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 worked at the Institute for International Education for over half of a decade, and is now the Senior Program Manager at Ted-Ed. I am particularly excited to highlight Athena because she was one of the first IEDP alums that I connected with after receiving my acceptance letter in March 2025. Hearing about her time in the IEDP and all that she learned greatly helped shape my decision to join the IEDP family. Whether you’re a prospective or current IEDP student, or even an alum who is navigating the international education space during these uncertain times, I think you will find Athena’s journey and advice to be incredibly insightful. 

1. When did you graduate from Penn IEDP? What were your areas of specialization? 

I opted for the year-long sequence (two semesters and summer internship) and then took two independent study courses to officially finish up in 2017. I had initially planned on diving deeply into my interests in youth development and Eastern Europe, as before grad school, I had been teaching English in Bulgaria and running a grassroots civic education nonprofit. 

However, the beauty of being at a place like Penn was how quickly my world expanded. I ended up taking and auditing courses on a wide range of topics I hadn’t considered previously – from law and human rights, to nonprofit fundraising, to literacy and language education – and even spent a semester taking Turkish language classes. I ultimately became more of a generalist within international education and development rather than specializing. But in hindsight, that was actually exactly what I needed at that point in my life in my mid-twenties. 

My IEDP experience gave me the necessary holistic sense of the field that I needed, as well as the confidence to say “yes” to professional opportunities and projects I might have otherwise felt too scared to take on. 

2. Since graduating from Penn IEDP, where has your career taken you? What work are you currently engaged in?

I have been fortunate enough to do work in education that I find really meaningful. After IEDP, I spent nearly a decade at the Institute of International Education (IIE), a global nonprofit that runs international exchange, scholarship, and fellowship programs, including many of the U.S. State Department’s flagship programs, like the Fulbright and Humphrey Programs. IIE taught me so much about how to develop, launch, and manage large-scale education programs. I served as a Senior Program Officer for 6 years: I managed a foundation-sponsored exchange program for Bulgarians, then U.S.-government sponsored Fulbright programs in South and Central Asia. I later transitioned to the Business Development team, where I learned how to develop full-scale program proposals. 

Unfortunately, earlier this year, like so many others, I was furloughed from my job at IIE. This past June, I started my current role as a Senior Program Manager at TED-Ed, where I draw on all of my past experiences to launch and run tech-enabled education programs and partnerships for K-12 students and educators. I invite any K-12 educators to check out the free professional development initiative that we recently launched, which teaches educators to develop a TED-style talk. 

3. How has your experience in Penn IEDP supported you throughout your career? 

IEDP shaped me in so many ways. Academically, the program pushed me to think critically about program design, evaluation, and the systems that shape education globally. It also taught me how to approach common deliverables in the field, such as concept notes, project proposals, and policy papers. 

Careers in global education demand the ability to synthesize broad trends and understand how they might impact your work, strong cross-cultural communication skills, and adaptability. You also need to understand your “why” and what keeps you invested in the work, as progress and impact are often slow and not always linear. My experience in IEDP definitely prepared me for all of this. 

Through IEDP and Penn GSE, I also made many dear, lifelong friends! In society, we talk a lot about the transactional value and utility of “connecting.” However, I’m grateful simply to have met so many inspiring, genuinely good people. The connection is its own reward. 

4. Favorite memory at Penn IEDP?

Too many to count! But attending CIES 2016 in Vancouver was definitely at the top of the list. There was something special about seeing our class show up in full force – sharing research, cheering each other on, and realizing that we were part of a truly global community. It made everything we were learning in class feel real and connected to what was actually happening in the world. 

5. Any advice for current Penn IEDP students?

Prepare enough to ask two good questions in class. You don’t need to master every detail of every reading (unless you are really into the topic…and if you are, follow that instinct). But in general, a summary and two thoughtful questions for every class will take you far!

Make a plan, but don’t be afraid to change it. Before each semester, look at the classes you’re interested in and make a plan on how you can get exposure to that material. Maybe you can’t take a particular class, but you can get the reading list from a classmate and set up office hours with the professor. Maybe you’re interested in working at certain organizations after grad school, so you make time to talk to alumni who work there or seek out academic or extracurricular experiences to strengthen your resume. You can’t do this for everything, but be proactive about 1-2 goals that matter most to you.

At the same time, don’t be afraid to try “all the things.” Our IEDP cohort was tight-knit and I wouldn’t trade that for the world, but it’s important not to stay only within that bubble. Make time to meet people across Penn GSE programs and at other schools, apply for work-study or research positions, attend talks that have nothing to do with your specialization, and, if you have time, try to get out and explore Philly! Graduate school is one of the few times when you can truly center your own curiosity, so use this time to explore, reflect, and grow.