A Week in the Life Allison Walker COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog

A Week in the Life Allison Walker COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY - SIPA Admissions Blog Were featuring  a new mini series,  A Week in the Life,  to highlight all of the wonderful experiences our students have had in the program. Allison Walker, MIA 16 Hometown: Nashville, TN Before SIPA: Working as a Webcast Digital Media Specialist for a nonprofit in New York Goals: Combining my background in digital media with human rights advocacy work Tuesday, 8:30 p.m.Since I live on the other side of the city from Columbia, I don’t always stick around for events near campus. But on Tuesdays, I have my Management and Administration of Nonprofit Organizations class from 6:00-8:00pm and this week my concentration was having a happy hour at a nearby bar at 8pm so it worked out! I’m in the Human Rights and Humanitarian Policy concentration so this picture is a few of us who got together that night. Most of the concentrations and specializations have happy hours and events throughout the semester. Thursday, 10:00 a.m.I get to campus early to meet with the professor before my Corporations and Human Rights class to discuss my final paper topic. I’ve found that SIPA professors are always very willing to meet with students, and it’s helpful to have guidance on this paper as it is worth most of the grade for this class! I didn’t take a picture in our meeting, but here’s my stroll through campus to get there. Thursday, 1:30 p.m.After class, I walk down a few blocks to my job as a Program Assistant in the SIPA Office of Admissions and Financial Aid. I spend some time working on a blog post for the Admissions Blog, but the Office of Admissions has a big event next week for prospective students so I spend most of the afternoon preparing materials for that. I didn’t make the office staff pose for this picture at all Friday, 12:00 p.m.I’m in the Business and Human Rights Clinic, which is a year-long course that will count as my Capstone Workshop. Usually, Capstones are taken only in the Spring semester of your second year, but the Clinic is an exception. Today, the two heads of the organization our cohort is working for, Inclusive Development International, visit during our class time to discuss our research and projects, go to lunch, and talk about the field work we will do in Cambodia later in the year. Friday, 4:00 p.m.Today in my Human Rights Skills and Advocacy class, we conduct mock meetings with the targets of advocacy letters we previously wrote. Our professor Jo Becker, Advocacy Director of the Childrens Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, brings in a colleague from Human Rights Watch to play the role of each student’s advocacy target. I wrote my letter to the World Bank East Asia and Pacific Regional Vice President; here’s me practicing my advocacy pitch! Saturday, 7:00 p.m.Time for a break after a week where I had several papers and presentations due. My husband and I go to the movies using discounted tickets you can buy at the Ticket and Information Center on Columbia’s campus. Unfortunately, the movie we wanted to see is sold out, but it’s all good we hold onto the prepaid discounted tickets for another time, and we wind up going to a cool new restaurant in the same neighborhood for dinner instead. Monday, 1:00 p.m.Today is the Diversity Symposium, a big event put on by the Office of Admissions for prospective SIPA students. I live tweet the event throughout the day for my job, but I was glad to be there anyway to hear alumni and current students discuss their thoughts on diversity and life at SIPA on panels.