This past month, IEDP students, faculty, and alums joined the 2026 Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Conference in San Francisco, California. Check some of the favorite IEDP memories from this enriching and busy week! Continue reading Memories from 2026 Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Conference
For this month’s IEDP Alumni Spotlight, I am excited to introduce you to IEDP alum, JesĂşs “Louie” Zúñiga. I first learned about Louie from an IEDP friend, who shared that they had a great experience connecting with Louie. And then when our Program Manager, Lauren shared that he had single-handedly organized the university-wide Problem-Solver Symposium during his time in the program, I knew Louie would … Continue reading IEDP Alumni Spotlight: JesĂşs “Louie” Zúñiga, Strategic Growth Manager at Vanguard Charitable
Last semester, Dr. Ghaffar-Kucher organized a “2nd Years: Ask Me Anything” panel for first year IEDP students. During the panel, I was excited to meet second-year IEDP student, Lushen Zhang, and learn more about her unique experience at GSE. Since then, she has been a wonderful support as a Teaching Assistant for our IEDP Proseminar course this semester. Hearing from Lushen about her experience was … Continue reading Meet Lushen Zhang: 2nd Year IEDP Student, Proseminar TA, Penn First Plus Graduate Coordinator
This month, I am thrilled to introduce you to my friend and fellow IEDP student, Amane Tsuchimoto. At the start of the academic year, I connected with Amane over our shared interest in higher education, and eventually, I had the privilege to get to know him (and his lovely wife, Sayuri and adorable daughter, Waka) even more during our group technical proposal project last semester. … Continue reading Amane Tsuchimoto on Navigating Life as a Full-Time IEDP Graduate Student and Father of a Three-Year-Old Daughter
This month, I am excited to kick off the IEDP Alumni Spotlight series. In this series, you will get to hear directly from IEDP alums about their journey at Penn GSE, their adventures since graduating, and a few pieces of advice for current students. Without further ado, let me introduce you to Athena Louise Lao, who graduated from the IEDP in 2017. Following graduation, she … Continue reading IEDP Alumni Spotlight: Athena Louise Lao, Senior Program Manager at Ted-Ed
Happy New Year! As the IEDP priority application deadline of February 1 quickly approaches (although rolling admissions remain open as space permits), I wanted to share ten tips for navigating the application process. For first-gen applicants, international applicants, and those from other marginalized communities, the process of applying for graduate school can be incredibly daunting. Being first-gen myself, I can vividly remember my own sleepless … Continue reading Top 10 Tips for Navigating the Graduate School Application Process
As December comes to a close, we are so proud to announce that sixteen IEDP students are graduating from the program this month. In honor of concluding their IEDP journeys, several graduates have shared their reflections and most memorable photos. Please join us in celebrating these incredible graduates! Kathryn Elizabeth Anderson My time with the IEDP has been a whirlwind of learning, laughter, enlightening conversations, … Continue reading Congratulations, IEDP December 2025 Graduates!
IEDP never stops even during Thanksgiving! It has been a crazy semester and we have been busy with assignments and group projects; however, that does not mean that we do nothing fun. In fact, I love my cohort for holding so many diverse activities that makes our cohort bond tighter. I really feel close to my cohort and I truly happy to be the GA … Continue reading A Day in the Life of an IEDP Student: 🧡Friendsgiving Edition 🧡
This week, I am excited to introduce you to my friend and IEDP student, Juston Vizyalona. Originally from the city of Blantyre in Southern Malawi, Juston brings over a decade of experience in international educational development and most recently, joined the IEDP this year on a prestigious scholarship. Throughout the fall semester, I have learned so much from Juston and hope you do too through … Continue reading From Blantyre, Malawi to the IEDP: Juston Vizyalona’s Journey in International Educational Development
In this blog article, you will hear from IEDP second year student, Shelly Lee who shares about her experience pursuing the Early Childhood Education and Family Studies (ECEFS) Academic Certificate. This program prepares students to work in the early childhood education sector through providing a focused curriculum and hands-on experience. IEDP students pursuing the ECEFS Academic Certificate have been able to smoothly integrate the certificate’s … Continue reading Interested in Early Childhood Education? Learn More About the ECEFS Academic Certificate From IEDP Student, Shelly Lee
The International Educational Development Program 