SIRI Blog

Students Reflection Blogs from their Sustainable Investing Research Consulting Project Experience

March 03, 2023 
Keys to Success
Having engaged in several consulting projects through my years at SIPA, here are the few keys...

February 27, 2023 
The Onset of the Journey  
With much anticipation and anxiousness, I welcomed an exciting project where I would help build out and scale a social media platform towards sustainable capitalism for our client...

February 27, 2023
An Opportunity to Dip Our Toes
I've always been quite intimidated by the prospect of consulting for a client. Consulting as a practice is both vague and multifaceted—with...

February 27, 2023
Reflecting on Team Dynamics in the Consulting Project
"Together, we embarked on a journey of pursuit, driven by focus, passion, and care. Our goal is to bring the best results to our client, and we are determined...

February 27, 2023
The Beginning of Teamwork: How to Collaborate with Others?
Because of the Effective Management course, I knew ESG and impact investing, also realizing
that no global and common metrics...

February 27, 2023
Nourishing the Seeds of Positive Change
“You did everything to bury me, but you forgot I was a seed! It’s all clear now, Miss Ismini, I am a seed!” Hamid, a 13-year-old Syrian boy, told me one day...

February 27, 2023
People Around Me: The Excitement Multiplier Factor
I got excited about the consulting project I was assigned when I started to prepare for the first team meeting...

February 24, 2023
This Project Is More Than Research
When I initially applied to be a part of the Sustainable Investing Research Consulting Project I saw it as an opportunity...

February 24, 2023
Understanding Challenges of Gender-Based Financial Products
Before taking up on this project, I have never worked on any professional programs with a gender lense...

February 24, 2023
Think Bigger: "Universal Operator" Companies Moving Towards Collective Climate Action
Understanding the interaction of business and society has always piqued my interest. Questions
such as what motivates businesses...

February 24, 2023
Four Reasons
I was attracted to this course for several key reasons. The first reason is that being in an academic bubble for two years has made me nervous about re-entering the job market...

February 24, 2023
The Importance of Unlearning in the Learning Process
When I applied to the Sustainable Investing Research Consulting Project class, I was motivated
by a desire to expand my knowledge of sustainable finance and improve my skills...

February 24, 2023
From Bitter to Sweet: The Recipe for Building Strong Client-Consultant Relationships
As a student team working on the Sustainable Research Investing...

February 24, 2023
The Challenges of Management Consulting
There are times when professional expectations about a project can be offset from the beginning...

February 24, 2023
Steps in the Right Direction
For someone in mid-career taking classes as a full-time student can feel like a drastic deviation from the office routine. I thoroughly enjoyed each one of my classes in the first semester...

February 24, 2023
Mobilizing Voices and Capital for UNSDG Goals
Brief Introduction of [Our client, a non-profit organization, created] a social platform to mobilize and post initiatives and commitments...

February 24, 2023
The Potential and Challenges of Voluntary Carbon Markets
The world is facing numerous environmental and social challenges, especially climate change...

February 24, 2023
An Incredible Journey
Reflecting on my experience with my project, it has been an incredible journey so far. Being part
of a team of four with diverse backgrounds...

February 24, 2023
My Footing in the Intersection of Impact Investing and Development
When I graduated undergrad with my bachelor’s in business administration all I knew I wanted was to enter the world of for-profit social entrepreneurship...

February 24, 2023
My New Responsibilities: Switching Sectors and Mindsets
As I embark on my first project within the realm of consulting and sustainable investing...

February 24, 2023
Remaining Professional
When my team and I were selected for our first choice among the projects offered in the Sustainable Investing Consulting class, we were thrilled...

February 24, 2023
Community Matters
One month into the course, we have met our classmates, teammates, and the clients. We have established a routine of project planning, researching, and reflecting...

February 23, 2023
Opening Doors that I Didn’t Know Were There
It is a real privilege to work in any nascent, emerging field, but to contribute to filling a gap in finance where nature and its social benefits are undervalued or disregarded is truly an incredible opportunity...

February 23, 2023
Advocating for ESG
I applied for this project several times throughout the last semester, and here I come, with my wonderful teammate, to this project...

February 23, 2023
Importance of Client and Team Relationship
I have worked on a few clients based projects at SIPA, and this by far has been a really positive project in terms of client and team relation...

February 23, 2023
Complexity, Co-creation, and Connections
As I navigate the initial stages of our consulting project, the significance of implementing a structured approach is evident...

February 23, 2023
Everything Happens for a Reason
I joined SIPA with the intention to learn about sustainable investing to be able to transition to this industry upon graduation...

February 23, 2023
The Universe of Sustainable Investment
As someone with a background in biochemistry, my newfound awareness of the financing gap for moral capital propelled me to pivot...

February 23, 2023
Reframing the Problem Statement as a “Desired Behavior”
My first job after my undergraduate degree entailed developing new and interesting revealed preference measures for intangible and relatively abstract...

February 23, 2023
What Makes this Course and Learning Experience Special: Its People
It has been less than a month since the start of the semester, yet the course has already proven to be one of the most fascinating and appealing...

February 13, 2023 
Demanding, Challenging and *Real*
As my team and I enter the fifth week of our project, it's increasingly clear that this is not like any other course I've taken. It's demanding, challenging...

January 25, 2023 
Biodiversity Finance - An Exciting Opportunity to Add Value
The link between finance and biodiversity is complicated, controversial, nebulous, and exciting. My research team is supporting the development of how companies...

January 24, 2023
New Project New Perspectives
Starting my sustainable investment research project has already expanded my understanding of and taught me to think about the ESG and impact investing sectors...

January 23, 2023
The Pool Table Problem - It is all about Perspective
In reading the course description I was immediately excited by the opportunity to work with a company on a real-world sustainable investing issue. Clearly the subject...

January 22, 2023
Initial Impressions
I write this post approximately a week after my team and I had our first virtual meeting with our client. Preparing for the meeting, I had poured over any publicly available information...