2011-2012 Luce Scholar

Perla Parra De Anda is currently a Fellow at the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs and will receive a Masters in Public Administration degree this May from Cornell University, with a concentration in International Development. Perla is the president of Cornell Women in Public Policy, the Senior Managing Editor for The Cornell Policy Review, and chair of the Latino Graduate Student Coalition. In 2004, Perla received a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley, where she focused on development and education, minored in Italian studies, and earned a professional certificate with honors in business administration. Throughout her life, Perla has been committed to public service and community development issues, both domestically and abroad. She has primarily focused her academic and professional energies on economic development, education and migration policies. Perla is particularly interested in the interdisciplinary study and application of public policy and law as it pertains to economic growth and development and human welfare. As an undergraduate, Perla complemented her studies working as a Program Manager at an after school program for middle school students in Oakland, California. She has also lived and studied in Italy, Spain, Mexico and Cuba, and has professional experience in the public, not-for-profit, and private sectors. More recently, she worked as a consultant helping small businesses in South Africa develop growth strategies to enhance their competitiveness and foster economic development within their communities. Perla speaks English, Spanish, and Italian fluently and studies Portuguese and Arabic. She plans to pursue a JD in the fall of 2012.