Palmer Trinity School

UN Headquarters in Paris to sit on a human rights council. Her eyes had been opened to the world of public policy making, and once she came back to PTS, she eagerly started a Model UN Club of her own. Andrea graduated as Valedictorian of Palmer Trinity School and went on to study Social Studies, a rigorous social science program you can only find at Harvard, because she knew she wanted to have an interdisciplinary perspective on the world's most important issues. After graduating from Harvard, Andrea was one of only 470 Fulbright Scholars worldwide. Through that, she was given the opportunity to return to Mexico and conduct research about how gender affects return migration in five rural and indigenous communities. She interviewed women whose partners had been deported from the US (or in some cases, the women were deported themselves!) to understand the effects it had on their families. As Andrea says, "When husbands are deported, women are forced to decide whether they should stay in the United States to raise the children alone or return to their rural towns." Andrea continued to work with an anthropologist to follow and study the challenges and struggles of 11 binational children from NYC whose families returned to Mexico when a parent was deported. After her extensive research and work as a public policy analyst in Mexico, Andrea realized how complicated the migration system actually is. She wanted to do more to help those who are hurt by the system, so she went on to earn a Masters degree in Migration Studies from Oxford University. After graduation, Andrea was offered an internship, followed by a job, by her current employer: the UN Migration Agency (IOM) Headquarters. "I work with colleagues who implement projects in the field and make sure the impact and progress of those projects are properly reported and measured. On top of that, I develop awareness campaigns about youth, diaspora, climate migration, and more," says Andrea. "As I monitor and develop different projects, I have the opportunity to propose ideas about how they can be improved and ensure their effectiveness and sustainability in the future. Some of my projects include: supporting young migrants with entrepreneurship training in Dominica, helping government stakeholders combat human trafficking in Brazil, and installing a 3-D printing and innovation laboratory for return migrants in Djibouti." Of all her projects, the one she is most proud of is helping launch IOM's Look Forward Give Back campaign. This awareness campaign empowers young people living abroad to support development in their countries of origin—for example, Colombians in Miami who return to Colombia to aid rural development initiatives for a few months. More recently, IOM's work has been focused on international COVID-19 responses and combating related xenophobia. "At the end of the day, there are borders and people are crossing them. My goal is to develop systems and policies that help people cross in a way that would be beneficial to both sides, while protecting the human rights of those crossing. I firmly believe that, in the long run, more cooperation between countries can ensure migration is beneficial to all." Andrea is an exemplary Alumna of Palmer Trinity School who demonstrates all the qualities of a PTS graduate: she's a global citizen, an ethical leader, an independent thinker, a problem solver, a critical listener and, last but not least, a passionate learner. Above, from left – PTS Soccer days, Graduating from Harvard, Making talaverna, Launching "Look Forward Give Back" Campaign. S U MME R 2 0 2 0 49

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