Marcela Silveyra

My year at Stanford has given me much more than a strong academic and research preparation. It has given me the opportunity to fully develop myself by strengthening interpersonal relationships and learning to value the balance between my professional and personal life.

My primary motivation for pursuing the IEAPA program was to learn about policy analysis and to strengthen my research skills. After working for five years as an educational research associate at the North Regional Committee for Cooperation with UNESCO in Monterrey, Mexico, and for two years at a local NGO working closely with the Nuevo Leon State Ministry of Basic Education and public school teachers, I realized I needed to broaden my understanding about educational administration and policy analysis.

Full of enthusiasm, I left my home country, Mexico, with a desire to take full advantage of my time at Stanford. The interdisciplinary structure of Stanford allowed me to enrich my experience by being involved in diverse activities and groups. Courses taken in the Graduate School of Business and the Design School complemented my GSE courses and allowed me to meet people involved in social entrepreneurship and social innovation. Academic talks and workshops were the perfect excuse to get to know other GSE cohort members and researchers while sharing ideas across disciplinary boundaries. Other events such as participating in the Kellogg’s Education Innovation Case Competition and the Comparative and International Education Society Conference demanded much from my colleagues and me, but more importantly, they provided excellent opportunities to bond and strengthen our relationships.

The IEAPA master’s program met all my needs by challenging me throughout the year with a comprehensive curriculum, invaluable discussions with faculty and peers, and a distinctive research paper. Developing my research paper with the guidance of Prof. Martin Carnoy surpassed my expectations. I conducted a quantitative analysis of a current and pressing issue in the Mexican educational system – the hiring and licensing of public school teachers. The MA Paper is now a strong component of my résumé and has given me the opportunity of discuss my findings and ideas with Mexican public officials of the Secretariat of Public Education and the National Institute for Educational Research.

I invite you to challenge yourself and join the network of educational change makers at the Stanford Graduate School of Education.

Watch a video capturing Marcela’s experience in the ICE/IEAPA MA Program in 2012-13: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi-mS16detQ