Where Learning Meets Impact: CID’s 2025 Global Internship Program

"When I first arrived, I promised myself one thing: to listen more than I spoke. As someone working in a new country and cultural context, I knew the most important first step was humility. In my very first community meeting in El Nido with the Assistant Mayor and local leaders, I chose to simply observe. That moment reminded me that leadership doesn’t always start with having the right answer; it often starts with asking the right questions." 

"Since then, my work at Ayala Foundation has centered on two main areas: curriculum design for early grade learners and community advocacy to strengthen local education systems. I collaborate with the education team to reimagine curriculum through the lens of Universal Design for Learning, ensuring no child is left behind. At the same time, I support my teammate Carissa in engaging government officials and stakeholders to advance stronger advocacy around education policy. Together, these strands of work remind me daily that designing curriculum is never just about the classroom; it’s about building connections across communities, schools, and systems."  

Data for Equity: Strengthening Education Assessments for Every Child

Priyanka Choudhary, Save the Children’s Research, Evidence, and Learning Team, Master's Student at the Harvard Graduate School Of Education

"My project with Save the Children focused on applying statistical methods to test the validity of educational assessment tools designed for children in emergency and low-resource settings. These tools measure a wide range of skills—including literacy, numeracy, executive functioning, and social-emotional learning (SEL)—to provide educators and care providers with accurate insights into the needs of vulnerable children."  

"Analyzing validity is crucial because when assessments are used across diverse cultural and linguistic contexts, there is always the possibility that certain items may be interpreted differently. If this happens, the tools may not capture skills with the same precision everywhere, potentially misrepresenting children’s abilities. By rigorously examining whether the tools are both reliable and contextually appropriate, we can ensure they actually reflect the skills and learning levels of the populations they are meant to serve. Ultimately, the goal is to give educators trustworthy evidence that can inform instruction, policy, and programming for children.

 Looking back, this summer has been a turning point for me. I came in wanting to sharpen my technical skills, and I leave not only with stronger expertise in R and advanced psychometric methods but also with a clearer sense of the kind of researcher I aspire to be.  

First, I want to continue working at the intersection of data and equity, ensuring that evidence is used to amplify marginalized voices. Second, I hope to bridge the gap between technical research and policy impact—translating complex analyses into insights that decision-makers can act upon. And third, I want to keep asking critical questions about the assumptions embedded in the tools and frameworks we rely on."  

Educating for Climate and Equality: Shaping UNESCO’s Work in Pakistan

Yvonne Chang, UNESCO in Pakistan, Master's Student at the Harvard Graduate School Of Education

"One of my primary responsibilities was drafting a progress report for UNESCO’s Girls’ Right to Education program, documenting both the milestones achieved and the challenges that remain. The report will serve as a reference point for scaling gender-responsive and technology-enabled education in regions such as Gilgit-Baltistan. I also contributed to the Climate-Smart Education System Initiative (CSESI) during its inception phase, supporting the design and facilitation of a national consultation where representatives from provincial education departments identified priorities for climate change education and examined international curriculum frameworks that could be adapted to Pakistan’s context. In addition, I assisted in refining the Office’s Strategic Note, helping to shape the roadmap for UNESCO’s future engagement in the country. I am grateful to have spent the summer in Islamabad. The city’s tree-lined streets and welcoming communities made it easy to feel at home, and my time at UNESCO helped me better understand how climate change, gender equality, and organizational priorities come together in practice. This experience also confirmed my commitment to continue working in international development, particularly where climate change and child protection intersect."  

Media, Memory, and Dialogue: Promoting Trust in the Western Balkans

Haruna Shimizu, UNESCO in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Master's Student at the Harvard Kennedy School

"This summer, I interned for three months in UNESCO’s Communication and Information (CI) sector at the Sarajevo office as part of the CID’s Global Internship Program. My roles were to support two initiatives: one, a multiyear regional project to strengthen media trust and freedom across the Western Balkans and Türkiye; and the second, a new project about to launch, which would address hate speech and divisive narratives in digital spaces in Bosnia and Herzegovina. My responsibilities included supporting project coordination, reviewing partner reports, gathering and analyzing project performance data, and assisting with preparing the annual report for the European Commission.  

Beyond my internship, Sarajevo was filled with moments of discovery. I explored the city through tours led by local Bosnian guides and visited museums such as the National Museum, War Childhood Museum, Gallery 11/07/95, and others. These excursions served as reminders of how deeply people’s shared pasts inform the present, and how important it is to have thriving media and digital spaces to facilitate respectful and inclusive dialogue in our communities. Excursions outside of Sarajevo led to incredible sights, such as the Mostar bridge that had once been destroyed during the war. I felt immersed in the region layered with so many cultures and histories, and energized to support the plurality of the press and inclusive dialogue." 

 

Designing Inclusive Cities: Urban Planning for Opportunity in Colombia

Jose Santamaria, Fundación Santo Domingo (FSD) in Colombia, Master's Student at the Harvard Kennedy School

"This summer, I had the opportunity to intern with Fundación Santo Domingo (FSD) in Colombia through CID’s Global Internship Program. FSD is one of the country’s leading philanthropic organizations, focused on social development, urban planning, and education. My work centered on two of Colombia’s largest Megabarrios (planned urban developments): Ciudad del Bicentenario in Cartagena and Villas de San Pablo in Barranquilla. These communities represent ambitious efforts to address urban inequality by creating inclusive neighborhoods that integrate housing, services, and opportunities for their residents."

"One of the most rewarding aspects of this internship was seeing how technical planning can directly shape community opportunities. For example, in Ciudad del Bicentenario, I worked on proposals for industrial and airport-related services that could create jobs for local youth while aligning with Cartagena’s future economic trajectory. In Villas de San Pablo, I explored options for commercial spaces ranging from shopping centers to popular economy plazas and food courts inspired by Singapore’s hawker plaza that could bring both formal employment and vibrant community spaces.

This experience showed me how urban planning is not just about infrastructure, but about the social, economic, and cultural impact that provides opportunities to the community." 

 

Climate, Credit, and Crops: Researching Resilience in Thailand’s Farmlands

Milan Chander, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research (PIER) in Thailand, Student at Harvard College

"This summer, I had the wonderful opportunity to intern at the Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research (PIER) in Bangkok. I worked at PIER’s office in the Bank of Thailand, Thailand’s central bank, researching the impact of climate change on farming, farmer debt, and credit risks for farmers and the major public agricultural bank.

Researching how different extreme weather events, farm technology, and public banking policies could protect Thai farmers from losing vital sources of revenue, I became much more excited about the prospect of working in economic research in the future. Thai farmers are uniquely vulnerable to climate-related productivity and income shocks due to high seasonality in Thailand’s climate. I was surprised at the level of precision our research tools lent us in estimating exactly how climate change might affect their crop yield, farm sizes, farm income, and ultimately, their ability to repay loans.

I also got the chance to write for PIER’s blog with the other interns to report on lectures given by foreign academics visiting the Bank of Thailand. These lectures covered topics such as challenges facing China’s economy, the governance structures of different central banks, and empirical evidence on tariff price passthrough to American consumers during the U.S.-China trade war in 2018."