Almost a month late and already back in university mode, I want to welcome everybody back for the Spring Semester. We were thrilled to see each other again! We have already met the returning 2nd years and started new classes with new professors. After the sick season is slowly ending, we are getting used to being back on campus, enjoying the offered events, and worrying … Continue reading Welcome back – Spring Semester 2025
For this blog, I sat down with Sara, one of our two UNESCO Fellows for the 2024/25 cohort, alongside Nene. Originally from Palestine, Sara brings a wealth of experience from her diverse educational and professional background. As a friend and fellow student, I’ve learned a lot from our conversations over the past semester and am grateful for the eye-opening exchanges we’ve had, which even this … Continue reading Meet Sara – UNESCO Fellow ’24
Time passed by so fast, and it seems like yesterday that we only got to know each other at Orientation. We all started happy and motivated and learned fast to rely on Celsius and friends to complete the assignments. But that never kept us from enjoying every stressless minute and bringing the semester with a beautiful Christmas party, last-class potlucks, and a Christmas market visit … Continue reading End of Fall Semster 2024
Our semester is coming to an end, and while we spend most of our time (day and night) somewhere studying, I asked around the cohort what people do to destress and get out of the learning environment for a while. Here are a few of their responses: Marcelo When I move to a new city, I always try to do an activity that connects me … Continue reading Hobbies of an IEDP student
Meet our GAs or at least part of them, because at our GA sleepover, unfortunately we missed two of us deeply. We are Ana-Carina, Sheila, Angie, Joy (1st year) and missing Sara and Joy (2nd year). But even with a little heartache, we enjoyed our movie night during Thanksgiving break. Angie exposed us to her all-time holiday favorite movie, “The Holiday”, and provided gorgeous Indian … Continue reading GA Sleepover ✨
In this interview, Dr. Thapa shares his journey to the IEDP, the experiences that shaped his career, and his unique research interests. Read on to learn more! How and why did you join IEDP? After earning my PhD, I became a Research Director at the National School Climate Center in New York. I took leading roles in evaluating school climate projects and developing instruments on … Continue reading Spotlight on our Faculty – Dr. Amrit Thapa
As I am still settling in, I wanted to take you along on a few days in my life as an IEDP student at GSE. I usually start my day with a quick check of my emails, Slack, and Canvas to check my schedule for the day and make sure I did everything I was supposed to do. There might be some last-minute tasks as … Continue reading Settling in – Days in the Life of an IEDP student
Can you tell us a little about your experience in IEDP and what you did after? Before joining IEDP, I earned a master’s at the University of Edinburgh in a program focused on Africa and international development. My research there emphasized neoliberalism and education in sub-Saharan Africa. After graduating, I joined the Peace Corps, working as a teacher trainer and high school English teacher in … Continue reading Spotlight on our Faculty – Dr. Tyler Hook
Hi everyone, I’m Ana from Trossingen, Germany, and I will be responsible for the IEDP blog this year! You’ll also meet some guest writers on the way and hopefully get an overview of what it means to be a part of the International Educational Development Program at Penn and what we experience while being a master’s student. Our semester began just a week ago, and … Continue reading Introducing the 2024-2025 IEDP Cohort!
Thinking back to the beginning of this year, I remember my peers sharing how the experience of finding housing from abroad at times felt stressful. The prospect of navigating unfamiliar rental markets (including all the legal components), deciding on neighborhoods, and filtering online listings can be daunting. We wanted to aggregate resources and share our experiences and advice for future cohorts! Below we’ll share a … Continue reading Finding Housing in Philly: A Collection of Advice, Resources and Experiences
The International Educational Development Program 