Q & A

Hear from our graduate students about what being a part of the Jackson community means to them.

Tiff Jiang

Tiff Jiang is a second-year M.P.P. student at the Jackson School of Global Affairs focused on global health policy. To her, the field is an exciting opportunity to understand a society’s history, culture, and economics to influence health outcomes–understanding health as inextricable from financial stability, education, safety, and equity. Before coming to Yale, Tiff worked at Palladium International, an implementer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), for three years. There, she developed a health and workforce program for women in the Philippines, supported a Kenyan team to provide technical health financing assistance to the government, and wrote for several critical business proposals. Separately, Tiff also created the business plan for a medical device startup and published a paper on the key business elements for launching a device in low-and-middle income countries. Her strengths lie in creative thinking and building relationships across cultures to develop customized solutions for each context, developed over time working in Uganda, Vietnam, South Africa, Argentina, and the Philippines.

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What did you do before you came to Jackson?

I was in DC working at Palladium, where I implemented large USAID global health projects. One specific activity was designing a workforce development and reproductive health program for women in the Philippines.

What do you like most about the MPP program and the Jackson community?

I like how everyone knows everyone, we all have our niches carved out and because of it, are able to share opportunities with one another as well as not feel a sense of competition among each other.

How have you customized your curriculum to match your area of focus?

Given my experience in global heath, I knew what skills I was missing and therefore wanted to pinpoint during my first year, such as French, coding, and business. While each one of these is from a school outside of Jackson, I had a vision of how they fit into my vision of being a global health professional.

With the summer stipend, I also had so much freedom to really target where I wanted to work for the summer. I could prioritize my interests and negotiate what kind of work I wanted to do in a way that was far easier than searching for applications and hoping that one would pan out.

Any particular experiences that have really stood out?

Definitely traveling to Algeria and Senegal with Amb. Bisa Williams’ "Challenges in the Sahel" class. We got access to fascinating stakeholders in a way that truly is only possible with someone of her stature, such as political science professors and students, Chambers of Congress, and renowned activists.

What do you want to do once you’ve finished the program?

I hope to improve financial sustainability in the global health field by creating or supporting platforms that support small and medium health enterprises in low and middle income countries. This could be through policy advocacy, joining an accelerator to provide business know-how, or a foundation facilitates funding.

Didace Irafasha

Didace Bienvenu Irafasha is an M.P.P. candidate from Rwanda at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs. Prior to joining Yale, Didace worked as a trainee in the United Nations system, namely the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the United Nations. He worked on a range of international development topics, including analyzing sustainable procurement policies at UNDP, researching the financing of youth employment and green-skills development in developing countries while at IFAD, as well as reporting on Rwanda’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and blended finance policies for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

In addition to his interest in international development, Didace also led the education and partnerships departments at an ed-tech startup in Tunisia to help students from the MENA region access world-class higher education opportunities.

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What did you do before you came to Jackson?

I only had one year between college and Jackson. I spent it working at the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome and at an Edtech startup in Tunis. At IFAD, my work entailed policy research on youth-sensitive issues such as employment, education, and Covid-19 recovery so that they can be mainstreamed in IFAD's climate mitigation and adaptation projects. In Tunis, I was working as the Head of Partnerships and Education. The company was developing an online college application platform to help students from the MENA region access higher education opportunities. My job was to bring on board global universities to use the platform and select among our students.

What do you like most about the M.P.P. program and the Jackson School community?

At Jackson, we pride ourselves on having a close-knit community, and that is true in various ways. We organize lots of social events to bond beyond the classroom, but I think it goes beyond the student community. Through our weekly coffee mornings or other social programs, I enjoyed the easy access to faculty and Senior Fellows to discuss academics, career opportunities, or life in general. I always feel the same bond when I talk to Jackson alumni as well. It is truly a tight community, even beyond New Haven.

How have you customized your curriculum to match your area of focus?

I came to Jackson with a broad interest in economic development, and I have been trying to balance diving deeper into the field and exploring new areas by dividing my courses accordingly. However, after my first semester, I realized that I had developed a genuine interest in research and policy evaluation. I took courses from the economics department, which allowed me to also meet faculty working on exciting research projects. In fact, my summer internship came from my development economics class, where my professor invited me to join her on a research project about the export sectors in Rwanda.

Any particular experiences that have really stood out?

One of my favorite experiences so far is definitely our class trip to Algeria and Senegal over spring break as part of the “Policy Challenges in the Sahel” course. On the substantive side, it was edifying to explore the interlinkages of foreign policy, climate action, conflict resolution, economic integration, and religion in the complex context of the Sahel. On the experiential side, I enjoyed visiting West Africa for the first time and witnessing the dynamics of urbanization, youth activism and artistic expression, as well as the enduring legacy of pan-Africanism in Senegal.

What do you want to do once you’ve finished the program?

At the end of my time at Jackson, I see myself venturing into economic research with a geographic focus on sub-Saharan Africa. This could be in the form of multilateral organizations, international or regional research organizations, or even further studies.

Allison Holland

Allison Holland is an M.P.P. student at the Jackson School of Global Affairs focusing on the relationship between food insecurity and water scarcity, and its impact on global conflict, the environment, and women’s development. Before coming to Yale, Allison spent three years working in the federal marketplace at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). At CMS, she helped operationalize health care provisions of major legislation and served as her team’s lead specialist in the federal-private “Direct Enrollment” program that has expanded coverage to millions of historically underrepresented and hard to reach populations. Previously, Allison served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Benin, West Africa, where she initiated a food security and sustainable agriculture program in her village. During her service, she worked closely with women-run businesses and provided financial literacy, community gardening, and nutrition trainings. Prior to Peace Corps, she spent time on a Wisconsin farm studying hydroponics and aquaculture as sustainable agriculture practices and assisting in the restoration of retired agriculture fields.

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What did you do before you came to Jackson?

My first role out of college was with the Peace Corps as a sustainable agriculture volunteer. I spent 18 months in Benin implementing a food security program in my village and providing agri-business trainings to women’s groups. When the pandemic ended my service early, I pivoted to working in domestic health policy at the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). There, I helped operationalize federal marketplace policies and collaborated with private entities to expand federal health coverage for millions of underrepresented populations.

What do you like most about the M.P.P. program and the Jackson School community?

Definitely the small class size and the intimacy this creates. I know my whole cohort and am on a first-name basis with each of my professors. Not only is this great for forging friendships and gaining mentorship, but it makes it so easy to share networks and opportunities with each other because we’re all aware of what each person is interested in.

How have you customized your curriculum to match your area of focus?

My primary goals in grad school are to strengthen my quantitative skills and develop a foundational knowledge of global food systems. At Jackson, I’ve done this by taking numerous statistics and economic courses. Outside of Jackson, I took Unequal Food Systems at the School of Environment last semester and attended Yale’s Kuznets Mini-Conference on Agriculture and Development. I’m also planning on doing a directed reading to investigate the relationship between food security & gender equality and to practice applying my new quantitative skills.

Any particular experiences that have really stood out?

I really enjoy our Jackson Salons. Every other week, we gather for dinner at Horchow while one of our peers leads a discussion about essentially anything they want. Topics have ranged from neoliberalism to Mesopotamian scribes to theories about the MH370 disappearance. It’s always fascinating to discover the varying passions and expertise of my peers, and often our conversations go into the night because people are so engaged.

What do you want to do once you’ve finished the program?

I know I want to work in global food security and have become increasingly interested in the connection between food systems and gender development. I’m open to returning to the federal government, but I’m also exploring what career paths in other sectors might look like.

Mushfequr Rahman

Hailing from McKinney, Texas, Mushfequr Rahman is an MPP candidate at the Jackson School of Global Affairs. Before Jackson, Mushfequr was the recruitment & engagement specialist for CitySquare AmeriCorps, one of the largest programs in North Texas, and an English teaching assistant at a primary school in Madrid, Spain. He graduated magna cum laude from Southern Methodist University in Dallas as a President’s Scholar with majors in international studies and health & society and minors in Spanish and biological science. At SMU, he led multiple organizations alongside faculty, staff, and peers, researched cultural competence in public health programming, and received the M Award, the highest student honor at SMU. His interests in community building led him to intern at the State Department (first at the Foreign Service Institute and later with the Diplomat in Residence of Texas), serve as a CitySquare AmeriCorps member with the Vickery Meadow Youth Development Foundation, and learn Urdu in Lucknow, India on a Critical Language Scholarship. He speaks Spanish, Arabic, Bangla, Urdu, and French. As a U.S. State Department Rangel Fellow, Mushfequr aspires to expand diversity and inclusion in U.S. foreign affairs through cultural and community programming.

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What did you do before you came to Jackson?

Right before Jackson, I recruited new AmeriCorps members and connected with alumni as the Recruitment and Engagement Specialist for CitySquare AmeriCorps in Dallas. My CitySquare experience followed my year teaching at a primary school in Madrid, Spain, where I taught English, social science, physical education, and natural science.

What do you like most about the M.P.P. program and the Jackson School community?

The camaraderie. In the classroom, our professors and peers encourage us to have honest and nuanced discussions about global affairs. These discussions help us push the boundaries of what we assume to be true about the world in a conducive and friendly environment. Out of the classroom, lifelong friendships, coffee chats, and impromptu gatherings underscore the compassionate nature of our community.

How have you customized your curriculum to match your area of focus?

I entered graduate school with a desire to expand my global affairs knowledge in every possible direction. Jackson’s flexible curriculum combined with varied course offerings has allowed me to pursue that goal successfully. With courses in narrative storytelling, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, and policy challenges in the Sahel among others, I have been able to diversify my global affairs knowledge while cultivating an interest in human rights-based diplomacy.

Any particular experiences that have really stood out?

Traveling to Algeria and Senegal as a part of Ambassador Bisa Williams’ “Policy Challenges in the Sahel” course. The course and the trip provided unique and enlightening insights into how diplomacy, human development, and history intersect on the ground. I found myself learning from the perspectives of my peers as much as I was learning from Ambassador Williams’ expertise while engaging with important topics as they relate to the Sahel region.

What do you want to do once you’ve finished the program?

Many thanks to the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellowship, I will join the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service upon graduation. I know for a fact that my Jackson experience will empower me to start off on the right foot as a conscientious public servant.