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Fabiola Cañas (Salvador – GLODEP Cohort 2019–2021)

Written on . Posted in 2019–2021, Alumni.

I proudly graduated GLODEP in 2021 as part of the third cohort of this Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Program. Studying abroad with classmates from 24 different nationalities, all while moving to a new country every 5 months, was as hectic, eventful and marvelous as it sounds.

This multi-country degree opens the door to a variety of perspectives, ways of life, administrative systems, and many other aspects that fill all your senses and shape your learning experience day to day. Particularly, the variety of topics learned throughout the 2-year program and the exposure to a wide network of leading researchers and development professionals -all while submerged in an inherently multicultural and multidisciplinary environment-, inevitably change how you see the world and interact with it.

The assimilation of this blend of topics and academic approaches impacts the way in which you approach the analysis of socioeconomic conditions, development challenges, and reality altogether. This degree offered me a comprehensive toolbox that I have been able to tap into during different moments and roles of my professional life, including the following: design of questionnaires for data collection, hands-on experience in data analysis (applying both quantitative and qualitative methods), summarizing research results, and preparing formal reporting for decision-making (such as needs assessments and policy briefs).

This all-encompassing experience transcends the academic realm and is arguably transferable to all life aspects, becoming a great appeal for recruiters in the public, private, and international sector alike. I am completely sure that the GLODEP experience was fundamental to land my current role as local staff in the Country Office of an International Cooperation Agency in El Salvador, my home country. Thanks to my profile, I have been assigned to a portfolio of regional projects across Central America, where I get to apply my skills and continue to thrive in a diverse environment.