Gwladys Boukpessi is a passionate young professional originally from Togo, West Africa. Prior to joining the GHD program, Gwladys spent her post-undergrad career in the public sector. Most recently, she was a Princeton in Africa Fellow at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT where she supported projects in both the Tropical Forages and Climate Action teams. Before joining Alliance, Gwladys worked as an Environmental Engineer for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection where she helped to develop and implement air pollution control programs and regulations to improve air quality for NJ residents. In addition, Gwladys also served as an Intern and Youth Ambassador for African Hope Committee, an NGO that empowers African immigrants in New York City through health education programs, immigration services, and social service support.

Gwladys graduated from Lehigh University where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering with a minor in Sustainable Development. While at Lehigh, Gwladys was awarded the Dale S. Strohl ’58 Undergraduate Summer Research Grant to study sustainable waste management solutions in Ghana. Her undergraduate career also included research in Kenya on their clean water crisis, and interning in Nepal with a local NGO to help improve local waste management.

At Georgetown, Gwladys is excited to explore her interests in quantitative analysis and evaluation. She looks forward to learning more about practical and sustainable methods for eradicating global poverty.

Summer Internship Experience

World Bank - Madagascar
Short-term Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment (MTI) Consultant

This summer I had the opportunity to intern at the World Bank office in Madagascar as part of their Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment team. During my internship, I worked closely with the MTI Task Team Leader (TTL) to coordinate various inputs for Madagascar's Climate Change Development Report (CCDR). These inputs included graphs that analyzed the impact of natural disasters on the country’s economy, and spreadsheets that evaluated the country’s imports during the last fiscal year. Additionally, I supported the dissemination of the recently completed Public Expenditure and Institutional Review (PEIR) of Madagascar. I constructed an informational presentation that highlighted key aspects of the PEIR to our clients, university partners, and members of the civil society. Overall, my summer internship at the World Bank was a valuable and rewarding experience that allowed me to actively contribute to important projects and gain valuable insights into macroeconomics, trade, and investment practices at an international level.

Why GHD?

I really wanted to be in a premiere international development master’s degree program that had a quantitative focus. The program’s location and its warm, family-like environment were a huge bonus.