UN Day Opens New Doors, Career Paths for Many SPIA Students
Jan 11 2023
By
Brittany N. Murray
Source
Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
A record 63 SPIA graduate students met with United Nations staff and SPIA alumni during UN Day, held in December, when they attended moderated panels, engaged in career discussions, and enjoyed networking opportunities.
The event opened the eyes of some students.
“Prior to UN Day, the idea of working at the United Nations was just a curious thought,” said Tony Solis Cruz MPA ’24. “But there are so many different ways to work within the UN system to advance your country's goals, to advance the world's goals, to become a better place, and also to advance my own individual ideas about what I envision for progress in this world.”
The day’s discussions included highlights of the United Nations’ many agencies, as well as challenges that UN officials face daily in their careers, from crises in multilateralism to emerging threats, prevention, and response. “I think this day showed me how important it is in terms of addressing some of these big challenges from climate change and climate action to peacekeeping operations, nuclear disarmament, and the refugee crisis,” said Kazim Habib MPA ’23.
Among the SPIA alumni to speak to students was Chris Lu ’88, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Management and Reform. Lu’s participation was especially meaningful for Sam Hau MPA ’24, who, as a Chinese American immigrant, said it was the first time he could remember seeing someone who looked like him in such an important position at the UN.
“We don't have a lot of role models when it comes to the public sector space,” Hau said. “It was very meaningful to see someone who looks like me in that role and, overall, just very inspiring to see somebody with my background in public office.”
The whole ecosystem around the UN is comprised of people who deeply care about their work and really do want to make a big difference.”Kazim Habib MPA ’23
Students also had the opportunity to connect with several of the alumni speakers during a reception following the event. Many shared personal experiences from their own time at SPIA, as well as their career paths to the UN.
While Habib does not plan to pursue a career in the United Nations after graduating, he said he found these stories to be very insightful and inspiring.
“It's sometimes difficult to envision 10 or 15 years down the road and know it's possible,” he said. “Meeting people who have gone through similar experiences or similar courses and were able to use SPIA as a way to springboard into these important public service opportunities gave us some motivation to dream a bit bigger.”