Ever wonder what a day as an IEDP student looks like? In this article, Katya Pastushenko shares a typical day in her life as a first-year student! From working as an Admissions Student Assistant to balancing classes and making time for friends, there’s never a dull moment! I live pretty close to campus, so most mornings I just walk to class along Walnut Street. It’s … Continue reading A Day in the Life with IEDP Student Katya
In this article, you’ll hear from IEDP second-year student Coco about her internship experience with Pehlay Akshar Foundation in Mumbai. Coco shares what her role looked like, the skills she developed throughout the internship, and some of the memorable experiences she had while living in Mumbai, like enjoying masala dosa with fresh mint chutney! Could you share a little about your internship?I spent a unforgettable … Continue reading From Philly to Mumbai: Coco Xue’s IEDP Internship with Pehlay Akshar Foundation
Hi everyone! My name is Rachel, and I’m a member of the new cohort! I’m also excited to be one of the graduate assistants for IEDP this upcoming year, and I’m looking forward to getting to know the IEDP community and sharing our stories through the blog! This cohort is filled with a wide range of experiences that have led us all to IEDP! From … Continue reading Welcoming the 2026-2027 IEDP Cohort!
Recently, we celebrated sixteen IEDP graduates and all of their hard work (in case you missed it, check out the recording of the ceremony here). We are so proud of them and wish them all the best as they move forward with their careers in the international educational development field! Angeline Marie Dias Thinking about my time in the IEDP program, I often reflect on … Continue reading Congratulations, IEDP May and August 2026 Graduates!
This past month, I caught up with my dear friend and second-year IEDP student, Angeline (Angie) Dias to hear more about her internship experience in real-time. It all felt very full-circle because I vividly remember the exact moment in the fall when she first told me where she would be going for her internship. And here we are — flash forward five months later, and … Continue reading Real-time Glimpse into Angeline Dias’ Internship Experience at UNICEF Uganda in Kampala, Uganda
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, Jesús “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: Jesús “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
