Matt Schuelka

My path to Stanford was anything but linear, but as a Stanford alum I am more focused than ever on what I want for my life both professionally and personally. I did not have a lot of international experience going into the IEAPA program, but I did have a M.Ed in Special Education and several years of teaching experience. I chose Stanford because I wanted to expand the scope of my thinking around education policy, and boy did I ever! The opportunities that I had while a Graduate student at Stanford were instrumental in my growth as a scholar. I found all of the professors to be approachable no matter who they were, and SUSE had a great community and spirit that I have not found in any other school of education. What I learned early on at Stanford is that if you have an idea or a dream - make it happen. There is an infectious "can-do" spirit that must be in the water supply. One thing that I was able to do while I was in the IEAPA program was teach a course that I designed and initiated on how education is portrayed in film. I am thankful that SUSE has the kind of environment that allows students to follow-through on such ideas.

After I graduated from SUSE, I entered a Ph.D program in Comparative International Development Education at the University of Minnesota. The experiences I had at Stanford and the things that I learned about research, education, and how to be a scholar are instrumental in my further success as a Ph.D candidate. Whilst the ICE/IEAPA M.A. does prepare alumni well for research, there was also a great deal of practicality to it as well. Classes on the economics of education and education policy making are very helpful for me as an education consultant. Currently, I am working on several inclusive education projects for UNICEF that have taken me around the world.

Stanford not only opens doors, but gives you the confidence to walk through them. I am extremely grateful that I was given the opportunity to benefit from all that the Stanford University School of Education has to offer.