Student Profiles
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

The student population in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies reflects the diversity evident on the Georgia State University campus and in the city of Atlanta. In addition to attracting domestic students, the School has a large population of international students, coming from 44 countries, such as Bolivia, Egypt, Indonesia, and South Africa (see full list, below).

In This Page

• International Students
• Undergraduate Students
• Masters Students
• Doctoral Students

International Students

Academic programs in the Andrew Young School are becoming known around the world and the international student population of the School continues to increase. Currently, 19% of our student population is international, representing 44 countries. These countries include: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Canada, China, Cote D'Ivoire, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Mali, Mexico, Mongolia, Nigeria, Panama, Russia, Senegal, South Africa, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.

This year, the AYSPS was pleased to host international scholars supported by the Edmund S. Muskie Freedom Support Act Fellowship program of the American Councils for International Education, the Fulbright Scholars program of the Institute of International Education, the scholarship program of the Organization of American States, the Ron Brown Fellowship program and the Russian-U.S. Young Leaders Fellowship for Public Service programs of the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), and the Mandela Scholarship program of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Additionally, a grant from USAID-Jakarta brought 35 scholars from Indonesia to GSU; other students were privately funded, and the School also hosted visiting scholars from Canada, Indonesia and Russia.

Undergraduate Students

The popularity of the Andrew Young School's majors in economics, urban policy studies and human resources policy continues to grow among undergraduate students. There were 314 undergraduate AYSPS majors in the Fall 2001 semester, a 25% increase from a year ago. Approximately 60% of our undergraduate students are female; approximately 61% are minority and/or international students. Most are transfer students; many choose our degrees because they are already working in the public sector and want to gain additional expertise through academic study.

Our undergraduate students continue to excel at scholarship while combining the demands of school with work and family commitments. This year, three students–Esteban Balseca, Rosalind Clarke and Talisha Searcy-- were awarded American Economic Association summer minority scholarships to attend an intensive program at the University of Colorado, Denver. GSU was the only school in the nation, besides Howard University, to have three students selected from a national applicant pool. One selection committee member commented, "Your students are different in many respects from others. Mr. Balseca was the only sophomore to win an award, and most other scholars do not have full time jobs, unlike Ms. Clarke and Ms. Searcy. I was most impressed by the drive and underlying ability of all three GSU scholars, and I'm looking forward to working with them."

New Master's Students

The population of our masters-level student body is also diverse. Approximately 54% are female; 45% are minority students. Students come from a wide variety of career paths, bringing their valuable work experience to the classroom, as demonstrated by a partial list of previous employment positions held by members of our entering class:

Public Affairs Specialist, Centers for Disease Control Media Specialist, CARE Legislative Assistant, Georgia General Assembly Reporter, Voice of America Principal, Evans Middle School Financial Planner, Metlife Training Facilitator, Sears Project Coordinator, City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs Linguist, U.S. Marine Corps Communication Technician, State of Georgia Development Coordinator, Barnes & Noble Camera Technician, Clayton News Researcher, National Urban Planning Institute

Purchaser, The Southern Company Security Specialist, Fulton County Sheriff's Department Counselor, Ohio University Economic Analyst, Central Intelligence Agency Foreign Relations Specialist, Armenian Development Agency Policy Analyst, Fulton County Board of Commissioners Publications Manager, Zoo Atlanta Deputy Commander, U.S. Air Force Landside Operations Manager, Hartsfield International Airport Teacher, YMCA Instructional Designer, Nextel Nurse Consultant, Nursing Management Services Recruiter, Delta Airlines

Thirty-five students are enrolled in the new Indonesian Masters program. Sponsored by USAID-Jakarta, this is a fifteen-month program of masters degree training in economics for Indonesian students who will return to positions of leadership in policy analysis.

Doctoral Students

The Andrew Young School admitted 17 new Ph.D. students in Economics and 5 new students in Public Policy this fall. Those joining the joint Public Policy degree program were welcomed at receptions held at GSU and Georgia Institute of Technology. The Department of Economics hosted a campus visit early in the year, as well as a day-long Ph.D. orientation and luncheon.

New Ph.D. Students in Economics

Artidiatun Adji, who is from Indonesia, earned a master's degree in economics at Australian National University, and has worked as a research associate at the United Nations Support Facility for Indonesian Recovery (UNSFIR). She received a scholarship to attend from GSU from Gadjah Mada University, where she teaches public finance and econometrics.

Bulent Anil studied sociology and economics at Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara, Turkey, where he earned a bachelor's and master's degree. He worked as a graduate assistant at the Institute of Social Science of METU, completing research projects on urban poverty in Turkey. He also played basketball and volleyball while attending the university.

Sukanya Bhattacharya earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics at the University of Calcutta and the University of Pune, respectively. Her interests include mathematical economics and econometrics. She hopes to return to India to work for the Planning Commission or join the Indian Economic Service, as well as teach economics.

Sylvester Buigut, originally from Kenya, completed his B.A. in economics at Kenyatta University, an M.I.B.A. at U.S. International University in Nairobi, and an M.A. In economics at Brigham Young University. He has worked as a computer support and engineering consultant and hopes to return to Kenya to work at the Central Bank. He has been very active in sports throughout his college career, playing rugby, squash and soccer.

Asmaa El-Ganainy is from Egypt, where she worked as an instructor at Cairo University, teaching agricultural economics. She was also a research assistant for the USAID-funded Agricultural Policy Reform program and the United Nations World Food program. Her research interests focus on environmental economics and natural resources policy.

Abel Embaye completed degrees in economics at the University of Asmara, Eritrea and Tilburg University in the Netherlands before coming to GSU. He is from Eritrea, where he worked as a graduate assistant and lecturer at the University of Asmara and as a field organizer for research sponsored by the World Bank. His interests include macroeconomics and monetary economics.

Gyunsuck Geon, from the Republic of Korea, completed a master's degree in public administration at Seoul National University and an M.B.A. At Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration, Finland. Before coming to GSU, he was deputy director of the Fiscal Planning Bureau, Planning and Budget Commission for the Korean government. He is interested in public policy and administration as well as economics.

Christine Moloi earned her master of science degree in policy economics at the University of Illinois, where she specialized in monetary theory and international economics and policy. Her bachelor's degree is from University of Botswana. Previously, she worked as a senior economist at the Bank of Botswana's Research Department and as a field assistant in the Ministry of Local Government and Lands, National Conservation Strategy Unit.

King Owalla, who is from Kenya, completed a B.A. In economics at Egerton University there before attending the University of North Texas to earn a master of science degree. He is on leave from a position as assistant economist for the Kenyan government, and plans to resume his career upon completion of the Ph.D. His interests include econometrics, international trade and public finance.

Eric Sarpong, who is originally from Ghana, has a bachelor's degree in accounting from Kennesaw State University and attended GSU in the M.A. In economics program before being accepted to the Ph.D. program. He has worked as an internal auditor for the Southern Company, and in several other industries. He is particularly interested in international economics and developing economies, and hopes to teach and do research in economics after graduation.

Edward Sennoga, from Uganda, majored in economics while earning a bachelor of science degree at Makerere University there. His M.S. degree in economics is from the University of North Texas, where he worked as a teaching fellow. His research interests include econometric modeling and forecasting, international trade and finance. He plans to return to Uganda to contribute to ongoing development efforts by teaching and working with a government planning agency.

Dmitriy Shishkin, who is from Russia, studied economics at St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University, while working part-time as a researcher in the Laboratory of Game Theory at the Institute for Economics and Mathematics of Russian Academy of Sciences. He then completed an M.A. In economics at Boston University before returning to Russia to work on the USAID Fiscal Reform Project performed in the Russian Federation by the Andrew Young School, and in the Fiscal Policy Center as a consultant. He would like to continue research work and policy advising after graduation.

Eugene Turner earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management at Georgia Institute of Technology, where he graduated with honors. He is also an M.B.A. graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His previous career was in contracting and development; he has worked as a freelance consultant, vice president of a construction company and, most recently, as commercial division manager of Dupree Plumbing Company, Inc.

Hanji Wu studied economics at Fudan University in Shanghai, completing bachelor's and master's degrees. During college, she served as an intern in the municipal government of Xishan City and wrote government reports. This led to further investigation and research on overseas investment and the development of large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises in China. She sees an urgent need for qualified economists in China and plans to return there to work and do economic research.

Guevera Yao has a B.A. In economics from University of Cocody, Abidjan-Cote D'Ivoire and an M.A. In economics from the University of Abidjan/Ouagadougou. He is in this country on a Government of Cote-d'Ivoire scholarship to pursue a doctoral degree. Previously he worked as an accountant at the International Bank of West Africa. He attended GSU in the M.A. program before joining the Ph.D. program; he has been very active in the Ivorian Student Association and as a volunteer for the GSU African American Student Services program.

Mohammad Yunus is from Bangladesh, where he earned a bachelor's degree in social science and an M.S.S. from the University of Chittagong. He also has an M.Sc. Degree in Industrialization, Trade and Economic Policy from the University of Strathclyde, United Kingdom. He worked as a research fellow at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies and consulted on various Asian Development Bank projects. He is interested in international finance, international trade and monetary policy.

Xinye Zheng, who is from China, has a B.S. Degree in management from Anhui Institute of Finance and Trade and an M.A. In economics from Renmin University of China. He was an assistant research fellow at the Institute of Industrial Economics and deputy director of the Center for Economics of Networks, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS). He plans to continue his work as an economist and also to teach economics.

Ph.D. in Public Policy

Jeffery Durrah has a B.A. Degree in economics and political science from Emory University, an M.B.A. and an M.P.A. From Troy State University, where he studied human resources and public policy. He completed professional internships at Wachovia Bank, Urban League, and the Office of the Governor of South Carolina. He has worked at a research specialist and senior economist for the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. His particular interest is in urban and regional economic development policy.

Odile Ferroussier-Davis, who is originally from France, first came to the U.S. as an exchange student. After interning with several nonprofit organizations in Atlanta, she was employed with The Atlanta Project and the Carter Center. She has a bachelor's degree in public policy from Institute d'Etudes Politiques and an M.P.H. from Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. Recently, she was a research fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Charles Hammonds is an M.P.A. Graduate of the Andrew Young School. Last year he received the Dan Sweat award for academic excellence and was nominated for Pi Alpha Alpha. He also holds a B.A. Degree from Morehouse College and master of divinity degree from the University of Chicago, where he served as a pastor in United Methodist churches. More recently, he worked as director of sanitation for the City of Decatur while completing his master's degree at GSU. He plans to teach public administration and policy and do research focusing on policy implementation at the local and state levels.

Pratik Mhatre earned a bachelor of architecture degree at the University of Mumbai in India and attended M.P.A. classes at GSU before being accepted to the doctoral program. Previously, he worked as a senior designer and project planner, then as an architect for residential and commercial projects in Mumbai. His research interests include the role of technology in the public sector and the development of technology policy for developing nations.

Pablo Saavedra graduated from the M.A. Program in economics of the Andrew Young School before beginning doctoral studies in the joint Ph.D. program. Previously, he earned a B.A. In business at the Tecnologico de Monterrey (I.T.E.S.M.) In Mexico, where he studied international finance. As part of the degree requirements, he worked at the Mexican Stock Market. Later, he was executive of corporate banking at Banco Mercantil in Bolivia and taught in the business department at the Universidad Privade Boliviana. His research interests include economic development policy.