Christina Klotz

Christina Klotz

Biography

Fields of Study

  • Gender Analysis in International Studies
  • Law and Development

Country

Germany

Why Fletcher?

After finishing my undergraduate degree in Germany, I looked into masters programs of international affairs around the world. I created an extensive spreadsheet ranking universities using a variety of weighted criteria. Among my most important factors were the range and flexibility of subjects, the professional and practical orientation of the courses, and the school's reputation. In the end, Fletcher very clearly stood out as my personal favorite. As I did not have substantial professional experience, I applied to the Map Your Future pathway and was selected under the condition that I would complete two years of work prior to enrolling. My career goals changed during this time, from security studies to international development, but Fletcher still provided the ideal setting for me to pursue my interests. Since I started my MALD, I have been amazed time and again by the diverse community as well as by professors who have gone out of their way to help me with academic and career-related questions.

On a favorite class

My favorite class so far has been Development Aid in Practice with Professor Elke Jahns-Harms. In class, we have covered basic concepts of international development as well as current debates and reforms in the field. What makes the class stand out is how the professor incorporates practical exercises as well as examples of her own research and field work into the lecture. The class, as any at Fletcher, becomes even more interesting through the diversity of experiences and perspectives the students bring to the discussions.

A quintessential Fletcher moment

A quintessential Fletcher moment was when a fellow student came up to me after class and offered her help for a paper that I was writing. I had not spoken with her before, but she had heard from the professor that I was working on a topic on which she had gained a lot of experience through her previous work. She graciously offered to give me some insights into real-life examples that I could incorporate into my paper.

Activities involved in at Fletcher

  • International Development Group
  • WILD
  • Gender Conference

Education before Fletcher

  • Bachelor of Arts, Politics and Economics, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany

Experience before Fletcher

  • Country Director, El Salvador and Vice President Talent Management, Costa Rica at AIESEC (NGO for youth leadership development)

Languages

German, Spanish, French, English