We interviewed current GHD Student Rebecca Chamberlin about her experience in the GHD program and career goals.
What makes GHD stand out?
For me, the first thing that makes GHD stand out is the cohort of students. Everyone in our cohort has unique experiences around the world and I appreciate learning from them. The group is close knit and supportive which I think is unique to a graduate program.
In regard to our coursework and what makes the GHD program different is the practical experience you get right from the beginning. During the first semester, in the Development Strategy and Program Design GHD core course, I was on a team that was given a real-life scenario to design a project to increase agricultural productivity in an arid region of Zimbabwe. For the assignment, we went through all the steps of program strategy, design, and implementation including developing a theory of change and the project components, designing a budget, and devising a monitoring and evaluation framework. At the end of the semester, we presented our project idea to an esteemed panel of development practitioners and it was an incredibly valuable learning experience.
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities (or jobs) and how do these activities enrich your experience at Georgetown?
This fall, I participated in the Social Innovation Lab sponsored by GHD. I appreciated participating in the Innovation Lab because although I am not in the social enterprise and innovation fellowship program, I wanted the experience of solving development issues through a business model and, especially, concerning a topic I am interested in. I spent the weekend learning from guest speakers about food sustainability and social enterprises, brainstorming ideas for a business pitch to solve food sustainability and security issues, prototyping our model, and pitching our idea to experts.
One of my favorite guest speakers is the owner of a local company in DC, Foodhini. The company employs refugees as chefs and they serve different (and delicious) dishes either for personal delivery or catering. I previously worked with refugees in Iowa and any business that supports refugees is a model I support. Foodhini is especially unique because it gives an opportunity for refugees to share their culture with others while earning a living.
Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?
Everyone has a fundamental right to a sustainable source of safe, nutritious, and delicious food. I hope to work for an organization that collaborates with rural communities to develop sustainable solutions to improve their food security and nutrition. I believe it is absolutely essential to include local community members in all planning and implementation phases of development projects. My Peace Corps counterpart, who is a young smallholder farmer, devotes a lot of his time to the development of his village and continues to inspire me. He started an agro-entrepreneurship club at the local high school, helps students with their homework, and works with the female farmers in the village to teach them better gardening and farming techniques. I want to continue working with passionate local leaders like him.
Where can you be found when you aren’t studying or in class?
In the kitchen cooking. I really love making Indian food which I learned through trial and error. My favorite dish to make is tofu butter masala.
