Middlebury Institute graduates discuss where they are working today, how the Institute helped them get there, and what advice they’d give to current and future MIIS students.
My name is William Holness and I graduated with an MA in International Environmental Policy from the Middlebury Institute in 2017. My language of study was French and I specialized in sustainability. I earned a BSc from Technological University of Panama and an MS in Sustainability Management from Columbia University. While I was attending the Institute, I interned with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Washington, D.C., and currently I am a coordinator for Climate Ambition and Transparency with UNEP in Panama City, Panama.
At UNEP, I support the governments of developing countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to address the gaps they have on meeting the goals of Article 13 of the Paris Agreement—its Enhanced Transparency Framework—by supporting their access to funding coming from international cooperation donors. These include the Global Environment Facility, the Green Climate Fund, the International Climate Initiative, the European Union, and the NDC Partnership. I also work on implementing various projects and facilitating South-South cooperation instances to facilitate potential economies of scale on strategic solutions.
Climate Ambition and Transparency focuses on the modalities, procedures, and guidelines of the Paris Agreement in mitigation, adaptation, and means of implementation (including climate finance, capacity-building schemes, technology transfer, gender issues, and cross-cutting climate issues).
Don’t be shy about asking for guidance from fellow students, faculty, and staff. I always encountered a positive attitude and people willing to help me tailor my academic program to my career plans.
I transferred to UNEP’s Latin America and the Caribbean Office in Panama City after serving as an intern in UNEP’s North America Office in Washington, D.C., in 2017, through the Institute’s Professional Service Semester program. The program and the advice I received from the Center for Advising and Career Services—starting from the first semester of my grad school program—were key to my being hired as an intern.
My best advice to current students is to make use of all the career advice resources that the Institute provides and don’t be shy about asking for guidance from fellow students, faculty, and staff. I always encountered a positive attitude and people willing to help me tailor my academic program to my career plans. Networking is also key—get in touch over email with the people with whom you want to work and ask them to grab a coffee, and then pitch yourself professionally and respectfully.
| by Stephen Diehl
An internship with Polar Bears International helped environmental policy student Alex Shahbazi hone his skills as he sought common ground among Arctic nations.
International Policy and Development alumna Monique Rao describes how cold emailing and advice and encouragement from MIIS faculty and staff helped her to land the internship that launched her career.
International Environmental Policy graduate Sahara Saude describes how an internship helped her cultivate connections that led to her current position with Conservation International’s Center for Oceans.
