Stephani Ortiz

Current position and employer: I currently work for two organizations that focus on immigration programs, one for Latin America and the other one for Africa:

Hometown: Aguascalientes, Mexico

Current City: Washington, DC

Why did you choose McCourt? McCourt school was ranked in the top 5% of public affairs schools in the nation, and I figured if I wanted to focus my career on development this was the correct place for me. I also wanted a one-year program, and the McCourt School is one of the few schools that offers this possibility.

What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? Prior to coming to McCourt I worked for the private sector for 12 years, I did program management for the Medical Segment and the Automotive sector.

What was the best part of your experience? The best part of my experience being a graduate student at McCourt and at Georgetown is learning from my peers. My colleagues have a very interesting work background, come from different countries, speak more than one language, and hold different traditions, this enriches the program with new and fun experiences every day.

What internships did you have during your time at McCourt? During the program, I worked for an organization in Belize that pivots NGO`s to succeed. I helped develop their next five-year strategic development plan.

Student organization involvement while at McCourt: I am involved in MPiP (McCourt Policy in Practice)

Undergraduate University, degree, and major: Universidad Politecnica de Aguascalientes Mexico, Bachelor`s degree in Business and Administration Specialization – Business Information Systems and Production Management

Hobbies/ Interests: My policy areas of interest are foreign affairs, development and education in developing countries, especially Latin America.

Reach out to me about: Moving to DC, how to navigate the process of application if English is not your first language and anything related to being an international students.