Biographical Profiles of Current MPA Graduate Students
Born and raised in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Hana holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago, where she majored in political science and psychology. Most recently, she worked as a data analyst at the United Nations Development Programme in Sri Lanka and the Office of the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, on initiatives to consolidate and analyze risk indicators to inform strategic and programming priorities on social cohesion and peacebuilding. Understanding and addressing the proliferation of hate speech and misinformation has been a recurrent focus in her professional career to date. At Princeton, Hana plans to build skills relevant to the design and evaluation of evidence-based and contextualized approaches to building sustainable peace. Outside of work and the classroom, she enjoys reading (particularly mysteries), playing board games, singing, and spending time with her cat, Moxie.
Nikita was born in Jakarta but spent much of his upbringing moving between Indonesia, China, Brazil, and East Timor as the son of a career diplomat. Growing up across continents and seeing his father's dedication to public service set him on a path toward diplomacy. He studied political science at the University of Indonesia, focusing on comparative politics, and interned for a Member of Parliament working on trade and industrial policy. After graduating, he joined Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he worked on Indonesia's European Union (EU) portfolio, managing day-to-day relations including political and economic cooperation, trade disputes, and negotiations. Working on the Indonesia-EU trade agreement showed him that diplomats don't just shape international partnerships; they also steer critical conversations about domestic economic and development policy. At Princeton, Nikita hopes to deepen his expertise in international political economy and contribute to global development strategies that reflect the priorities of emerging economies. After SPIA, he plans to continue serving as a career diplomat for Indonesia, representing his country abroad and helping shape its global political and economic strategy. Outside of work, he plays soccer whenever he gets the chance and is an avid scuba diver.
Consuelo is from Viña del Mar, Chile. Over the summer, she worked as a consultant for the World Bank’s IEG, where she contributed to the evaluation of the Education Sector Framework (ESF). Prior to graduate school, she worked as an Economist at the Ministry of Finance of Chile, where she co-led the Chilean Policy Evaluation Agenda for CNEP, overseeing research and team management while engaging with international partners including the U.S. Government Accountability Office and the OECD. She has also worked as a Project Manager with ConsiliumBots and TetherEd, managing the implementation of centralized school allocation systems in Colombia and Brazil in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank, and as a Research Associate with J-PAL, coordinating fieldwork in the Dominican Republic and Colombia. Consuelo holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in applied economics, both from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She loves photography and outdoor activities.
Rebecca is from Annandale, Virginia. After graduating from Yale in 2020 with a B.A. in Ethics, Politics, and Economics, she worked for the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a data scientist and had a formative experience deploying to recovery efforts from Hurricane Ida. She transitioned into climate work, including as Deputy Director for Sustainability at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Between her first and second year at Princeton SPIA, she spent the summer working for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, Switzerland. Rebecca is passionate about making public institutions transparent and accountable.
Gabe is originally from Newton, Massachusetts. Before coming to Princeton, he worked at the World Bank Group as an analyst supporting thematic evaluations covering the blue economy, biodiversity, environmental and social frameworks, and fragility, conflict, and violence-affected countries. Gabriel designed and implemented an AI-powered document search and evaluation tool for the Global Evaluation Initiative and conducted statistical analysis of World Bank and IFC initiatives. He assisted with a blue economy case study in Cabo Verde and a biodiversity case study in Côte d'Ivoire, conducting focus group discussions with NGOs and local fishermen and farmers, as well as conferencing with World Bank, government, and industry stakeholders. In 2023, Gabriel graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa where he majored in political science with honors and concentrated in global development studies. While in college, he worked as a research assistant with CERATH Development Organization in Ghana, designing and conducting surveys with fishermen and expert interviews with NGO leaders and government officials. Upon graduation from SPIA, he aims to return to the World Bank to work and lead in development practice. Outside of development work, Gabriel enjoys learning to cook new foods, experimenting with AI and machine learning, and trying to run faster.