Mila Rosenthal
United Nations Development Programme
New York, NY USA
"Instead of figuring out your whole path, just figure out the next step. Whatever your options are, find the best one, but it doesn’t have to be the best thing for the rest of your life."
Career Roadmap
Mila's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Government, and Communicating / Sharing Stories
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
I did it because I wanted to do it and I craved the intellectual rigor. I didn't do my PhD because of a specific end goal, I knew what I could learn getting a PhD would enable me to get involved in exactly what I wanted to do and would give me endless opportunities.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
Columbia University in the City of New York
Doctorate
Sociology and Anthropology
London School of Economics and Political Science
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Grew up in the “Rust Belt” in Ohio.
2.
Says she grew up with traditional “heartland values” and an emphasis on being kind to others, which have shaped who she is as a person.
3.
Always felt trapped by her small town growing up and, as a result, developed a strong sense of adventure.
4.
After graduating college, she spent time living in East Asia working with communities that were struggling with war and poverty—led her to pursue a career in social change.
5.
Inspired by her childhood growing up in an industrial steel town, she decided to research the lives of women workers in textile factories in Vietnam for her Ph.D. in social anthropology.
6.
Admits that she pursued her Ph.D. partly out of self-indulgence; she had a curiosity and an interest in a topic that she wanted to know more about, but didn’t necessarily have a goal in mind.
7.
She has held positions at various human rights based organizations including Concern Worldwide, HealthRight International, and Amnesty International USA.
8.
She now leads communications for the United Nations Development Programme dedicated to fighting poverty and climate change.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Why are you doing a PhD if you don't plan on teaching? That's a waste of time.
How I responded:
I did it because I wanted to do it and I craved the intellectual rigor. I didn't do my PhD because of a specific end goal, I knew what I could learn getting a PhD would enable me to get involved in exactly what I wanted to do and would give me endless opportunities.