 Jack Tang
MIA/MBA – 2012
“The M.I.A./M.B.A. dual degree gave me a very well-rounded set of skills and perspectives. My M.I.A. education gave me a better understanding of the world and the international political economy. I am better equipped to understand global trends, especially in emerging markets. My M.B.A. education gave me a more technical skill set in understanding business strategy, finance, and marketing. I believe the two degrees complement well with each other and I have no doubt that the dual degree will support me well in my professional career.” |
 Josh Whitcraft
MIA/MBA – 2013
Josh was graduated from Northwestern University in 2007 with a BA in Economics, having also studied at the London School of Economics and the University of Adelaide. He worked within Goldman Sachs' Private Wealth Management group in Chicago where he helped manage investment portfolios for high net worth individuals, foundations, and endowments. He then worked within Lazard Freres' Investment Banking Division in New York where he helped develop the firm's first dedicated Financial Sponsors Group. Josh recently interned at the microfinance firm Ujjivan in Bangalore where he researched and outlined the firm's new initiative in individual lending.
Josh is earning the MIA/MBA dual degree at Columbia in hopes of working in international business or international capital markets. While his background is in business, Josh realizes that a global and interdisciplinary approach to analyzing markets requires a deep understanding of reality, and understanding public policy and international affairs is essential in that pursuit. Josh says, “With 9.5 billion people expected on our planet in my expected lifetime, international markets will be ever more important in the development, procurement, and distribution of our planet’s finite resources. SIPA and its MIA are helping me realize how policies affect markets.”
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|  Emily Siu
MIA/MSSW – 2013
Emily attended the University of California in Davis where she majored in Women Studies and African and African American Studies. After graduating she did research work for the Los Angeles Times on California’s policies on in-vitro fertilization in relationship to multiple births. From 2009 to 2010, she was active working for the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, working with survivors of human trafficking and fellow advocates. In 2011, she spent the summer working for the United Nations and with human trafficking advocates in Ghana on a manual for standardized victim care and sheltering procedures.
“My experiences advocating for Senate Bills 657 and 677 in California have instilled in me the belief that relevant social welfare policy must be informed by social work values. With the increasing permeability of national borders, people from different backgrounds are migrating in pursuit of better opportunities. The situation is further complicated by issues such as forced displacement and human trafficking. As such, we have a highly diverse population with an array of needs that social welfare policies, both in the USA and abroad, continue to fall short of addressing. My pursuit of the dual MIA/MSSW option at Columbia has given me a greater range in perspective, reinforcing my belief that such policies must be informed by both these fields in order to be sustainable and client-centered.” |
 Carlos Cuevas
MPA/MPH – 2012
A graduate of Columbia College, Carlos’ career goal is to become a health care manager in the US. “Health care will be a consequential public policy issue that the US will need to address for the foreseeable future. Health care in the US involves managing scarce resources, while dealing with a growing demand for services in a complex regulatory environment. With a high unemployment rate and with state and local governments experiencing declining revenues, health care funding is decreasing. The economic situation has placed health care providers under ever increasing pressure to offer health care services in more cost-efficient ways, while maintaining or improving health outcomes.”
“My M.P.A. coursework at SIPA provided me with a background in how the political system and economics affect health policies, so that I can interpret current and better predict future trends in the health care field. My M.P.H. coursework at the Mailman School of Public Health provided me with the management education necessary to effectively and efficiently implement health policy and deliver health care.” |
 Kathleen Reynolds
MPA/MA in QMSS - 2012
After graduating from Syracuse University where she majored in Economics, Policy Studies, and Sociology, Kathleen joined Teach for America and spent two years teaching third grade in Glendale, Arizona. During her time as a teacher, she witnessed how ineffective and uninformed education policies have very real consequences for teachers and students. “My experience as a teacher instilled in me the need for data-driven and informed policies and a passion for education reform. With my QMSS/M.P.A. dual degree, I hope to work in education administration and policy.” |
 Stephanie Amoako
MIA/JD - 2015
Stephanie has a B.A. in International Comparative Studies from Duke University. After graduating, she joined Americorps. Later she became a program coordinator for minority infant mortality at a non-profit that works with teen mothers and low-income women.
“After working in the non-profit sector for a few years I knew that I wanted to go back to school to gain skills that would enable me to be a more effective advocate for disadvantaged populations. I want to help developing countries overcome the twin burdens of conflict and poverty to develop into thriving nations. Because of my interests in justice I knew that I wanted to get a J.D.. While a JD is a great degree to have in and of itself, I knew I wanted more tools than the J.D. could provide. I also wanted the skills I would gain from the multidisciplinary MIA degree from SIPA. Furthermore, I’m passionate about international affairs and I was excited at the prospect of continuing my studies at such a great institution. I knew that the joint degree would give me a sound background in the legal structures that set the foundation for a government, and inform me of the role of the law and judiciary in reconciliation and rebuilding after conflict.
I’m enjoying my first semester at Columbia Law School and I look forward to starting classes at SIPA next year. The hard work I’ve done so far at Columbia has not dampened my spirits. I’ve enjoyed learning in this great environment. Sometimes I look around, smile to myself, and say “Stephanie, you’re where you are supposed to be!” |
 Beibei Bao
MIA/MS Journalism - 2013
"I am from China and before I came to Columbia I was a research assistant at The New York Times Shanghai bureau. I want to become a China correspondent in the future, and I believe that's exactly what a dual-degree at SIPA and the Graduate School of Journalism can help me to achieve. SIPA has given me a broader international perspective, which is essential for my China reporting as the country has become an important player in international politics and the global economy.
In addition, at SIPA I've met people from various backgrounds, and their diverse views really help me balance the tone when I report on China. More importantly, my classes at SIPA have helped me to see international affairs in a more systematic way. I no longer see just separate events but also the underlying trends and patterns. SIPA is a place where people can develop useful insights about the world we live in." |
 Mehroz Baig
MIA/MS Journalism - 2012
Mehroz Baig was born in Karachi, Pakistan and moved to northern California when she was ten. She graduated from Wellesley College in 2008, where she majored in Spanish and minored in religion. Before coming to Columbia, Mehroz worked for the County of Sonoma’s Economic Development Board and Human Services Department in northern California where her work included research on local workforce trends and youth initiatives for low-income youth.
“I’ve always had a long-standing interest in journalism and my work in local government helped me to realize that I also want to incorporate a deeper level of understanding about how the world works into my future career. I knew that I wanted a more international focus in my academic life and the dual-degree program at the Journalism School and SIPA has been an ideal combination of the subjects I want to explore. At the Journalism school last year, I learned the skills necessary to shoot and edit video and put together a news package but more importantly, I learned how to effectively tell a story. This year at SIPA, I’m learning about international relations theory, economic principles and effective management techniques, all of which is helping me gain a more profound understanding of foreign policy and international relations. I’ve found myself constantly challenged by peers and professors at both schools and as intense as the experience has been so far, it’s been equally rewarding.” |
 Thomas Maffai
MPA/MSSW - 2013
Before coming to SIPA, Thomas worked as a high school teacher with Teach for America. His experience teaching immigrant students in the US made him see educational inequity as a global issue. He then worked for WorldTeach as the Field Director of their Chile programs, where he trained and supported 55 teachers annually and later traveled to Egypt and Sudan where he partnered with educational non-profits to conduct teacher trainings within post-conflict refugee settings.
"I have dedicated my professional life to educational initiatives serving poor and marginalized communities in diverse international settings. In my work, I have sought to weave together direct public service with policy change in order to improve opportunities for these communities and this is why I have chosen to pursue two separate masters degrees: an M.P.A. at SIPA and an M.S.S.W. at the School of Social Work. My impact so far, as a teacher and teacher-trainer, has been based on direct contact with educators and students, building personal relationships. While this student-by-student, class-by class-change is necessary and rewarding, my current dual degree program will position me to affect change on both a broad, policy level as well as very local, human level. I plan to graduate, poised to lead multi-cultural, multi-lingual initiatives aimed at increasing educational opportunities for immigrants, refugees, and other marginalized communities." |
 Nate Sherfinski
MPA/MSSW – 2012
Prior to beginning coursework in the dual degree program, Nate worked with various populations (homeless families and adjudicated youth) in social work settings, with a small Africa focused non-profit, and with a secondary school in Uganda. In the summer of 2011, he interned at the White House. Over the 2011-2012 academic year, he will be an intern at the United Nations.
“My choice to pursue a dual degree through studies at SIPA and the School of Social Work stemmed from a desire to build dynamic analytical skills. In a world of increasingly complex challenges, such skills are imperative. SIPA and Social Work nurture both macro and micro considerations of issues. Concretely, for example, the dual degree coursework allowed me to understand the foreign policy/military strategy side, as well as the way in which such policy or strategy may impact an everyday citizen. I am inspired by the prospect of unpacking policy questions, with models from both SIPA and Social Work.” |
 Peter Jenkins
MIA/MS Urban Planning - 2012
Peter is pursuing an M.I.A. and a M.S. in Urban Planning, with a focus on sustainable urban development. Peter attended the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he majored in Politics and Environmental Studies. He also spent a semester studying in Geneva, Switzerland, where he completed an independent study on international agreements and hazardous waste management. Prior to joining SIPA, Peter spent nearly three years with the Alliance to Save Energy, an NGO focusing on energy efficiency, assisting schools and universities in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions while engaging students in energy education.
“Having studied and worked in the sustainable development and environmental management field, I always knew that I wanted to study public policy in graduate school. After learning more about urbanization, and the fact that the majority of humans now live in cities, I realized that many of the policy issues I care about – such as climate change, economic development, and natural resource management – will take on an increasingly urban dimension in the future. For this reason I became interested in urban planning programs, and the dual-degree between SIPA and Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) became the obvious choice for my graduate studies. The dual degree between SIPA and GSAPP gives students access to the resources of two amazing graduate schools, while Columbia’s location in New York City provides the ultimate context for studying urban policy and planning. The urban planning program’s core curriculum, studio component, and emphasis on communication and facilitation combine nicely with SIPA’s emphasis on quantitative, qualitative, and management skills, while the options for specialization are nearly endless. As a student interested in sustainable urban development, I could not ask for more from a graduate program.” |
 Sarita Vollnhofer
MIA/MPH - 2013
Sarita Vollnhofer is a Fulbright grantee from Austria, pursuing an MIA/MPH dual degree with SIPA and the Mailman School of Public Health. Prior to her graduate studies she worked for CARE International, the Austrian Mission to the United Nations, and interned for NGOs in South Africa, Tanzania and Haiti on issues related to maternal health, HIV/AIDS, and women’s rights. SIPA provides her with the broader context of international affairs, while her MPH enables her to focus on her specific area of interest, maternal health and reproductive rights. Sarita appreciates the practical approach both schools offer, as well as the international student body, especially at SIPA. “The two degrees complement each other perfectly. SIPA and Mailman have a very different dynamic and culture, which makes the graduate experience at Columbia even more interesting.”
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