Tricia Matthews
IDSC/M.A. '98
 
1. Please describe your present professional position? Please include the URL of your organization.

Deputy Director/Mercy Corps Liberia
www.mercycorps.org

2. What do you find satisfying about your position?

All of our major programs have a community-based approach towards development and it is very rewarding to work directly with communities as they recover from the devastation of Liberia's civil war. Because our programs are primarily community driven, they range from agricultural programs to income generating programs to rebuilding infrastructure. There is a lot of variety in the work and a lot of challenges!

3. How did the IDSC program at Clark University help to prepare you?

My studies at Clark provided me with a solid foundation in project management and participatory methodologies. I came away with some very practical skills I was able to use in my first job and use until this day. It is also a nice small program with a lot of flexibility to explore your own interests.

4. Why should prospective students enroll in the IDSC program at Clark University?

The faculty and your fellow students will have a wealth of experiences that they are willing to share and everyone should live in Worcester at least once in their life. (I am from Worcester!)

5. Did you have an internship as part of your Clark education? If so, how did it help to connect you to your current career?

I interned one semester at the Unitarian Universalist Service Center in Cambridge. It helped me gain a sense of what role HQ plays in supporting programs in the field and how important it is to connect the work in the field with communities back in the U.S. so that both parties can grow and learn.

6. What was the topic of your research while at Clark University?

Reproductive Rights in Zimbabwe