Elle Huang joins the GHD program after working as a Program Specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), where she provides strategic and operational support to USAID Missions in Sudan and South Sudan. Prior to joining USAID, Elle served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia, where she worked with students and teachers to improve English language learning and instruction. Her service culminated in leading a collaborative effort with the regional education office to implement hands-on, deliverable-based technical training to teachers across several rural school districts. Elle’s upbringing as an immigrant and first-generation college graduate, reinforced by the service and professional opportunities she later pursued, has precipitated a strong, personal desire to leverage her experiences to enable, engage, and empower underserved populations, with the goal of creating a more equitable global community. 

Elle graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor in Business Administration and studied Information Technology, International Development, and German Language. She speaks proficient Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese Chinese, and German, and hopes to pursue the study of Spanish at Georgetown. In her free time, Elle can be found exploring the plentiful hiking trails near Washington, D.C.

Summer Internship Experience

World Bank’s Disaster Risk and Climate Change Unit in the Southeast Asia Region

This summer, I worked with the World Bank’s Disaster Risk and Climate Change Unit in the Southeast Asia Region, supporting research on green economic growth strategies for Thailand and data analysis on major disaster events in the country, their estimated economic impact, and associated losses and damages. While working alongside experienced researchers, analysts, and economists to assess the quantitative and qualitative impacts of disaster events induced by climate change, I gained valuable insights on the increasing cost of extreme weather events to Thailand’s growth trajectory and the imperative of decoupling economic growth with greenhouse gas emissions. During the internship, I was also able to contribute to producing a macro-fiscal overview of Thailand’s progress toward decarbonizing growth and transitioning to a more sustainable economy, which has informed my decision to further pursue coursework related to climate change and development in the next year.

Why GHD?

I chose to pursue graduate study with the GHD program because I wanted to further develop my experience in qualitative and quantitative research and explore informed, creative strategies for applying data, technology, and systems design in development contexts. I was drawn to the GHD program’s flexible curriculum and personalized course of study, along with the opportunity to learn with colleagues and leaders of diverse fields and engage in practical fieldwork.