Category Archives: Uncategorized

Brendan Tarnay

DPMI Colombia was to be my one last trip abroad through MIIS during my time in graduate school, and I jumped at the opportunity to try a DPMI program, and it being conducted in Latin America made it extremely attractive. I had, to an extent, avoided classes that were project management-based because I believed that it wasn’t going to be necessary or particularly valuable for my career. But after doing a Saturday morning design thinking workshop, I realized that this type of program can stretch and challenge my abilities, and push me to think further outside of my very small creativity toolbox.

I had few to no expectations, having never been to Colombia, and never engaged in a workshop such as this, nor done much work on program design. Furthermore, it being conducted entirely in Spanish, I knew it was going to test that ability as well.

I’m pleased to say that the workshop itself exceeded and feeling or subconscious expectation I had had. I was surprised to see the diverse backgrounds of the participants in the workshop, with only seven being from MIIS, there were over 30 participants from Colombia, and from around the world. This diversity was instrumental in creating the environment for necessary conflict to truly understand that notion that “development is hard.” Indeed, the program design process we learned challenged every level of thinking, forcing us to erase “common sense” and start anew, asking questions, thinking, and, most importantly, listening to our fellow participants.

While our classes and group work at MIIS can be challenging and fun, this program took us outside the walls and put us face to face with an international community such as that we may encounter in our careers. My classes from in policy, migration, and (importantly) conflict resolution all came into play during this workshop.

I’m happy to say that my current internship in Costa Rica has required the use of the very tools we learned during the workshop in Medellín, including the Spanish vocabulary in program design and development.

The client project with Sanynco was less successful on my part, as I felt that I and the client were both unprepared with regards to expectations of me, as well that the viability of the project they had in mind, Sumak Kawsay. While what I submit for my deliverable is meager, it is a reflection of the struggle in making this particular project work, and the ability to complete such a project without constant one-on-one time with the client, of which there was very little opportunity during those two weeks. I do believe that, along with what I submitted, the client went back to reexamining their goals and perhaps starting with smaller projects that may help build their connections in the communities they seek to assist, as well as with government officials and lawmakers needed in order to make their worthy vision a reality.

Team Huellas con Dignidad and analyzing the problem of disappearing and polluted mangroves, as well as dignified housing, in Rincón del Mar, Colombia.

 

 

 

Kimani DeShields-Williams

Summary of Experience

The DPMI Client Project was a truly insightful experience that provided me the professional experience needed to understand development organizations. Celina Lima and I were assigned to work with FHI 360, an international development organization tackling everything from health to education. The organization currently has a project regarding education in Equatorial Guinea. Our scope of work was to research the different options for project management software and make a recommendation on what is the best fit for the project. Throughout the week, we held meetings with program managers in D.C. and those in the field office in Equatorial Guinea. In addition, we worked with the work plan for 2017 to develop indicators and plan out each activity in order to input all the information on the different software platforms. By the end of the week, we could come up with a solid recommendation to aid the progression of the project. Once we came to a consensus using a weighted system we developed, we presented to 10 staff members across multiple departments.


Overall, the project was a great chance to solidify all the skills I have acquired during my time at MIIS. By being imbedded in an organization and applying these tools and prior knowledge to a real project, which inherently cultivated skills we could never get in a classroom. Through having the specific task of evaluating project management software and utilizing the 2017 work plan to test the effectiveness of these platforms, we gained a new sense of project management that will be useful in future client projects for our courses. Personally, I could gain a new sense of the environment I hope to work in and where I feel my talents could be more useful. Before doing the project, I knew I wanted to be involved in strategic planning and operations. After, I now know I want to continue to build the skill set to work in this capacity after graduate. I loved working through the work plan and specifying the resources needed, dependencies and how best to implement both tasks. 


The DPMI Client Project was a great opportunity to learn about an organization and apply tools learned in the classroom in the real world. I now have more of a sense of what tools I want to develop at MIIS to acquire the job I want to after graduation. 

This photo was taken during our daily meeting with Beryl to discuss our progress on our client projects and get new ideas on how to approach different issues we were experiencing. During this particular photo we were discussing the upcoming presentations and helping the Grameen group work through some of their challenges dealing with how to count beneficiaries.

Chelsea Lavallee

Summary of your experience

This Spring Break, I took the opportunity to reinforce and utilize my DPMI skills in a practical setting. I headed out to Washington DC for a week long client project with seven MIIS students and Dr. Beryl Levinger. Along with one fellow MIIS student, we spent the week developing a Learning Agenda for Root Change. Root Change was founded by DPMI and MIIS adjunct professor, Evan Bloom and Claudia Liebler, and is an NGO that utilizes social network analysis to foster bottom-up participatory development approaches. Root Change recently won an USAID funded grant, “Local Works,” which will allow local citizens and NGOs the opportunity to prototype “lean experiments,” or short-term, action learning interventions that they design to help improve their own communities. Our contribution to the Local Works Learning Agenda involved strategizing ways that these lean experiments could be evaluated and how learning could be captured, both in order to satisfy USAID’s reporting requirements and to help locals understand if their community development goals are being met. My team designed research questions, indicators and operational terms for the Learning Agenda, which we presented to Root Change on the last day of Spring Break.

Throughout the week long client project, I was able to reflect on the mission of Root Change, their development philosophy and the tools they use to achieve their goals through three seminars with Dr. Levinger and my MIIS colleagues. I also gained a better understanding of what kind of skills are needed to work on monitoring, evaluation and learning teams and how I would utilize them in a real world setting. My proficiency utilizing evaluation tools increased immeasurably, as I was able to receive real time feedback fromthe client, Dr. Levinger and the other MIIS students on the trip. Ultimately I learned a lot about myself, my own values about development work and what kind of job I might want after graduation. I would recommend any MIIS student considering a career in Washington DC to participate in the DPMI Client Projects next year.

DPMI Spring Break students working with Dr. Levinger in Washington DC

DPMI Colombia Participants

Some of the Participants!

Tyler Higginson

Tyler calls Salt Lake City, Utah home where he was born and raised. Having spent much of his time in the mountains, he enjoys everything outdoors and was naturally drawn to issues regarding the environment and natural resources. This lead him to a BS in Environmental Studies where he became entrenched in issues surrounding people and the planet. He served a two year ecclesiastical service mission in Sacramento, California where he learned Spanish. After having worked in renewable energy, he decided it was time to improve his practical skills to have a deeper impact. As an MBA/MA in International Policy and Development, Tyler is learning to do just that. Incredibly excited and ready to learn, Tyler is looking forward to getting to know the needs of the client and working with the stakeholders.

Stephanie Villalobos

I was born in Santa Ana, California and resided in the Orange County area until I was 19. I come from a family of seven children, myself included, raised by a beautiful Mexican mother. I moved to the island of Oahu to pursue a bachelor’s degree in intercultural studies with an emphasis in communications at BYU-Hawaii. I graduated and chose to become a high school English teacher on the islands and surf Polynesia before deciding to go back to school to pursue a Masters in International Policy and Development with an emphasis in migration, human rights, and trafficking. I’m looking forward to focusing on the work to uplift marginalized and disenfranchised communities worldwide alongside multi-faceted individuals.

Maria Prichard

I grew up in Santa Barbara, California and moved to Los Angeles to attend the University of Southern California (USC). I received my Bachelor’s in Political Science with a minor in Spanish. My interest in nonprofit work began during my time at USC where I worked with an organization called A Better LA that aims to reduce gang violence in the inner-city areas surrounding USC. After graduating from USC, I worked in fundraising for a variety of nonprofits serving low-income families and children. In 2016 I decided to leave the world of fundraising to pursue my MPA at MIIS with the aim of returning to the nonprofit sector to support organizational impact and sustainability.

Over the summer I participated in DPMI in DC as well as working as a program operations intern for Chrysalis in Los Angeles. I have lived and traveled in several Spanish speaking regions such as Spain, Nicaragua and Mexico. I currently live in Monterey, California with my dog, Chile, and teach yoga.

Katie Morton

Katie is an international development professional with 7+ years of experience at international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) in the sectors of public health, education, and microfinance. She specializes in program evaluation, innovative informatics to capture program metrics, and user-friendly means to communicate findings. Key skills include theory of change (ToC) modeling, data flow design, database administration, and project management.

Most recently, Katie lived in South Africa as Global Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Manager at a sport-for-development INGO where she oversaw impact metrics and designed data flow processes for programs in 20+ countries. She graduated cum laude from Skidmore College with a B.A. in International Relations. She is currently enrolled in the M.P.A. program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

DPMI Cairo Participants

Some of Cairo’s Participants!

Mariko Powers

My name is Mariko and I am a 1st year International Environmental Policy student at MIIS. I am from  Santa Cruz, California, and am passionate about conservation, journalism, and international affairs. I graduated from Occidental College in 2013, where I studied Diplomacy and World Affairs and Urban and Environmental Policy. I have also lived in Los Angeles, New York, and Thailand, where I’ve worked for nonprofits and international organizations including the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, United Nations Development Programme, and Council on International Educational Exchange. My academic interests revolve around project design and program evaluation, social entrepreneurship, integrated conservation and development projects, and community capacity building. I am looking forward to participating in the DPMI program and gaining more skills and experience in international sustainable development.

Andy Kiemen

Andy Kiemen is from Delavan, a small town in Southeastern Wisconsin. He attended the the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and received his BS in Environmental Science and Resource Management spring 2014. Since graduation he has traveled around from place to place seeking new opportunities. He has spent time interning for the Bureau of Land Management in Texas, as well as interning for the University of Florence in Italy. Recently before attending MIIS he moved to California to work for and environmental non-profit in San Jose. Andy is an enthusiastic, friendly, and dedicated person that looks forward to working with his cohort in Cairo to make a difference.


Aleksandra Evert

Aleksandra was born and raised in Novosibirsk Russia, moved to California at the age of 10 and has lived in the state ever since. She received her undergraduate education at the University of California, Santa Barbara in Environmental Science. Before beginning the International Environmental Policy program at MIIS, she worked in ecological restoration at multiple environmental nonprofits, interned at tech startups in Silicon Valley and completed a year of AmeriCorps with Our City Forest working on urban forestry, volunteer management, and community engagement. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping and taking photos of newly discovered places. She looks forward to meeting and working with everyone in a new, exciting setting!

Rianna Robertson

Rianna Robertson, originally from El Jebel, Colorado, spent over 10 years engaging in and facilitating international education. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Foreign Languages, in particular French and Japanese, from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. After graduation, she taught English in Aomori, Japan as an Assistant Language Teacher in the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program. After returning to the United States, she worked at a variety of locations including a French immersion charter school, a non-profit international homestay organization, and on a marketing project at Intel. At the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, she is currently pursuing her Master’s degree in International Education Management. After graduation, she hopes to work in an International Student Services office, working to promote cultural exchange and understanding in additional to assisting students with visas and immigration.

Altaira Hatton

Altaira Hatton is a mediator, negotiator, and facilitator. To date, she has world class mediation training from the American Arbitration Association, Humboldt Mediation Services, the Clingendael Institute, Harvard Law and in international relations from the Geneva School of Diplomacy. She’s a former database specialist and international entrepreneur, and has lived on the US West coast, the Caribbean, Switzerland, and Argentina. She’s delighted to participate in DPMI, and to work toward her Masters with MIIS.

Shaheen Bharwani

I am an undergraduate student at Middlebury College.  I am committed to international development, social entrepreneurship, and cross-cultural bridge building.  I am interested in learning foreign languages and have studied Spanish, German, French, Farsi, and Arabic. In the summer of 2014, I studied Arabic in Morocco on a U.S. Department of State scholarship as part of its National Security Language Initiative for Youth.  I am currently studying intermediate Arabic at Middlebury.  I have conducted global health research and analysis at the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at the Harvard Medical School.   I have also worked in international development in Kenya and Zanzibar with the Aga Khan Development Network in education and health with a focus on program evaluation.  Last summer, I participated in Middlebury College’s MiddCORE program on leadership and innovation, acquiring core business skills in idea creation, market research, strategic and design thinking, and ethical decision-making.  At Middlebury, I have taken courses in globalization and social change, geopolitics, and economics.  I am considering a joint BA/MA in International Policy and Development at Middlebury College and the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.

Laura Tedford

My name is Laura Tedford. I was born in LA, grew up in Texas and Mexico City and did my undergrad at BYU Idaho. I love to travel and learn about new cultures. When I was younger my family often travelled to Latin America. I’ve traveled through: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. I lived in Russia for a year and a half as part of missionary service, and after went back to Eastern Europe to work with the State Department at the Riga, Latvia embassy. I hope to learn more about the Arab world and gain perspective for my future career. I love hiking, being outdoors, and having game nights with friends. I look forward to meeting everyone!

Radwa is a first semester IPD/MBA student hailing from the East Coast, where she completed her undergraduate degree in Global Affairs and Linguistics from George Mason University. As a first generation Egyptian-American, she is excited to be taking part in DPMI Cairo, in hopes of getting the chance to work on the ground in Egypt and learn how to marry her coursework in policy, development, and business with fieldwork to benefit international development organizations in Egypt. With professional experience in government, international education, and public policy, Radwa is passionate about utilizing her experience to focus on women’s education & empowerment initiatives and social enterprise.