Student Spotlight

Jennifer Burden on SIPA’s EMPA Program: “Just dive right in. I’m so glad I did”

Posted Oct 25 2022

Jennifer Burden is the founder and CEO of World Moms Network and a student in Columbia SIPA's Executive MPA (EMPA) program.

“I’ve always wanted to go to grad school. I’ve always had something going on in my life that just didn’t make it possible. Then I started my family and put a lot of my plans on hold. When you’re a stay-at-home mom, you can become very isolated. I was so curious to know how moms around the world were doing things. And that’s when I started World Moms Network. World Moms Network writes from over 30 countries on motherhood, culture, human rights, and social good. The website brought us to different countries. It also brought us to the White House, it brought us to the World Bank, to work with all these fantastic organizations. But I felt that when it came to Global Policy Studies, there was a deeper background in which I wanted. And that’s what led me to SIPA. At the EMPA program, my concentration is Global Policy Studies. And I love that SIPA was created by the same people that created the United Nations. And it was created to educate diplomats, so I get to meet with all these people from around the world that have all these different backgrounds, and we’re all looking to make the world a better place. The course selection at SIPA I find so incredible. There are night classes during the week, as well as Saturday classes. When you’re a mom there’s so many things that are constantly being thrown at you. In the spring, my daughter was playing lacrosse and I had some final papers to write. So, I found myself writing papers, printing them out, taking them to the lacrosse game, and I would get out of the car, get back in the car, work on my schoolwork. But the kids have been great, and it’s not lost on me that they’re seeing their mom go through this, study hard, try to get good grades, and I just like being that role model for them. It’s never the perfect time to start grad school. And so, if you’re thinking about it, just dive right in. I’m so glad I did.”