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
Written by Sveta Ever since the first week of my IEDP experience, the faculty members had been buzzing about CIES and the remarkable experience it was bound to be. I opened the program description and was shocked by the variety of sessions, additionally, Miami sounded like a tempting place to visit. Now, here I am, multitasking between submitting assignments, packing formal attire, designing business cards, … Continue reading A week in Miami for the Comparative International Education Society Conference
This week IEDPers got together to make meals to share in The People’s Fridge (@thefridgeon52nd), a community fridge established as a form of mutual aid to provide access to food and water to anyone who needs it in West Philadelphia. Anyone is able to share what they want and take what they need. We gathered at Penn Women’s Center to prepare turkey and swiss sandwiches … Continue reading Cooking for Community
For this feature, Chippie wanted to focus on the set of conditions, considerations, and aspirations that ultimately led him to apply to and enroll in the IEDP. Chippie is from Malawi, a place he always reminds us is famously known as the Warm Heart of Africa. His roots are in Blantyre, in the Southern region of the country, where he conducted most of his studies. … Continue reading Malawi Fellow Chipiliro Kasiyamphanje on his Journey to the IEDP & Reflections on his First Semester
The International Educational Development Program 