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Alumna Portrait
05 June 2019

A Life Guided by Hope and Empathy

From San Gil, Colombia, Maria Soledad Rueda (MA, ‘10) has worked in international organisations around the world, conducting humanitarian work in conflict zones. She recounts how her studies at the Institute helped her forge an international career. 

From San Gil, Colombia, Maria Soledad Rueda has worked in international organisations around the world, conducting humanitarian work in conflict zones. From helping victims of famine to protecting political prisoners as well as escaping deadly violence, she found optimism where despair thrived. Her belief in the good of humanity took her to the Graduate Institute, where she completed an interdisciplinary Master in Development Studies. Now, she is at Harvard’s Kennedy School, where she recently chronicled her time in the field as well as her educational experiences in an interview.
 

Sole Rueda


“I was extremely happy to mention my education at the Graduate Institute: my time there was crucial and instrumental in the path I decided to follow”, said Ms Rueda. 

On 30 May, Ms Rueda graduated from the Master in Public Administration at Harvard and received the Raymond & Josephine Vernon Award for academic excellence and contribution to the programme. 

Read the full interview with Sole Rueda by the Harvard Kennedy School.