Summer Scholars Fellowship
Our Summer Scholars fellowship program enables students in graduate degree programs to experience work abroad with the United Nations or its agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations. The mission of the Scholars program is to foster direct knowledge and understanding of the UN and international organizations.
The yearly fellowships, which are fully funded by UNA-NYC, offer frequent collaborations with agencies such as the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), but may involve other agencies as well. We also work with NGOs such as Plan International.
Applications
Any interested students in New York City who learn about this program should contact their university's program representative to facilitate or recommend participation in the Summer Scholars program. Individual student applications, independent of school participation, will not be accepted.
Criteria for Selection
Applicants must be enrolled in a New York City (Manhattan only) university as full-time graduate students, and should be current members of UNA-NYC
Submission of CV as well as Statement of Purpose letter
Two letters of recommendation
Award Conditions
The Summer Scholars fellowship provides a stipend to cover all travel and living expenses.
The award recipients are expected to keep a blog of their summer experience.
The recipients are invited to participate in a UNA-NYC program, usually an open house for sharing their experiences, as well as a brief appearance at our annual gala dinner, during the autumn of 2022.
Housing and Budget
Costs associated with participation in the program will be assumed by UNA-NYC, which will provide the required financial assistance to the student for the duration of the internship. The grant will cover round-trip airfare to and from the selected country, as well as housing and food. Housing will be available in small hotels or apartments, selected by the student with the help and input of the UN or NGO office, if necessary.
The award recipients are responsible for ensuring that all passports and necessary visas are in order, as well as providing necessary immunization and vaccination certificates. Proof of medical and evacuation insurance must also be submitted prior to departure.
2023 Summer Scholars
NOZIPHO HLOPHE | Summer Scholars 2023 : ESWATINI Fellowship
Nozipho was born in Soweto, South Africa. She is a graduate student at Fordham University, pursuing a dual Master’s degree in International Political Economy and Development (IPED) and Economics. She earned her Bachelors of Commerce degree in Econometrics at the University of Pretoria. During her final year at the University of Pretoria, her worked on a research paper that was a thorough case study drawn to prove the capacity issues with Eskom as South Africa’s primary energy source. Through her findings and work done in the analytics space, the Council of Science and Industrial Research (CSIR) afforded her the opportunity to work on a project called “Pre-paid power can cut revenue losses”, building a model that binarily live-tracked households bridging into the grid and tailoring a solution to help curb the revenue leakage.
Prior to joining Fordham, Nozipho worked at First National Bank as a Strategy Analyst, where she contributed to conceptualizing, developing, and implementing frameworks to improve the overall client experience for Affluent Banking. In 2022, she joined the Institute of International Humanitarian Affairs (IIHA), supporting the institute’s research and projects related to humanitarian affairs on an international scale. Notably, she has been honoured as a recipient of the Emerging Markets Scholarship, Campion Prestigious Fellowship, and Waterfront Scholarship, which granted her invaluable opportunities to participate in international programs across the United States, South Africa, and the Philippines.
Nozipho is driven by her desire to create a lasting impact in international development by addressing the needs of emerging economies, advocating for the rights of women and children, and promoting financial inclusion. She looks forward to joining the UNDP Eswatini team to learn and practice practical communication strategies across various disciplines.
AIDAI KADYROVA | Summer Scholars 2023 : LAO Fellowship
Aidai is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration in Development Practice (MPA-DP) at the School of Public and International Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University, New York, USA focusing on development finance. She is from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the American University of Central Asia.
Prior to joining SIPA, Aidai worked in audit and finance, participating in audit engagements of the top enterprises not only in Kyrgyzstan, but within Central Asia. She was involved in audit of private and public companies in different industries, starting from financial institutions to non-governmental organizations. Aidai also led the consulting project of the largest commercial bank in Uzbekistan on transitioning to International Financial Reporting Standards. She also worked as a financial analyst in telecommunications company.
Aidai joined as a Planning and Financing Fellow with the UNDP Lao Office in Vientiane that works closely with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Finance and line ministries providing policy advice and technical support to implement the national socio-economic development priorities of Lao PDR’s five-year National Socio-Economic Development Plan and Sustainable Development Goals. She supports the implementation of the UNDP’s Poverty Reduction Unit’s resource mobilization efforts. Aidai is excited about the opportunity to gain on-ground experience in dynamic and challenging context about poverty reduction efforts, and to contribute to strengthening the programme development.
SAUJAN KHAPUNG | Summer Scholars 2023 : MONGOLIA Fellowship
Saujan is a graduate student pursuing a Master of Arts in International Political Economy and Development at Fordham University, with a specialization in Global Environmental and Resource Economics. He is an international student with a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Kathmandu University, Nepal. At Fordham University, Saujan has received the prestigious Presidential Fellowship and the International Peace and Development Travel Scholarship Award.
Saujan has worked as a Program Assistant at Spes Nova, a not-for-profit organization that works with global artisans and university partners to promote sustainable and inclusive development. Through Spes Nova, Saujan has helped artisans worldwide achieve a sustainable livelihood through access to international markets, capital, and product research and marketing support. Furthermore, by collaborating with partner universities in Colombia and Mexico, Saujan has helped students engage in practical learning, helping them gain valuable real-life experience. At Fordham University, Saujan has contributed to the construction of the Fordham Francis Index (FFI) for 2023, a global poverty index published by Fordham University. He was responsible for the Employment indicator and the Material well-being index (MWI) calculation for the FFI. Before joining the Master's program at Fordham University, Saujan worked in the roles of research consultant and research assistant for various research organizations and think tanks, where he was involved in research on development and public policy issues.
Saujan will be working this summer at the UNDP office in Mongolia and will support the main team in the development of the National Human Development Report (NHDR).
MMAFATSE NDLEBE | Summer Scholars 2023 : INDONESIA Fellowship
Mmafatse is a Global Markets Fellow at Fordham University, pursuing her Dual Master's Degree in International, Political, Economy, and Development (IPED) and Economics. Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, she holds a Bachelors of Commerce degree and an Honours degree in Accounting from the University of Johannesburg.
She is a qualified Chartered Accountant with years of experience in the Deals Advisory, Banking, and Finance industry. She commenced her professional career as a Senior Associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers within their Financial Services, Insurance, and Investment Management department, performing audits of private and publicly listed entities in South Africa and The Netherlands. She transitioned to a manager within PricewaterhouseCoopers Deals Advisory practice, advising on buy-side and sell-side financial due diligence to assist the client in assessing the financial risk of various mergers and acquisitions across the sub-Saharan region and Europe. Prior to joining IPED, she practiced as an Investment Banker at the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), focusing on infrastructure projects within Sub-Saharan Africa. In this capacity, she delivered impactful development finance solutions for commercially viable projects, showcasing her commitment to driving positive change.
Mmafatse has researched financial investments in emerging markets. Her latest study analyzed the potential rewards and risks associated with Asia and Africa's dynamic and volatile financial markets. Her research highlighted the impact of not only the economic and financial risks of these regions but also the effect of political instability in these regions. Mmafatse is also the recipient of the Emerging Markets Scholarship and Waterfront Scholarship, which enabled her to engage in various international programs.
Mmafatse seeks to explore how alternative financing solutions and innovative approaches, such as strategic foresight employed in Southeast Asia and can be adapted and utilized in the context of the African continent. She will be working with the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Indonesia and is excited at the opportunity to contribute and learn from the Accelerator Lab colleagues. Her focus during the fellowship will be implementing foresight thinking, strategy tools, and innovative financing solutions.
Mmafatse is one of 2023 SAP McDermott Summer Scholars
Read about Mmafatse’s experiences in her Summer Scholars blog
LALASH SEGOOA | Summer Scholars 2023 : SURINAME Fellowship
Lalash is an international student from South Africa, Pretoria, who is currently pursuing a dual Masters in IPED (International Political Economy and Development) and in Economics at Fordham University. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree and a Honours degree in Economics from the University of Pretoria.
Lalash has conducted most of her research on inequality and economic development. Her recent research explored fundamental aspects of development such as education, the study of resource rents and economic growth, increasing the adoption of improved cooking stoves, and investor reactions to the Fed policy changes. Previous research similarly, focused on addressing SDG 4: Quality education, 8: Decent work and economic growth and 10: Reduced inequalities respectively. These experiences have not only deepened her knowledge of specific sectors but have reinforced her career aspirations to work in international development. Lalash continues to broaden her analytical techniques and deepen her industry knowledge in hopes to inform policy on how emerging markets can best address threatening inequality gaps, promote growth and inclusion by using their limited resources in the most effective and efficient ways.
Lalash is a recipient of the Salesian Missions Fellowship, which has allowed her to work as a program development intern for the Salesian Missions Office. Salesian Missions is an international fundraising office that provides humanitarian assistance to missionaries in over 130 countries through projects that focus on education and technical vocational training. She is responsible donor reporting, collaborating on proposal writing for funding projects, and identifying grant seeking opportunities.
Lalash is eager to spend this summer with the UNDP Suriname as an Intern for Integrated Policy Development for Indigenous and Tribal Peoples and further contribute to strengthening the program development and implementation of the country office.
MEENAKSHI VISWANATHAN | Summer Scholars 2023 : PHILIPPINES Fellowship
Meenakshi is from Chennai, India and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration – Development Practice (MPA-DP) from Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs (SIPA). Meenakshi holds an Integrated Master’s in Development Studies from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras where she also minored in Global Affairs.
Before coming to SIPA, she worked at IDinsight, an international development advisory organization, as part of their Data on Demand team. At IDinsight, Meenakshi worked on NITI Aayog’s flagship Aspirational Districts Program to improve the socioeconomic conditions in 117 of India’s least developed districts. She worked with district and village level officials to improve administrative data quality across health, education, and nutrition. She led a top-to-bottom survey of India’s tuberculosis data reporting and management system, across 10 districts and 4 languages. At SIPA, Meenakshi is focusing on urban sustainability. Last semester, she worked with Dr. Kaushik Deb from the Center on Global Energy Policy to model urban energy consumption in India.
This summer, Meenakshi will be working at UNDP Philippines as a Knowledge Management Intern with the Impact and Advisory Team. She will be supporting the team in analyzing data and creating materials to support the formation of the UNDP country agenda.
Meenakshi is one of 2023 SAP McDermott Summer Scholars
Read about Meenakshi’s experiences in her Summer Scholars blog
