ID in Action

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ID in Action

From traveling the world to bringing world leaders to campus, students in the MA in International Development program are at the center of global development issues. They are active and engaged members of their local communities and dedicated to providing opportunities to the world’s most vulnerable. Hands-on opportunities are available for students to enhance their academic experience and practical training, as well as advance as a community builder and leader through on-campus organizations.

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Making a difference the world over

Community action research

As students we worked with Professor Nina Yamanis and La Clínica del Pueblo, a federally qualified health center in DC that serves Latino immigrants, to examine how the city’s new insurance recertification process affected undocumented immigrants. Support from the Matthew C. Shlonsky Award allowed us to conduct surveys and interviews in the community, which we synthesized into a report highlighting the impacts of the program and how it can be improved. Our official testimony was used in the city's budget oversight hearings to advocate for changes to the funding of the program, in the hopes of improving immigrant health and creating a healthier community for all.

Supporting personal and professional growth

Being back in school after taking a couple years' break was incredibly intimidating, but my professors, other faculty members, and my cohort showed me that this decision was undeniably the right choice. Everyone in the program has a shared interest in helping each other grow professionally and personally. I served as a member of the IDPSA board, volunteered with the Social Enterprise Association, and was even pushed to start my own cultural pop-up dinner business. I owe it all to my time in the ID program.

Tinker-Walker Fellow, 2016

I utilized the Tinker-Walker Fellowship to intern at the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. During my internship, I worked on projects involving Malaysia's economy, specifically trade and investment, as well as ones that pioneered grants for environmental NGOs. Being in the region allowed me to understand the economic and environmental issues that Malays face. I found that one of the most challenging aspects about development is balancing how countries attain economic development without degrading the environment.

Get Involved

A look at some of the ways you can get involved during your time on campus.

International Development Program Student Association

The mission of the International Development Program Student Association (IDPSA) is to support, inspire, and foster the growth of innovative and progressive future international development practitioners. Every graduate student enrolled in the ID and DM programs is a member of the IDPSA and can participate in its activities. It is led by the IDPSA Executive Board who are elected by the ID student body. For questions about how to get involved, send an email to idpsamail@gmail.com.

AU International Development Alumni Association

The AU International Development Program Alumni Board (IDAB) was founded in 2003 to strengthen the ID community and promote connections between alumni as well as current students and faculty. It does this by expanding the alumni network, encouraging professional exchanges, building ties between alumni and current ID students to promote alumni interaction and enhance graduate study, and raising funds in support of the program and its students. Following in the ID tradition, the Alumni Board aims to perpetuate in our community an ethical approach to development work that seeks to understand, defend, and promote the interests of disadvantaged people everywhere.

Graduate Student Council

The SIS Graduate Student Council (GSC) is committed to providing professional development, advocating for graduate students, and building a school-wide community. GSC provides opportunities to graduate students to plan and participate in social and professional development events, serve on school committees, advocate for themselves and their peers, and generally have their voices heard in the SIS administration. With a team of senators representing the various programs at the School of International Service and a dedicated Executive Council, the GSC strives to be a leader both inside and outside �鶹��ý. Contact the GSC at ausisgsc@gmail.com.