The Harvard Kennedy School motto, echoing the President for whom the School is named, is “Ask what you can do.” Please share with the Admissions Committee your plans to create positive change through your leadership and service. (500 word limit)
In rural Oblivia where I grew up, the steep slopes of the Harim Mountains hugged our village of Kfar Pitzi closely. The breathtaking scenery, ice-cold springs, and lush foliage instilled in me a love of nature. However, I also witnessed the destruction that people could wreak on the environment – with few economic opportunities, impoverished villagers resorted to illegally cutting down timber, leaving behind ugly patches of destroyed forest. Later, when my family moved to the large industrial city of Plotzville, I saw this conflict between development and conservation again, in Plotzville's polluted skyline of smokestacks and oil refineries.
The memory of these two contrasting areas, rural and urban, has inspired my career in energy development. I seek to create positive change by managing the convergence of policy and business to support economic development and access to electricity. This passion is not fueled by idealism alone; it stems from my first-hand understanding of how necessary development can compete with environmental policies. I hope to have a global impact by facilitating investments that provide better access to cleaner, reliable power sources, promoting the virtuous cycle between energy infrastructure development and stable economic growth.
As a Harvard Kennedy School graduate, I envision building the world’s largest clean power plants to help meet power needs across the globe. I hope to be a Senior Investment Officer at a global organization such as the International Finance Corporation, leading investments in energy-starved countries. The world’s demand for electricity is predicted to double by 2040, and providing sustainable sources for this electricity will become increasingly important.
Through my work at Dystopian Global Consultants in Washington DC, I have learned the delicate balancing act required to sustain clean energy investments. In a recent example, I managed a long-term planning project for Bahrain’s National Electricity Company, which is struggling to keep up with the steep increase in electricity demand. To promote a multi-technology approach to power-sector planning, I added a renewable energy component to the modeling structure. I led a team which included U.S.-based engineers and Middle East market specialists in our Tajikistan office. Nonetheless, for the presentation to the Bahraini Electricity Company Steering Committee, I was asked to lead the meeting “invisibly” via audio conference to comply with the strict dress code for women. It was the first time in my career when gender was an issue, but nothing would keep me from leading this crucial project. The renewable energy module we developed is now part of our core service offerings services throughout the Middle East.
I am passionate about electricity generation and I want to continue working at the intersection of business, economics, and public policy. Today, when I visit my home village in Oblivia, I am proud to see the new wind turbines and hydro generators dotting the landscape – signs of budding economic activity. Promoting more clean energy deployments like this is the defining challenge of my generation and my career vision is to be part of the solution.