My Motivation To Get The Masters Of Global Affairs And Specialization

Personal Introduction

After living in the United States for six years, I have come to embrace the internal contradictions caused by living a fragmented life. Part of me reminisces growing up in Nicaragua, a country of stunning beauty and ambiguous future, while other revels in the promising stability of continuing to make this country my home. Up to now, I continue to make decisions based on a personal narrative with no deadline that implies returning to Nicaragua and extend the knowledge in the field of civil engineering and planning after acquiring a plausible and diverse amount of years of professional experience.

However, the ongoing political chaos in the lives of my fellow Nicaraguans has triggered a sense of urgency to consolidate my plan to return to Nicaragua and contribute to the ongoing efforts by ensuring that in addition to reconstructing our political system -- strategizing solutions to infrastructure challenges and place-making in rural and urban developments is also a priority. This intention has also triggered a growing desire to consider attending graduate school to understand the complexities triggering the current political instability that continue to prevail and worsen back home, and the curriculum at the Keough School – Master of Global Affairs and Specialization has caught my attention.

Overview of Nicaragua

For many years, Nicaragua has attempted to break from its turbulent past. The fate for many of us has been confronted by a myriad of socio-political and economic obstacles accumulated over time in addition to the silent, imminent threat of destructive earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and hurricanes. Not so long ago half the population of the country was illiterate, military service was mandatory, food, and medicine were scarce, and protesting the government meant jail or death. Loved ones still migrate the country fearing for their lives, or in the search of professional opportunities. Also, many people still live in similar conditions to the ones that encouraged them or family members to join the efforts of the revolution in the eighties. Informal settlements and rural communities still have limited access to electricity, drinking water, public schools, and health centers, And cities continue to grow disproportionally without adequate zoning nor building codes. It was only a matter of time for the ongoing uprising to erupt and cause the current catastrophic social breakdown.

In six months, Nicaragua went from being considered the "safest country" in Central America and a “must-visit destination” to a place where death is part of the landscape – and where those rightfully protesting against the government are persecuted by the police and punished with arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, rape, and torture. Despite the state of distraught and anguish – the outcome of this uprising marks a decisive point in the country’s history with a window of opportunity.

Resilience and Overlap with Civil Engineering/Transportation

Having first-hand experienced the effects of having weak social and financial systems/institutions in Nicaragua heightened my interest in becoming a civil engineer and understanding, learning how physically addressing infrastructure challenges can foster local economic growth and stability. More importantly how by investing in a sustainable public transport and other public infrastructure we can reduce inequalities, promote inclusion, empower local communities, enhance territorial cohesion, and minimize the impact of natural hazards. In other words, make human developments more resilient. As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity of grasping the overlap infrastructure and resilience by taking on leadership positions geared towards enriching the quality of life of people. And while my career up to date in the transport sector has consisted of large-scale infrastructure projects that have taught me about the intricate factors involved in the design and construction of these projects – I continue to look for opportunities that allow me to understand how infrastructure challenges across the globe can be solved using an integrated approach that accounts for the different non-engineering dimensions that contribute to the existence of those vulnerabilities in the first place.

Graduate School Vision – Promise of Keough

Nicaragua lacks from a formalized framework that deals with multi-disciplinary issues like the ones faced this year in the country. Therefore, as I begin to evaluate the possibility of returning to Nicaragua, it is my goal to learn how to translate the holistic, complex, and multi-dimensional concept of resilience I hold into tangible and practical solutions, strategies, agendas that can be applied in a resource-constrained country like Nicaragua. I vehemently believe that without an established network in country and lack of knowledge in global politics, economics, policy analysis etc. it will be unnecessarily challenging to develop opportunities that help me succeed in my efforts. Therefore, as I learn more about the Keough School, it is becoming more evident that the course-work offered in the “Masters of Global Affairs and Specialization” could provide me with the non-engineering skills that would complement my technical skills in Infrastructure. Additionally, teach me how to establish trustworthy relationships between changing governments, local businesses, and civil society. Lastly, to help me develop strategies and potential solutions that can hopefully induce reform changes in the field of infrastructure, risk mitigation and urban/rural planning. Attached is my resume for your review. Dr. Tracy Kijewski encouraged me to reach out to you for additional advice if the MSGA could be suitable for my interests.