Pen to Penn: A Story of a High-School Drop-out to a First Generation College Student

James Gazawie From Pen to Penn I come from a particularly non-traditional educational background–something I now view more auspiciously than otherwise. While it may come as a surprise, I was a bit problematic as an adolescent. As such, I found myself expelled from high school within the first few weeks. This incident went on to shape the rest of my life and education quite uniquely. … Continue reading Pen to Penn: A Story of a High-School Drop-out to a First Generation College Student

theIEDPJanuary 27, 2023January 27, 2023Leave a comment

IEDP, IEDP 22-23, Our Journeys to IEDP

Diving Into A Dual Degree

Hi prospective IEDPers! My name is Sam Nguyen. I’m a dual degree student in IEDP and Nonprofit Leadership (NPL) at the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) at Penn. I’m happy to share my experience as a dual degree student, especially as application deadlines are fast approaching. What is the dual degree application process like?Although there are a range of dual degree options available … Continue reading Diving Into A Dual Degree

theIEDPJanuary 20, 2023January 20, 2023Leave a comment

IEDP, IEDP 22-23, Our Journeys to IEDP

Wall Street to Walnut Street: Louie Zuniga, Coverdell Fellow

Jesus “Louie” Zuniga flaunted his boots and cowboy hat during a recitation hour session where we shared something about our backgrounds with the rest of the cohort. Houston, Texas, is home to him. Growing up in a large metropolis got him curious about different people, languages, and cultures. It probably explains why he chose to study a year abroad in Brazil as an economics and … Continue reading Wall Street to Walnut Street: Louie Zuniga, Coverdell Fellow

theIEDPJanuary 7, 2023January 17, 2023Leave a comment

IEDP, IEDP 22-23

The Philly Winter Bucket List

Carlos H. Corona The semester has come to an end and dobby is free! Pat yourself on the back and be proud of all that you have accomplished in the past few months. While some of you will be traveling home for the holidays, many more of you will be spending winter break in the great city of brotherly love. This blog is for those … Continue reading The Philly Winter Bucket List

theIEDPDecember 18, 2022Leave a comment

IEDP, IEDP 22-23, World

My Disabilities Are The Antihero In My Story

Why diversity and innovation are more than representation and technology Chiara Nicastro is a 2nd Year IEDP student and a United Nations Development Program Intern. Below is her blog post, originally published on the UNDP Website highlighting how while some disabilities are immediately apparent, many are completely invisible. Chiara stresses on the importance of employers and policymakers seeking to be inclusive must take both into … Continue reading My Disabilities Are The Antihero In My Story

theIEDPDecember 10, 2022December 10, 2022Leave a comment

IEDP, IEDP 22-23

Farzanah Darwish – On the IEDP, UNESCO Fellowship, and Afghanistan

I had heard so much about Farzanah even before I set foot on campus. My cohort members, who had already met her in August, only had wonderful things to say about her. When I did get to know her from our classes together, group assignments, exploring Philly, and our shared love for Bollywood, I knew I had to share glimpses of her story with you. … Continue reading Farzanah Darwish – On the IEDP, UNESCO Fellowship, and Afghanistan

theIEDPDecember 3, 2022December 16, 20222 Comments

IEDP, IEDP 22-23, World

Thoughts From the Transforming Education Summit’22

Amy Liang, 2022 graduate of the IEDP Program I completed my internship with the Early Childhood Education team at UNICEF Headquarters during my final semester and had the opportunity to extend the internship for three months post-graduating. Through the internship, I had the chance to attend a UNICEF-hosted panel discussion in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Read all about it this blog post. This … Continue reading Thoughts From the Transforming Education Summit’22

theIEDPNovember 28, 2022January 17, 2023Leave a comment

IEDP, IEDP 22-23, World

Internship Insights – Amy Liang

Hi IEDPers! My name is Amy Liang, 2022 graduate of the IEDP Program. I completed my internship with the Early Childhood Education team at UNICEF Headquarters during my final semester and had the opportunity to extend the internship for three months post-graduating. The decision to extend was mostly due to circumstance; I happened to be moving back to New York City, where UNICEF HQ offices … Continue reading Internship Insights – Amy Liang

theIEDPNovember 12, 2022January 17, 2023Leave a comment

IEDP 22-23, IEDP Life

The 3 Cs of My IEDP Thus Far

Aishwarya Shetty On August 25th, I set foot in the USA for the first time. CNN, Netflix, and Instagram informed everything I knew about the country. Though Indian, I flew in from Qatar, where I spent most of my years growing up. If my life were a rom-com movie, the voiceover for me waiting for my Uber at the airport would say, “There she is, … Continue reading The 3 Cs of My IEDP Thus Far

theIEDPNovember 5, 2022November 5, 2022Leave a comment

Asia, IEDP Spotlight, Internship, Spotlight On...

Spotlight On…Brandon’s Internship & Job with UNESCO!

I recently spoke with Brandon, a 2021 IEDP graduate who is now working full-time at UNESCO Bangkok, where he completed a remote internship during spring semester 2021. Brandon was raised in Tennessee, and — prior to IEDP — worked in Bangkok as an English teacher. Brandon has shared his experiences on the blog before — You can read more about his decision to apply to … Continue reading Spotlight On…Brandon’s Internship & Job with UNESCO!

theIEDPJuly 3, 2022November 4, 2022Leave a comment