November 28, 2017: MDP students are engaged in diverse communities and interests, and this semester, several students have attended conferences that relate to topics of interest within the MDP curriculum.

On October 20th, Raven Hinson (’18) attended the Women’s Rights are Human Rights Conference, sponsored by the University of Georgia’s Center for the Study of Global Issues. Raven’s biggest takeaway from the conference was that “gender equity metrics need to be redefined because the indicators within them don’t apply everywhere, due to the ways in which different countries define gender equity.” The conference focused on the issues of trafficking, conflict, measurements of equality, and the role of human rights institutions.

Xin Li and Tim Rupnarain (’18) attended the Path to Purpose Conference, hosted by Net Impact and held in Atlanta from October 26-28 for professionals, professors, graduate students, and undergraduate students. The conference held workshops and lectures about social justice, civic engagement, and establishing triple bottom lines, with a focus on turning skills and passions into impactful careers. Keynote speakers included the CEO of the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the President of the RFK Human Rights Center, among others. About her experience at the conference, Xin said, “It was amazing to meet so many purposeful people who are thriving to make and mindful change!” Tim agreed that it was inspiring “to see the potential and strength of the human spirit—so many living examples of what a different, better world can and ought to look like.”

Finally, both Xin and Raven traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend the American Evaluation Association’s 2017 Conference: From Learning to Action, which took place from November 6th to 11th. Xin and Raven, who are both receiving concentrations in Monitoring and Evaluation through MDP, attended lectures, roundtables, demonstrations, workshops, and other learning opportunities as they gained valuable skills and contacts in the field of evaluation.

Attending conferences to develop hands-on skills and form professional relationships is a key part of MDP students’ engagement with development topics that interest them. Look out for more student participation in conferences in the semesters to come.

Top Photo: Xin Li and Tim Rupnarain (’18) at the Path to Purpose Conference, hosted by Net Impact.