The International Trade Centre - New York, NY
The ITC is a joint agency between UNCTAD and the WTO that focuses on country-level export strategy development, and I am primarily involved with a project on Mozambique.
Why I chose Fletcher: Prior to Fletcher, I was a business consultant and worked with several Fortune 1000 firms on process improvement and business restructuring initiatives. My last project was spent in business development helping my firm acquire new business. These experiences have molded my personality and provided me with a lens to see the world. I chose Fletcher because of my passion for international development and my ambition to forge a career in private sector capacity development in post-conflict areas of the world. I am convinced that Fletcher is the best place to learn the tools of development trade. The professors are world class and current practitioners in the field. Fletcher receives you as the raw material and instills in you the skill-set that you need to succeed in your chosen field.
Something that has surprised me about Fletcher: When I first arrived at Fletcher, the diversity before me in terms of my peers was baffling, and a bit intimidating. I wasn't sure how soon it would be before I started connecting with people. Diversity abounds at Fletcher - in terms of languages, cultures, professional backgrounds, you name it. I have come to realize that there is something in the Fletcher environment that encourages camaraderie. Any given day I would walk up to at least one person that I did not know at Fletcher and introduce myself and vice versa. Countless lunch sit-downs and social hours later, I now know that the diversity itself encourages the Fletcher family to band together.