Nicole Martens Revilla

Hometown: Lima, Perú

Why did you choose McCourt? McCourt gives you the opportunity to study public policy in a city where real policy decisions are made daily. I realized that the knowledge acquired through the rigorous curriculum could be put into practice through all the job opportunities that Washington D.C. has to offer. Also, since the MPP at McCourt is a STEM-designated program, I knew that this program would give international students like me the opportunity to apply for the 24-month Optional Practical Training Extension after graduation, which could be a very enriching professional experience for international students.

What professional/ work experience did you have prior to coming to McCourt? Back in Perú, I used to work for 2 years as an associate of a law firm that combines both legal and economic theory to provide advice on issues related to competition policy, antitrust, and market regulation. This amazing experience, allowed me to deeply learn about different industries in my country and the Latin American region and how to use economic tools to perform regulatory impact assessment of proposed and existing regulations in different markets. This experience made me aware of the influence of my area of work and discovered that such a specific field of applied microeconomics has great policy implications in the policy-making process.

What has been the best part of your experience so far? Making friends from all over the world, with different experiences and interests has definitely contributed to making my experience so far the greatest. Also, working as a research assistant at McCourt has given me the opportunity to learn from amazing faculty members and explore new policy issues.

What internships have you had so far during your time at McCourt? In addition to my work as a Research Assistant at McCourt, I worked as a Summer Analyst Intern at the consulting firm Analysis Group, where I had the chance to explore Intellectual Property litigation and the economic analysis conducted in these cases.

Student organization involvement while at McCourt: I’m currently the Co-President of the organization Women in Public Policy Initiative (WiPPI), and treasurer of the Latin America and the Caribbean Policy Association (LAPA)

Undergraduate University, degree, and major: Universidad de Piura, Lima, Perú, B.S. in Economics

Hobbies/ Interests: I’m specifically interested in competition policy and market regulation. I’m also very interested in how antitrust enforcement has changed over time in a context of digital economy. Outside McCourt, I love cooking, exploring the city, hang out with my friends and go for long walks.

Reach out to me about: Moving to DC, application process for international students, courses at McCourt