GISA Spring Election 2024: Candidate Profiles – PDC (1)

In conversation with Isabel Cassidy Soto and Grecia Pillaca Burga, MINT 1st Year

Q. Why do you think you are the best candidates for the role of Co-Presidents of the PDC? 

We (Grecia and Isabel) are honored to present our platform as Co-Presidents of the Professional Development Committee (PDC). Our combined 10+ years of work experience gives us the necessary knowledge and skills to lead a committee all about professional development. Grecia is a human rights lawyer from Peru who has worked at top think tanks, the Organization of American States, and as a Refugee Officer in her country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Isabel has a private sector background. She worked as a senior health technology consultant in Germany, business development director of a New York City-based tech start-up, and is currently working in philanthropy in International Geneva. Together, we’re knowledgeable about a diverse range of professional fields and will leverage this experience to help the student body! 

Our message is clear and simple- we want everyone to succeed, together. We believe there are more than enough opportunities for everyone in international Geneva. During our time as Co-Presidents at the PDC, we want to make these paid opportunities readily available and accessible to the student body. We are dedicated, positive leaders with diverse life experiences who attack obstacles with grit and resilience- making us prime candidates for the job. 

As Co-Presidents, we will use our leadership experience to create a positive and collaborative team environment within the PDC that is welcoming to all students curious about expanding their professional trajectories. And for the wider community, our future role as Co-Presidents is to guide the student body as they embark on their career journey. Our proposals are based on careful discussions with alumni, PDC members, and student initiatives, to create an approach that is bottom-up rather than top-down. We will continue to analyze and assess the different necessities of the student body in terms of resources, networks, skills, inspiration, etc. We invite you to check out our proposals here: https://profesionalspotlight.wordpress.com/2024/04/16/our-proposals/

Q. How will your experiences as a student at the Institute shape your approach to the role of Co-Presidents of the PDC? 

We have been actively involved in student life at the Institute since beginning our studies. Grecia is a core member of LANI (Latin American Network Initiative), where she helps organize events and assist in advocacy plans regarding decolonization of the curricula. This experience has given her an understanding of how student governance works at the Institute, and a sense of belonging, family, and community in Geneva. She is also part of The Graduate Press as a Student Life Editor, where she attends meetings with the student body, and writes about students’ journeys. Her recently launched engagement strategy aims to bring the work of different students to the spotlight. As part of one of her passions, she is a researcher in the Migration Initiative, where she elaborates media content about migration facts and events that help sensitize those topics within the Institute. Finally, she has participated in initiatives such as C4SI, where she had the opportunity to work with different actors of International Geneva, and recently participated in the Geneva Debate regarding the matter of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum. Grecia is passionate about human rights and social inclusion, which she brings to her work in each of these initiatives. She also has come to understand the importance of collaboration and teamwork through helping her friends on their career paths, inspiring her to run for the PDC co-presidency on a platform of inclusion and succeeding, together. She brings insider knowledge on working with the IHEID community and staff. 

One experience that particularly marked Isabel’s journey at IHEID was recently winning a scholarship for her project in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, through the Davis Peace Projects (sponsored by the Institute). This experience of collaboration with a student team as well as NGOs in Brazil not only gave her concrete experience in teamwork, working with a tight budget, and negotiation, but opened her eyes to all of the opportunities available for students at IHEID. She believes that these kinds of opportunities should receive more marketing and communications around them, and sometimes get lost in the flurry of emails from administration, initiatives, etc. This inspired her to run for the PDC on a platform of clear and consistent communications- so everyone has access to the kinds of opportunities that can shape their professional trajectory, and change their life! 

Q. What other experience do you have that you believe qualifies you for the role of Co-Presidents of the PDC? 

We are natural leaders with a passion for what we do and a talent for working in multicultural environments. In our professional journeys, we both led teams with members of diverse ages and backgrounds and learned how to bring together groups of people to execute high-quality projects. We bring project management experience and fluency in multiple languages, field experience, research and writing skills, and most importantly, strong morals and convictions that guide everything we do. 

Additionally, both of us have experiences winning opportunities abroad which we know we can bring to help the student body do the same. Between the two of us, we have won grants and been selected to attend international conferences and student delegations in Brazil, Nepal, Indonesia, Morocco, Spain, and more through programs such as the Intergender Champions, World Bank, Davis Project for Peace, the ICRC, and the United Nations Alliance of Civil Society Organizations. We’re committed to making this a reality for all students who are interested in paid, international field experience. 

Q. If elected, what would be your primary goal as Co-Presidents of the PDC? 

We’re full of ideas and concrete plans we commit to enacting if elected as Co-Presidents. We all know international Geneva is full of opportunities, but it is difficult to sort through the noise and find the right ones. We are here to bring a method to the madness and invite you to check out our website to find out more: https://profesionalspotlight.wordpress.com

Our primary goal as Co-Presidents is to foster opportunities for everyone by democratizing access to information about jobs and careers. We will do this creating an open-source and student-exclusive database with insider information (student input) about the Geneva organizations that offer paid internships, salaries, other students’ experiences, and more. Like a Glassdoor, but just for students at the Institute. Along this line, we often find that we are surrounded by incredible opportunities in Geneva but many of them pass us by because we simply don’t know about them, or we are flooded with information from multiple sources. That’s why we will create clear and consistent, regular channels of communication. We will create a monthly newsletter for career and academic opportunities; have regular social media updates on Geneva job openings and global fellowships, curated specifically for our student community; and create guidelines and toolkits covering topics such as job applications, interview tips, and more. This will be our first priority as candidates! 

It’s especially important to mention that we will foster a safe space, where everybody feels their ideas are important and welcome to collaborate in peer-learning or mentoring sessions. The goal is to co-create, discuss, grow professionally and offer students accompaniment in this journey of discovering their career path.

Q. How do you plan to represent the interests of all students, including those with diverse backgrounds and interests? 

Drawing from our diverse personal backgrounds—Grecia from Peru and Isabel growing up between two cultures in Spain and the US—we understand the importance of inclusion and diversity in fostering a vibrant community and want everyone to feel welcome to join the PDC! Grecia’s experience with discrimination in Peru inspired her to establish an NGO dedicated to advocacy and social inclusion, and she brings this commitment to fostering inclusion in everything she does. Isabel’s background has allowed her to work successfully and collaboratively with individuals in the five countries she has lived in (Spain, the US, Germany, Brazil, and Switzerland). We envision the PDC as an open and collaborative environment where every voice is valued and welcomed. Our goal is to bridge divides, build understanding, and create opportunities for all students, regardless of any challenges we may encounter along the way. 

Moreover, we aim to make professional opportunities more accessible for all IHEID students, from disciplinary tracks such as History, Economy, International Law, Anthropology and Sociology, Interdisciplinary Master, and PhD students by actively engaging with them to understand their needs. Our initiatives will encompass a broad spectrum of career paths, including the private sector, academia, international organizations, EU opportunities, and more, ensuring that every student’s interests are represented. 

Q. If you could describe your vision for our school in three words, what would they be? 

Let’s succeed, together!

Voting for the 2024 Spring Semester GISA Elections will open on Friday, May 3rd, at 17:00, when students will receive the online voting form, and remain open for 48 hours until Sunday, May 5th, at 17:00, with the results announced on May 6th at 10:00. The winner will be declared by a plurality of votes, requiring the winner to have the largest vote share among the other candidates, official abstentions, and write in candidates. Best wishes to all the candidates from the TGP Editorial Board!

Photo provided by Isabel Cassidy Soto and Grecia Pillaca Burga