Abuzar Royesh — MIP Class of 2020

Abuzar Royesh was both a member of the 2020 MIP class and a Knight-Hennessy scholar while at Stanford, where he worked on ways technologies such as machine learning, deep learning, remote sensing and other novel computational methods can be utilized to spur economic growth and improve public service delivery in developing countries. He went on to pursue a second master’s degree at Stanford in Management Science and Engineering.

In August of 2021, American military forces began withdrawing from Afghanistan, Royesh’s home country. As the situation became more uncertain, Royesh, like many Afghan expatriates, began working furiously to help family members — especially female family members like his younger sister Simin — leave the country. His efforts to extract his family were successful, but Royesh knew that he couldn’t stop there. With the help of an extensive network of Afghan contacts and fellow Stanford alumni, Royesh set up the Thirty Birds Foundation, which successfully evacuated an additional 450 Afghans, many of them schoolgirls.

Speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Royesh explained, “Could we have left the rest of the community behind? No, we knew we had to stay involved.”

That impulse to help the whole has continued with Royesh through his work with Pastel, which he co-founded with Olamide Oladeji and Izunna Okonkwo. The app offers digital bookkeeping services to small businesses to help them manage their business, make payments, and receive low-cost financing. In marketplaces in Nigeria, a target audience for Pastel, the majority of business still takes place on paper, which introduces high degrees of inefficiencies and inaccuracies. This in turn leads to a high degree of business failure and blocks to native entrepreneurship.

The goal of Pastel is to provide reliable support to small, local businesses and vastly reduce these inefficiencies. More accurate bookkeeping gives small owners a much stronger foothold, which then brings more stability to local economies and the opportunity for establishing a basis of personal wealth and more security for individuals and their families. To date, Pastel has helped over 120,000 small businesses around the world and has raised over $6.1 million. Royesh is recognized in the "Social Impact" category of the Forbes "30 Under 30" list.

Amélie-Sophie Vavrovsky — MIP Class of 2022

Amélie-Sophie Vavrovsky was already working on her start-up Formally when she joined the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy class of 2022. As an international student, Vavrosky has first-hand experience with how difficult the U.S. immigration system can be. Armed with this background, her studies in international policy, and her command of eight languages, she set out to make the process easier for others.

Formally is a legal company with a mission to simplify immigration applications by breaking down bureaucratic barriers and making the legal world more accessible through inclusive design. The service combines computer-assisted paperwork with guidance from legal professionals to help customers navigate applications, and is available in multiple languages. It has already raised $2.3 million and helped thousands of people complete asylum applications. Forbes recognizes her in the “Social Impact” section of the “30 Under 30” list.

While she has formally completed her degree at MIP, Vavrovsky is still at Stanford finishing a dual Master of Science in Environment and Resources with an anticipated graduation of Spring 2023.

Sylvie Ashford | Starting with Questions, Not Answers

I am a co-term student, and I’m finishing up my B.A. in International Relations and Arabic at Stanford, with Honors in Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. I’m originally from Washington, D.C, and before coming to MIP I worked as a Middle East policy research assistant and campaign field organizer. 

MIP was exactly what I hoped it would be. The program brings together fascinating people from different countries and life paths. I learned so much from them in and out of the classroom, which ended up being one of the most meaningful aspects of the program. Particularly after spending the first half of the program on Zoom, I loved every time we were able to come together as a cohort for classes and social events this year.

Being a part of this community has definitely changed how I think about the process of policymaking. What I've really come to understand is that policymaking should start with a question, not an answer, and with a rigorous effort to understand a specific social problem in its own context. After graduation, I'm moving to San Francisco to work at the Natural Resources Defense Council, and I know that keeping that perspective in mind will be a huge help to me as I’m doing policy analysis and advocacy work to support the NRDC's Climate and Clean Energy Program.

David Sprague | MIP Training, Military Service

When I first started as an MIP student, I didn’t realize how flexible the program would be or how many options there are to study in different fields. The program really emphasizes how to approach policy making through practical considerations, not just wishful thinking, whether that’s in computer programming and coding, international affairs, climate science, business, design thinking, or any of the other topics policy covers. There’s a lot of crossover with other programs on campus like the design school and the Graduate School of Business, I think this dynamic gives students a policy framework that's grounded in sound political strategies. 

It’s definitely been a busy two years. Beyond being a MIP student, I’m also an active duty officer in the U.S. army, and I have a family. I’ve been very appreciative of how I was able to work within the program to try and keep all of those different responsibilities in balance. This is the best location, hands down, to pursue a policy degree, and there are so many opportunities to get experience with things you truly value, whether that’s family, friends, researching a topic you have strong opinions about, coding, or surfing.

After graduation, I will be returning to the Army to be an operations officer, or a prime integrator, in organizations ranging from 700 to 10,000 soldiers. I know that what I’ve learned here at FSI in the master’s program — both about policy making and myself — is going to help me serve our men and women in uniform better.

Shirin Kashani | Moving Forward, but Not Away

I am graduating this June, but I’m not going far! The program helped me realize my dreams to continue my career in academia, and so I will be pursuing a PhD in political science here at Stanford.

Part of the MIP experience is the one-on-one advisor matching that the program organizes for students. I was paired with Dr. Jeremy Weinstein, and he was so genuinely helpful and keen on setting me up for success. He met with me every two weeks to help me plan and prepare to be a competitive, successful PhD candidate after MIP.

For any students coming into the program, I would strongly advise you take advantage of how flexible the program is. The four specializations — Cyber, Environment, Governance and Development, and International Security — are there to guide you, not to put you in a box. Take courses from departments in your interests and customize your electives to whatever you think will help you. Don’t be afraid to go beyond what’s expected of you in the program to explore and make the best out of your two years on the Stanford campus!

Mikk Raud | Coming Full Circle

Prior to starting this master’s program, I spent eight years studying and working in Beijing and Hong Kong, where I most recently worked for a global risk consultancy, assisting multinational companies with assessing cyber risk, threats, and regulations, as well as crisis management. One of my goals here at Stanford was to pivot away from Asia and refocus my studies in cyber security and cyber policy in the U.S.

Because it’s right in Silicon Valley and so close to the leading industries, the MIP program here at Stanford was my top choice of school, and it has not disappointed. Aside from being able to closely interact with top faculty members and professors such as Frank Fukuyama, I got to see guest speakers such as President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, and other high-level U.S. military officials that Stanford has brought to campus to speak to students. I’ve learned so much from classes like “INTLPOL 340: Technology, Innovation and Modern War,” taught by Steve Black and Joe Felter, and groups like the Hack Lab.

As my time at Stanford comes to an end, my academic experience and industry experience are making a full circle, and I will be going to work with the global financial technology firm where I interned over the summer. I will be working on technology and information security issues while I am in the U.S. by using the one year of optional practical training (OPT). Given the current events in Ukraine and their proximity to my native Estonia, at some point I would also like to be able to contribute my skills and experience back home.

Each of the students in the 2022 class of the Ford Dorsey Master's in International Policy has had the opportunity to practice policymaking and problem solving hands-on in the Policy Change Studio, the two-quarter capstone course of the MIP program. Each year, second-year students partner with NGOs, think tanks, and other groups around the world to get out of the classroom and into the world to bring their know-how to some of the world's most pressing issues.

To learn more about what the 2022 cohort has been working on, explore some of the capstone presentations below.

What were some of the challenges of this particular project, and what excited you about this work?

Lucas: The challenge with this work was to demonstrate two critical components of our theory of change: 1) that the energy DPV and energy efficiency investments were sufficient to offset the initial cost of the loan within a reasonable time period for MiPyMEs and 2) that we could successfully de-risk lending to applicants with minimal or no credit history through this alternative credit mechanism.

Pastor: It definitely took a while for us to land on the root cause of the energy access issue in the Peninsula, and we did a lot of technical scoping work early in the process, and those co-creation workshops where we got input and feedback from partners on the ground was critical for us to finally read that, “ah, ha” moment.

We eventually realized that the key issue was not a lack of technical options, but rather a lack of access to affordable finance to invest in these interventions. We also realized that most businesses are connected to the grid and as such, while some will benefit from distributed solar generation systems, this will not be the case in general. Instead, focusing on bringing awareness and introducing energy efficiency and conservation measures is key to helping more businesses lower their electricity bill burden. The cheapest megawatt, after all, the one you don’t use.

In the year you’ve been working with NREL, how has this project grown and changed? What’s are some of the victories? What areas are you still working to make better?

Pastor: When we started this project, we had no idea what it would turn out to be. It was a class project, a challenge that we had to come up with a solution for. I don’t think any of us thought we would get to actually implement our idea. But today MIPyMEs in the Yucatan are able to get a free energy audit and apply to MicroYuc Verde for an affordable line of credit that enables them to both reduce their energy consumption and grow their business.

Lucas: I also see the multi-stakeholder coalition we’ve built as a major team victory – working with local government leaders, researchers, and changemakers in this space is really encouraging.

Pastor: We are also working to scale up the program and develop energy audit training modules that other local institutions across Mexico will be able to use to offer free energy audits to businesses. Receiving the endorsement of the Governor of Yucatan was a great win for the program. And as Hallie mentions, the multi-stakeholder coalition we have built is a true victory, and something that makes me confident that the program will continue.

How do you hope to see this project continue to develop in the coming years?

Lucas: In the next phase of this project, NREL, IYEM, and ITSP are working to develop a robust technical training curriculum for university students to conduct energy efficiency audits for local businesses seeking to reduce their energy consumption. Student and university-led technoeconomic analysis will support data-driven decisions on investment and lending and will equip students with the advanced skill set they need to succeed in a clean energy futures workforce. These targeted training materials and analytical tools will be made publicly available when complete.

Pastor: I would love to see this project grow in its pilot phase to offer more audits and microloans to MIPyMEs in the Yucatan, and even go beyond Yucatan to other Peninsula states, as I truly think it can make a different.

And at a higher-level, I am really looking forward to seeing whether our theory of change is legitimate – if we can prove that SMEs can leverage affordable financing to access clean energy that would be consequential for broader energy transition efforts around the globe.

How did having the chance to work on a project like this as a Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy student impact your studies and how you think about your role and future in the world of policy and international development?

Pastor: Getting the chance to work on a project like this has definitely shaped the type of work and impact I want to have. I am currently working in the sustainable finance space, as I really believe that part of the key to achieving our climate goals lies with closing the mitigation and adaptation finance gap, and especially focusing on bringing financing solutions to those who are often left behind by the system.

Lucas: I’ve been prompted to reflect more about institutionalized and systemic barriers to energy equity, as well, and to think more critically about what inclusive clean energy transitions look like in practice. The next several decades are humanity’s most critical – as the entire world mobilizes to combat the climate crisis, global energy and economic structures will be fundamentally transformed. In this, we have an unparallel opportunity to choose – and create – a better, more inclusive, more sustainable, future.

What are each of you hoping to do next in your careers?

Pastor: I hope to keep growing my knowledge of climate finance and to keep working to make an impact and accelerate climate transition efforts around the world. It’s been so moving to see the passion and commitment everyone we have worked with has shown. The fact that some of the Yucatan participants would take two days out of their busy schedules to come together to discuss what could be done to solve this problem is very inspiring. And even since our initial investigations have ended, they have continued to show up for the project, and are very much driving it forward at this point. It is truly great to see them believe in our vision for a clean energy future

Lucas: I agree. I want to keep doing what I am doing now!

“In the course of working on this I realized my former classmates were really involved in these efforts as well,” said Berkey, who is also the director of the Hoover Afghanistan Relief Team (HART), which is an ongoing effort under the leadership of McMaster, the Fouad and Michelle Ajami Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and the Bernard and Susan Liautaud Fellow at FSI.

As she entered names for evacuation into a database run by a coalition of groups determined to evacuate U.S. allies, she was contacted by a former classmate who recognized her name on an email thread from the coalition. Julia Neusner, MIP ‘20, had volunteered to enter Afghans into a database on behalf of the coalition, which eventually took shape as the organization Evacuate Our Allies. 

After reconnecting with Neusner, Berkey soon found that another former classmate, Abuzar Royesh, MIP ‘20, was spearheading evacuation efforts of his own. Not only was he working to get his family out of the country, but Royesh and his sister successfully evacuated an additional 450 Afghans, predominantly schoolgirls, through the Thirty Birds Foundation, which they had co-founded.

“Once we successfully managed to get our family to safety, we asked, ‘so now what’?” explained Royesh in an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. “Do we just leave the rest of the community behind? We knew we had to stay involved.” 

Simultaneously, other MIP alumni were working in their official government and military capacities to withdraw U.S. allies from Afghanistan. Wren Elhai, MIP ‘20, normally works on cybersecurity issues for the U.S. State Department, but he volunteered to work on the department’s Afghanistan Task Force.

“Connecting with Wren was incredibly useful in order to realize what the government actually found useful, and what was just overwhelming,” said Berkey.

Likewise, Roseanna Kim, MIP ‘20, who is a special advisor at the U.S. Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, worked on mobilizing resources for refugee support and coordinating public-private partnerships.

On the front lines was David Webb, IPS ‘15, a Lt. Colonel in the 101st Airborne Division. Working with his fellow service members to provide security at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, their efforts enabled many of the successful exfiltrations supported by other alumni. Dave Spague, MIP ‘22, a U.S. Army Captain with multiple tours in Afghanistan, similarly worked to evacuate Afghan interpreters and others who served alongside him.

“This is just scratching the surface,” said Jonathan Achter, assistant director for academic and student affairs at MIP. “There are many more stories of how our alumni and students are involved in extraditing at-risk Afghans. I’m proud of them, and am pleased to see the strength of the community come alive for such an important cause.” 

Lisa Einstein, MIP ‘20, who collaborated with Berkey at HART, noted who the real heroes are in this ongoing saga. 

“Afghans who have been trying to leave Afghanistan fought bravely alongside U.S. troops against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. They are committed allies to the United States and unwavering in their friendship. They are journalists trying to hold power to account and girls longing to continue their education,” said Einstein in an interview with the Hoover Institution.  

“They face harsh restrictions or abuse under Taliban rule and are willing to endure dangerous and unpredictable journeys toward better lives. These Afghans are the courageous heroes of this story.”

Six years into her career, Radhika Lalit ‘16 is already making an impact in the fight against climate change. As a manager of the Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) Global Finance Team and director of RMI’s Center for Climate-Aligned Finance, she has been working to promote decarbonization across real economy sectors working closely with the financial sector. Before that, Lalit led a global coalition of over 30 organizations to encourage breakthrough innovation in the room air conditioning industry through the Global Cooling Prize.

People are taking notice of her hard work and impact — she was named one of the Energy News Network’s 2020 “40 Under 40” honorees and was awarded the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) William K. Bowes Jr. Award for Leadership last week.

Lalit, a 2016 graduate of the Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy (MIP) program at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI), spoke with FSI about the policy impact she has made, her experience in the MIP program, and her advice for young people who want to change the world. 

AW:  You recently were named one of the Energy News Network’s “40 Under 40” award recipients and were awarded the EDF’s William K. Bowes Jr. Award for Leadership - congrats! How does it feel to be recognized in this way so early on in your career?

RL: I feel honored, humble, and incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to work on some very impactful and meaningful projects and initiatives — and especially ones that have tremendous climate impacts. I also feel lucky to have had some amazing mentors along the way who have inspired me to work hard and be the best version of myself. The credit for these two recognitions is certainly due in part to my mentors, my colleagues who've worked with me on many of these projects, and my family, who supported me on this journey.

I personally don't think anyone can be successful just by themselves. It takes a village. My hope is that my work can serve as an inspiration to others to join the climate impact movement and further the impact that I've been able to create.

Why did you decide to apply to the MIP program originally?

By the time I was applying to graduate school, I had work experience that equipped me to understand the private sector and the business side of things. However, I believe policy is one of the most effective levers of change, which was one of the reasons why I decided to enroll in the MIP program. FSI is one of the most recognized institutes for the study of international affairs globally. When I looked at the curriculum, I found it to be really holistic and interdisciplinary, which was something that I was looking for.

I also appreciated the flexibility of the program. You can specialize in whichever field you want, and you can take the courses that you think are most appropriate to your specialization. The flexibility that MIP offered was really unique. I was also attracted to the class size and the diversity of the class. MIP has ensured every year that its cohorts are made up of some of the best minds from all around the world — each of whom has had a different experience and comes from a very different background. I've learned a lot of things from the people in the program.

Also, when I looked at the list of who was going to teach us — Professor Francis Fukuyama, Professor Michael McFaul, Professor Kathryn Stoner, Professor Chonira Aturupane — it felt like a dream, and I was certainly looking forward to it. And last but not least, I see myself as an entrepreneur in the making, and as I made a decision about which school I wanted to go to, I knew that Stanford would provide me with an entrepreneurial environment and opportunities for career growth. I definitely wanted to immerse myself in that culture.

How did the MIP program prepare you to make a policy impact with your career?

The program has been instrumental in building a strong foundation for my professional growth. I specialized in Energy, Natural Resources, and the Environment within the MIP program and ever since, I've been applying the fundamentals of what I learned there to everything I do. Most importantly, I think the program equips you with the tools and knowledge to think through problems differently and apply yourself to solving the complexity of these challenges to develop resilient solutions. I have really benefited from learning and applying this approach to my work.

What is the policy impact you feel you are having now?

I feel very lucky to be leading some catalytic initiatives over the past three years, which have contributed to fighting the good fight against climate change and spurring larger climate impact. One such initiative is called the Global Cooling Prize. It's an innovation competition intended to reinvent the air conditioner of today — so that it's not only affordable, but so it's also designed to have at least five times less climate impact than what's commonly sold in the market today.

The prize was launched in 2018 by the Rocky Mountain Institute, the government of India, and Mission Innovation, a global initiative working to accelerate clean energy innovation. Innovators and entrepreneurs from around the world were invited to solve the growing climate threat that comes from exponential demand of room air conditioners. We’re aiming to identify cooling solutions that would enhance people's lives without contributing to climate change. 

This is important because the energy demand for room-cooling globally will more than triple in the next 30 years. It will account for 37% of the global electricity demand growth by 2050, and India, China, Brazil, and Indonesia will account for 60% of that additional capacity. 

What would happen if we use our traditional fossil fuel-powered capacity to power this additional demand or surge for room air conditioning? This cooling demand will not only derail us from our Paris Agreement climate goals, but it will also out-space the grid plant capacity infrastructure and impede other critical developments in infrastructure investments in these developing countries. RMI's research indicates that under a business-as-usual scenario, room air conditioners could contribute up to half a degree in global warming by the end of the century. 

Clearly, doing nothing is not an option. And it's important to acknowledge that providing people access to cooling is not a luxury, it is a basic human need for productivity and even survival in some cases. We need a breakthrough technology solution or innovation that can not only help families around the world stay cool, but also ensure that cooling doesn't lead to the warming of our planet.

This is why we created the Global Cooling Prize in 2018. Fast forward a couple of years, and we've identified eight finalists from about 445 applications from 56 countries around the globe. As we speak, the finalists are testing their prototypes in an apartment building in India. The final winner of this competition will be announced in early 2021 at an international ceremony where we will be awarding $1 million to the winner. Hopefully, with these innovations, people who need access to cooling will be able to afford it without further warming our planet.

I'm really moved by the impact of it because I lived in India and I have undergone days of extreme heat stress. I feel very passionate about bringing cooling innovation to the market so that everyone can have access to cooling, without warming the planet.

Tell us about how you aim to have an impact on climate change by partnering with financial institutions. 

The second project that I've been working on is the Center for Climate-Aligned Finance — I'm serving as one of its directors. The center was established as an engine room to help financial institutions and the industries they serve to understand and overcome the practical barriers to climate-aligned financing, which includes lending and investment. The center is part of a global partnership to accelerate sectoral decarbonization, and also focuses on the development of global frameworks that connect financial institutions with what future regulation is going to be in this space with regards to climate.

The center's founding partners include Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase, which are some of the most prominent banks in the U.S. and globally. I believe that finance is the lifeblood of the economy, and with finance aligning itself to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, we will likely see an increase in the pace of decarbonization across some of the most important sectors globally that contribute significantly to global warming today.

In this role, I'm helping to support the creation of global sectoral decarbonization platforms as part of a larger partnership. And I’m very excited about the potential impact of this work that I've just embarked on as well.

What was the most rewarding part of the MIP program for you?   

If I had to choose just one part, I think the opportunity of learning from a world-class faculty tops the list. They're inspirational and being able to learn from such people is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

What advice do you have for young people who are interested in making a policy impact in their careers, either working in an energy or climate-related field, or otherwise? 

I have three pieces of advice, and the first is to take risks. It is so easy for all of us to stay within our comfort zone and do things that we are used to doing, but it’s challenging and daunting to do something that you haven't done before. If you’re passionate about something and believe in the cause, you should embark on the uncharted and challenging path. In my experience,  you learn the most when you challenge yourself. 

Secondly, define your own normal. It is important to challenge the status quo. As future leaders, you will be able to have a more lasting impact if you are able to question what isn’t working and be part of defining the new normal and the way forward.

And finally, be part of the solution. Mahatma Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world," and those words have remained with me. It is our small contributions that inspire larger change in the world around us, so when a problem arises, see what you can do to be part of the solution.