Guatemala

MARIA ANDREA BARQUIN VALLE

International area studies, MA course

Hello fellow GSIS professors and students! I came to Korea from Guatemala City one year ago with the KGSP Scholarship Program. I have a BS degree on Agricultural Sciences, which I obtained from a specialized university in Costa Rica called EARTH University. EARTH University’s curriculum has a very strong emphasis on developing social and environmental awareness, responsibility and commitment. Therefore, during my academic years I was able to learn about different contemporary environmental problems and the importance and impact they have on our society. One of the reasons I decided to study agricultural sciences was because I wanted to learn and develop skills that would allow me to support and endorse the sustainable development of my country and other developing countries. During my academic and professional development, I have realized that the solutions to these problems do not only come from the technical support on agricultural systems and scientific understanding of the existing environmental problems, but also from the understanding of our society’s political, economic, cultural and social situation. Therefore I decided to enter the Graduate School of International Studies at PNU.  
Around the world, there are many international organizations working towards sustainable development in many different ways. I am interested on working with organizations that pursue international cooperation for climate change adaptation and mitigation. Korea has become the host of one of the most important international climate change-related founds in the world. The Green Climate Found was formed some years ago as a financial mechanism to support developing countries in Climate Change, redistributing money from the developed to the developing world, in order to assist the developing countries in adaptation and mitigation practices to counter climate change. I see an opportunity on linking my Graduate Studies, relating my thesis research and internship on topics related to Climate Finance and to the work the Green Climate Change Fund is currently developing in Korea.  Furthermore, I believe that complementing my scientific climate change-related knowledge with international studies-related topics will give me the opportunity to support relevant global efforts to improve the livelihoods of vulnerable communities in the developing countries. I am looking forward to learn more about your different points of views on this subject and I am always open to join or contribute to any kind of research or discussion related to this environmental topics. If you are interested on this kind of matters please don’t hesitate to contact me.