CV

Upon graduation from Rice University with a B.A. in Mathematical Economic Analysis and Political Science, Karen served as an Education Volunteer in the Ashanti region of Ghana. She was primarily a math and science teacher to junior high school students in her community but also worked on multiple projects for her community, including building a community library and computer lab and starting a Girls’ and Literacy club at her school. After the COVID-19 evacuation, Karen worked at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Budget and Program Analysis, where she was a program analyst that supported and promoted federal budgets for the Departmental Staff Offices to the Secretary of Agriculture and Appropriations Committees and monitored funding from discretionary and supplemental appropriation bills.

At GHD, Karen is pursuing a specialization in Climate and Environment and Certificate in Social Innovation. She is interested in finding innovative solutions to the climate crisis and promoting sustainability through public-private partnerships and blended finance mechanisms while ensuring accountability to local communities. In her free time, Karen enjoys spending time with her cat, hiking, and exploring new areas in D.C.

Summer Internship Experience

Program and Research Intern at PT eKomoditi Solutions in Jakarta, Indonesia

Over the summer, I had the opportunity to intern at PT eKomoditi Solutions, an agriculture-technology company that provides digital solutions in human resources, attendance management, operations and maintenance, logistics, and materials management for agricultural plantations in Indonesia. While eKomoditi’s first major clients were palm oil plantations when it began operations in 2019, the company has since expanded its services to other agricultural products and is continuing to seek opportunities to adapt its technology to not only meet challenges faced in agricultural operations and production but also address larger development goals. One of the main projects I was working on was a coal mine digitalization and restoration proposal for a potential client. For this project, I learned about the Indonesian coal mining industry and the laws and regulations surrounding ex-mining soil restoration. One of my most memorable internship experiences was visiting a potential client’s open-pit mining site to see how eKomoditi’s technology and expertise could be utilized. In developing a full project proposal, timeline, and cost-benefit analysis of a coal mine restoration project, I was able to utilize many of the skills I gained in the classroom to my summer internship. For me, working at PT eKomoditi Solutions this summer was an invaluable experience to see how a private company, even a small technology company, can drive innovation and contribute towards development goals in a way that differs from the public or nongovernmental approach.