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
What does your daily work life look like on Internship? As an intern at UNESCO Paris, most days start with catching up on emails and keeping a close track of the work I am due to deliver. There are days when I find myself working on only one project and days when my work tracker sheet is put to the test. My tasks range from conducting … Continue reading IEDP VOICES FROM THE FIELD: Radhika Mittal on her internship at UNESCO Paris
I have been fully disregarding this Happy New Year rule and have been wishing, “Happy New Year” to everyone I haven’t seen since 2023. I’ll continue to do so through the end of January, so be warned. Happy New Year, everyone! We just finished the first week of the Spring semester. It’s an incredible irony to be speaking so much of being in the spring … Continue reading On Celebrations and New Beginnings
8:00am Wakeup & Prep for the Day with Cafecito I try to be up and drinking my coffee by 8:00am. My morning routine this day consisted of making a to-go breakfast smoothie, packing lunch and getting out the door as fast as I could. 9:00pm Morning Library Session I rushed out not because of class or prior commitment, but because I’ve noticed that I’m way … Continue reading Another Wednesday as an IEDP Student
For this month’s student spotlight, I sat with Rima, our second IEDP UNESCO ‘23/’24 fellow and first-year master’s student from Syria whose interdisciplinary interests in psychology and education have brought her to the IEDP. Rima is laser-focused on pursuing a career in Clinical Psychology in order to offer mental health and special education support to underprivileged and underrepresented communities, including Syrian refugee populations. While we’re … Continue reading UNESCO Fellow Rima on Research Opportunities at Penn, TikTok and Dumpster Greenhouses
Tolulope Olasewere Initially, I was going to title this series “IEDP Student Profiles.” I sat with that title for weeks, and before tonight I did not really understand why it did not feel right. In the past, when writing profiles, I have sent out Google Forms or Google Docs with questions for the person of interest to respond to. And then I would take those … Continue reading The Sky Is No Longer the Limit: In Conversation with UNESCO Fellow ’23 Umar
Dear Readers, We are done with two wonderful semesters of the IEDP and are unable to fathom how quickly it went by. Some of us are gearing up for Summer courses, some are planning itineraries for their internships, and some are graduating already! It is a bittersweet feeling; we are excited about thriving in the world outside of Penn and also nostalgic about our memories … Continue reading A Message For Future IEDPers: With Love, From the GAs
Dawn Adrian I remember when Dr. Neuman called me into her office regarding internship matching, she asked me if I was still interested in indigenous education and I said ‘Yes!’. Next thing I knew, I was matched with the Inclusive and Gender Equality team in the Education Sector of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. A Parisian summer? Let’s go! I remember my first day at … Continue reading The UNESCO HQ Internship Experience
Justin Rubenstein, IEDP ‘22 Everything about my internship hinged on a little yellow notebook. How on the flight from Washington DC to Addis Ababa where I was to begin my work with Geneva Global, it gathered a new alphabet, letter by letter. And how in between the in-flight movies, naps, and required readings, it acquired the first labored scribblings of polite greetings and pronouns. Into … Continue reading Some Stray Notations – My Fall Internship with Geneva Global
The International Educational Development Program 