EPD Workshop Briefing Session for 1st Years
TODAY, Monday, March 15, 2021 | 1-2PM | Zoom
Register Here

Are you a first-year EPD student? Join us at our spring workshop briefing session where you will learn what the EPD Workshop is all about, how you can position yourself for the best experience possible, how you can propose and design your own workshop project, and much more! You'll also hear from several current second-years participating in the workshop program.



 

EPD GRAB & GO Lunch 
Wednesday, March 17, 2021 |1-1:30 PM | Zoom
RSVP: http://cglink.me/2e9/r1049715

Get a free roti roll and have a socially distanced lunch with your fellow EPD-ers around campus!

9 spots available.

Register by Tuesday, March 16th at 9am. 
Anybody registering after 9am on March 16th will not be counted. 






Alumni Chat with Zaki Raheem on International Development Consulting and Networking
Friday, March 19, 2021 | 1-2PM (EST) | Zoom
RSVP: http://cglink.me/2e9/r1049387

Join us for a conversation with EPD alum Zaki Raheem on international development consulting and networking. Zaki will touch on his career path, give an overview of development consulting and DAI, share tips on networking and informational interviews and what students can consider as they navigate their job search during the pandemic. 






CAREER PANEL SERIES: EPD
Wedneday, March 24, 2021 | 1-2:30PM (EST) | Zoom
Register here
Please note registration is compulsory. 

Come and meet SIPA alumni to discover a variety of career paths within the EPD concentration and beyond. The following four areas will be covered:
- Financial Inclusion
- Monitoring & Evaluation 
- Tech in Development
- Education Policy/Tech

We are also seeking volunteers to facilitate two of the panels (M&E and Tech in Dev). Interested students should reach out to Ilona at iv2105@columbia.edu.  












Tackling the Challenges of Global Poverty: The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Thursday, March 25, 2021 | 4-5 PM (EST)
Register here | Zoom Link
Join the Columbia Economic Society for an information session and conversation with Dr. Benjamin Olken, MIT professor and director at J-PAL, and Emily Sylvia, Senior Policy Associate at J-PAL. The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) is a global research center working to reduce poverty by ensuring that policy is informed by scientific evidence. It was founded and is co-directed by 2019 Economics Nobel Laureates, professors Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo.
This event will cover everything from what J-PAL does with randomized control trials and a research case study to how they build their partnerships and how to get involved.


COVID: Notes from the First Year with a Gender Lens
Thursday, Narch 25, 2021 | 6-7:30 PM EST
Register here

Join GPPS to reflect on COVID's gendered dimensions including impacts on labor market inequalities, care work, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. In addition to discussing these troubling effects reverberated through society by the ongoing crisis, panelists will discuss opportunities for advocacy and policy change going forward. This event will include an hour long panel moderated by Yasmine Ergas, followed by 30 minutes for Q&A.


 

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UPCOMING OCS EVENTS

New York City Police Department (NYPD) Intelligence Bureau Information Session
When: Monday, March 15, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: Only accepts U.S. Citizens for employment
For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Center for Public Research and Leadership (CPRL) Application Support Session
When: Monday, March 15, 2021
Time: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
CPRL is currently accepting applications for the Fall 2021 and Spring 2022 terms. 
For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Meet McKinsey US Consultants
When: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

Tips for Finding Summer Internship Funding
When: Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

McKinsey & Company - Advanced Professional Degree U.S. Recruiter Office Hours
When: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
For more information and to register CLICK HERE.

LEADERSHIP AT WORK: Key Principles for Inspiring Positive Change
When: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
For more information and to register CLICK HERE

CCS Fundraising Information Session
When: Wednesday, March 17, 2021
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
For more information and to register CLICK HERE

EMPA Student Career Advancement for Columbia Employees
When: Thursday, March 18, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
For more information and to register CLICK HERE

McKinsey & Company Women’s Luminary Speaker Series #2: From Academia to Consulting
When: Thursday, March 18, 2021
Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
For more information and to register CLICK HERE

APSIA Webinar on Tips for Virtual Interviewing
When: Friday, March 19, 2021
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
Register by 11:59pm ET on March 18 at  http://goo.gl/forms/rXmSPoljJi
For more information and to register CLICK HERE

GLAM APD Exploration Session
When: Friday, March 19, 2021
Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Work Authorization Requirement: N/A
For more information and to register CLICK HERE

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JOBS, INTERNSHIPS AND OTHER OPPORTUNITIES

Check out this week's OCS New Job and Internship Opportunities CLICK HERE and Upcoming Deadlines for Jobs and Internship Application CLICK HERE.

The MPA-EPM Program is hiring! 
The MPA in Economic Policy Management (EPM) program is looking to hire a work study student for the spring through the summer. Click here to learn more and apply. 

Central Square Foundation 
Project Manager and Project Lead, Research Monitoring and Evaluation Team
Location: Delhi, India 
Click here to learn more about the position and apply. 

SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy Summer & Fall 2021 Employment
The center is looking to fill out the three following type of positions: Departmental Research Assistants (appointed/salaried), Research Administration Assistants (hourly), and Student Assistants (hourly). For more details about the positions click here
Click here to apply. 

UN WOMEN 
Coordinator for UN Women’s Global Programme on “Engendering Fiscal Stimulus Packages and Recovery Efforts Adopted in Response to the COVID-19 Health and Economic crises”.
Click here to learn more about the position and apply. 

Inter-American Dialogue Summer 2021 Internships 
This summer, the internship program will be remote. The different positions, with descriptions and requirements are available here. 

Interns have expansive duties and play a vital role in the Dialogue’s daily activities. The Dialogue’s internship program provides students and recent graduates with training and experience for careers in the public and private sectors. Past interns have gone on to pursue jobs with a wide variety of international organizations, government bodies, think tanks, consulting firms, and private corporations. Application deadline is March 26th at 5pm EST. 

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CAREER RESOURCES

SIPA Career Website & Resources
Check out great career development resources for students that can be found on SIPA Career Resources Website.

Factsheets on Career Development - Tips for international students and on connecting with alumni, interviewing, networking, PMF information, writing resumes and cover letters and other career development topics.

Career Overview Factsheet - Information, sample employers, and online resources for a variety of fields and industries

Sector-Specific Fact Sheets - Lists of employers by industry or field, organizational charts, and information on IFC and World Bank internship programs and YPPs.

Check out other resources on this website. 
 

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STUDENTS SPOTLIGHT
Hitoshi Ogino is a second year MPA-EPD student, specializing in Data Analytics, Quantitative Analysis, and Gender and Public Policy. Prior to SIPA, Hitoshi was working for the Japanese government, responsible for several reforms in healthcare, elderly care, and daycare centers for children. Being a student with a baby born recently, he is juggling schoolwork and parenting with generous support from his classmates, which he really appreciates. Over the summer, he did a research internship with a professor from SIPA, analyzing policy responses to COVID-19 in Japan and the US. Currently, he is working on his capstone project, consulting an organization building self-help groups for women in Ethiopia. Experience in the SIPA community and NY, he said, have opened his eyes to worlds and topics he has never thought of and it has been an invaluable opportunity to explore his interests. After graduation, he will return to serve the government and seek to play a responsible role in policymaking in social welfare and labor policies. In his free time, Hitoshi loves reading books (mostly memoirs), having tuna salad bagels (everything, toasted), and taking a walk on campus with his baby (his back hurts every time afterwards) to get fresh air. 

Amer Gharib is a first year MPA-EPD student specializing in management. He was born and raised in Lebanon and obtained a B.A. in Economics from the American University of Beirut. Prior to SIPA, Amer worked at the Lebanon Water Project where he focused on civic engagement as well as resource management. He then joined the UNDP on a project within the Office of the Prime Minister of his home country where he worked on a comprehensive reform and capital investment plan that aimed to rescue the country from an impending crisis. As the government failed to enact the necessary reforms which would unlock the international funding for the capital projects, Lebanon found itself in a deep financial and economic crisis. As a result, Amer decided to further his education and gain professional experience abroad to understand how to best serve his country when he returns. His areas of focus since joining SIPA have been economic development and forreign aid, gender policy, financial sector regulations, and public sector management. Aside from that, Amer is passionate about music and enjoys singing and playing basketball.
 

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PICK OF THE WEEK

This week's featured film: CRACK: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy

A cheap, powerful drug emerges during a recession, igniting a moral panic fueled by racism. Explore the complex history of crack in the 1980s.


Watch the trailer here. Watch the movie on Netflix. 













This week's featured book: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, by George Saunders
"The part of the mind that reads a story is also the part that reads the world," George Saunders writes in A Swim in a Pond in the Rain. 

In A Swim in a Pond in the Rain, Saunders has distilled decades of coursework into a lively and profound master class, exploring the mechanics of fiction through seven memorable stories by Chekhov, Tolstoy, Turgenev, and Gogol. In these warm, sublimely specific essays, Saunders’ astounding powers of analysis come into full view, as does his gift for linking art with life. By becoming better readers, Saunders argues, we can become better citizens of the world.






(We would love to hear your recommendations! Let us know what you have watched/read/listened to recently so we can feature them in the next newsletter!)

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EPD OFFICE HOURS

José Antonio Ocampo, EPD Co-Director
Sign up online: https://tinyurl.com/officehours-ocampo

Jenny McGill, EPD Co-Director and Workshop Director
Sign up online: https://tinyurl.com/mcgill-oh

Ilona Vinklerova, EPD Manager
Sign up online: https://sipa.campusgroups.com/meetings/1060915/IlonaOH_spring2021 

Séléna Batchily, EPD Program Assistant
By appointment at ssb2200@columbia.edu

Saiful Salihudin, EPD Program Assistant
By appointment at sas2409@columbia.edu