgetown now allows me to understand what policies work better than others and gain the skills to properly evaluate policies to make this determination. The field of inclusive international development is one I feel very strongly about.” Maria Antonella currently works at the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington, DC. “I focus mainly on researching how to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities, that is, their social and economic participation in every aspect of society.” Maria Antonella aims to further her work in inclusive international development to close gaps in education, labor markets, income equality and poverty among people with and without disabilities.