Hometown: Venezuela & Texas
Current City: Washington, DC
Why did you choose McCourt? I chose McCourt because it provides students with hard and sought-out skills to create meaningful change in public policy. In addition to theory and key concepts within the international development policy space, McCourt teaches its student how to identify real development constraints and design effective solutions. It also welcomes students who do not have as strong a background in math and economics and gets them up to speed on key skills. The program is also designated as STEM which is a great resume booster. Finally, I chose McCourt because they fund summer placements for MIDP students which helped me with my financial decision as well.
What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? While doing the MIDP program at McCourt, I also work at the British Embassy within the UK’s Department for International Trade, which I have been working at for five years. I am a part of their Multilateral Development Bank liaison team and work with the WB, IADB, USAID and MCC to help them connect with UK firms who are implementing projects in developing countries. I also have interned at various organizations such as the US Department of Commerce and Houston Mayor’s Office for International Trade.
What has been the best part of your experience so far? The best part about McCourt so far has been the feeling that you are in a collaborative and friendly environment. Unlike other programs, at McCourt you are constantly working with your peers and learning from one another. Similarly, studying with people who are interested in your same field and come from unique and diverse backgrounds means you are always learning and creating enriching friendships. Similarly, the school really goes above and beyond to help their students succeed and enjoy the program. There are many events each week on very relevant policy topics and organizations to be a part of at McCourt to further learn and network.
What internships have you had so far during your time at McCourt?
During the summer bridging my first and second year at Georgetown, I was fortunate to collaborate with the esteemed organizations of the World Bank’s Gender Innovation Lab (GIL) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in Abuja, Nigeria. This experience was an integral component of the broader summer work placement program exclusively available to MIDP students.
In my role, I actively contributed to the meticulous design of a comprehensive impact evaluation. This involved the development of concept notes and pre-analysis plans, as well as the execution of both descriptive and regression analyses. Moreover, I had the privilege of immersing myself in the field, engaging with remote communities in Akwa Ibom. There, I had insightful conversations with the program’s beneficiaries, predominantly women, which provided me with invaluable firsthand field experience.
Student organization involvement while at McCourt: I am involved with LAPA (Latin American Policy Association) and GAPS (Georgetown Anti-Poverty Society). They both host amazing events and you get to meet people who are interested in the same things as you and make friends.
Undergraduate University, degree, and major: The University of Texas at Austin, International Relations and Political Economy & Government
Hobbies/ Interests:
Policy areas of interest: Extreme poverty, agriculture and food security, gender and governance and institutions.
Hobbies: I love to run in the mornings before class to start my day off right. I also enjoy walking around DC and getting to know new areas I haven’t seen before. I am a big movie buff and enjoy visiting a movie theater when I get a chance. Also, I love a good cocktail.
Reach out to me about: I can talk to students about moving to DC, being a latina (specifically Venezuelan) at Georgetown, coming from a non-quant heavy background and about international development