Anaisabel Galindo

What initially sparked your interest in the Development Administration and Planning MSc programme? What was your prior experience with development, if any, and what did you hope to achieve by participating in the course? 

Initially, what motivated me to look at the Development Administration and Planning MSc programme was the recognition of The Bartlett Development Planning Unit's leadership in building knowledge together with actors from different expertise and social areas. After graduating as an anthropologist from the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, I wanted to continue cultivating my knowledge in the field and Development Administration and Planning MSc was one of the programmes that offered that. 

I had previously worked implementing programmes interventions for government entities, local NGOs, and UNICEF, but always with a focus on the Guatemalan context. So, Development Administration and Planning MSc was the platform I needed to broaden my knowledge on why and how social programmes and projects are implemented in other areas of the world. 

How or where did you first hear about the Development Administration and Planning MSc programme? 

When I applied for the Chevening scholarship, it was part of the programme selection exercise in the UK. Nobody told me about Development Administration and Planning MSc, it was more of an online search on my own. However, it was, from the beginning, my first choice. 

What was your favorite aspect or feature of the Development Administration and Planning MSc course? What was your favourite module or subject? 

My favourite course was the practical one, because I had the opportunity to work with colleagues from different parts of the world, to get to know their ideas, their ways of working and their experiences. In addition, I had the opportunity to see the interaction between the teachers and the partners and to learn about the dynamics of negotiation and partnership between them. 
 
How has your career developed since completing the course? Where have you been working since graduation, and how did you get into that role? How has the course prepared you for your current career? 

I am now working in the business development sector, which translates into the development of internal and external strategies for obtaining funding for development programmes. 

After Development Administration and Planning MSc taught me how and why development operates in a certain way, at the end of the program I have the need to understand not only where the money for social development comes from, but to learn how to get it.
 
Do you have any words of advice for current or prospective students? 

Learn how to do strategic reading of documents and learn how to write essays. It will save you a lot of time.