CIPA fellows are culturally and professionally diverse. About half are women. Some come directly from undergraduate studies; others have already begun careers and are either repositioning themselves or building skills for future responsibilities.
Fellows have worked in local, state, and national government offices, international aid organizations, social service agencies, international consulting firms, engineering firms, petroleum companies, volunteer organizations, congressional offices, hospitals, TV newsrooms, classrooms, and on Wall Street.
About half come from abroad, most recently from Antigua, Argentina, Australia, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Greece, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela. These international representatives join their United States counterparts in a rigorous study experience at Cornell.
Many CIPA fellows have been awarded the distinguished Presidential Management Internship placements or have become Fulbright Fellows, and a number have gone on to further study in law school, business school, or doctoral programs.
The following student profiles reflect the diversity of cultures and professional backgrounds that CIPA fellows represent.
Kevin RooneyCornell University
"I've always wanted to go to law school, but after substitute teaching in local schools following graduation, I discovered that education was important to me too. I researched dual-degree programs with M.A.s in history or American studies, but the more I studied up on CIPA, the more I realized that this program was a better fit for me. With an M.P.A., I could combine my interests - and I could put myself in a position to have an impact on larger policy issues.
I'm studying educational policy at CIPA and I'm still planning on law school. Through CIPA, I've learned to think more critically and to evaluate issues on a broader scale as well as on a micro-level, and this will certainly help me in law school. As a future policy maker, it's essential to be able to assess problems, come up with potential solutions, and predict how those solutions might play out at the ground level.
The flexibility of CIPA is a major strength. There are so many programs and departments at Cornell, and as a CIPA fellow, they're all at your disposal. The diversity of the people within the program is also a big strength. Students come from all over the world and are at varying stages of their lives. Some are right out of undergrad; some have been out in the work force and are married with children. I learn as much from the interaction with these people as I do from the lectures.
Cornell in Washington was definitely a draw. I love Ithaca, but it was important for me to get firsthand experience in D.C. and to see whether I could imagine myself working there long-term. This summer I'll be doing an internship there with the American Federation of Teachers. Getting that position was a direct result of CIPA. Tom O'Toole [the Assistant Director for Professional Development] made the initial contact for me and helped me develop my application materials.
The personal involvement of the professors at Cornell - particularly the core faculty - is amazing. They take a real interest in what you're doing and go out of their way to help you. Professor Nancy Chau was wonderful in AEM 430 [International Trade Policy]. She's obviously a brilliant economist, but beyond that, she was able to make the concepts in class understandable to people like me who aren't as comfortable with the subject."
Alexandra LewinCornell University
"I came to CIPA because I wanted to bridge the gap between my undergraduate studies in international agriculture and my knowledge of policy and economics.
CIPA's Distinguished Faculty Program provided me with a great opportunity. I was able to do my research with Professor Per Pinstrup-Anderson who teaches in the Division of Nutritional Sciences. He's a winner of the World Food Prize. We studied the effects of cotton and sugar subsidies on low-income countries and presented the results of this research at a Cornell symposium last winter.
I spent fall semester studying at the Cornell in Washington (CIW) campus, while working as an agriculture fellow in the Office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY). It was a truly amazing job. I was able to apply my knowledge of both agriculture and policy to the most pressing agricultural needs of New York State. At CIW, Steve Jackson, the director, worked individually with me - as he did all the CIPA students. He was challenging and helpful. Because of him, I was able to complete my thesis while I was in D.C.
Tom O'Toole [the Assistant Director for Professional Development] is an incredible resource. He prepares you for a career after college. He looked out for me - he found me my internship in D.C.
CIPA sparked my interest in the policy aspects of food studies. I've been accepted to begin a Ph.D. program in agricultural economics at the University of California at Davis, focusing on development and food policy. CIPA gave me the quantitative background that I need for this program. It made me a stronger candidate and took a year off of my doctoral studies."
"I was attracted to Cornell because it had enough of a structure that I felt comfortable; the program had direction, but enough flexibility that I would have the opportunity to specialize. The CIPA program is for people who want to create something of their own - trailblazers who want to make something happen.
I'm one of twelve siblings. I grew up in a poor section of D.C. and I'm the first in my family to go to college. I came from a family and neighborhood of entrepreneurs. I began working in a barber shop when I was a kid - sweeping floors. By sixteen, I had my license and I paid for a good amount of my education by cutting hair. I know firsthand that in order to bring change to a community, you need economic growth.
My concentration is essentially international studies, but I'm focusing on international security and international development. In the fall, I have an internship with Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), a government agency that does investment development abroad. OPIC is a good fit for me because their mission is in sync with my belief that bringing industry to a poor area is the only way to empower people to expedite change.
The faculty and staff members at CIPA are committed to their students. I know that they're personally invested in seeing me through this program.
The friendships I've begun to develop here - we've planted the seeds for something more down the road. When we're out in our careers and our jobs, I think we're going to be an even tighter group."
Colby College, Riga, Latvia
"I chose CIPA because I wanted to do international development. The flexibility of the program was very important to me. I'm from Latvia, and I've traveled a lot. I studied in Norway and New Zealand, and worked for an NGO in Bolivia and with the Red Cross in Germany. I'm focusing my studies on Eastern Europe and Latin America now, learning how NGOs and multinational companies implement various initiatives when they go to developing countries.
The CIPA program has a good mix of students - different ages, countries, backgrounds, and experiences (life, work, travel), so we create this wonderful blend. I've made so many good friends here. It's not a huge program, so it's easy to develop long-lasting friendships. Within two weeks of coming to Cornell, I already had a solid support group. The students here tend to be collaborative. We work together more like colleagues than as competitors.
The CIPA program has a good mix of students - different ages, countries, backgrounds, and experiences (life, work, travel), so we create this wonderful blend. I've made so many good friends here. It's not a huge program, so it's easy to develop long-lasting friendships. Within two weeks of coming to Cornell, I already had a solid support group. The students here tend to be collaborative. We work together more like colleagues than as competitors.
I have an internship this summer at Development Associates, Inc. It's a for-profit consulting company based in Washington, D.C. that works on projects in developing countries. In Latin American countries, for example, they're involved in a number of democracy-building projects.
I have friends coming to Cornell next year who I went to college with. I told them how happy I was here - that this program has marvelous opportunities and they can use these opportunities to their advantage.
After I leave CIPA, I want to work in Washington, D.C. for two or three years and do a stint in a developing country. Someday I'll do my Ph.D. in government. I would love to teach. That's my ultimate goal."
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