Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Robert spent a summer in Piura, Peru during high school in his first extended international experience. Working on community economic development activities, he realized that his highest value skill at the time was simply effort and was motivated to eventually return to a developing country armed with a relevant skillset that could positively impact a community. Robert studied Economics and International Relations at Claremont McKenna College. He was selected as a Robert Day Scholar for his academic excellence and leadership ability and participated on the varsity swim team where he was named to the All-Conference Academic Team three times. Robert spent three years in the private sector after graduation, first as an investment banking analyst in New York with Bank of America Merrill Lynch and then as an associate at private equity firm Shamrock Capital Advisors in Los Angeles. His passion for economic development led him to join the public sector as an associate on the Access to Medicines Team with the Clinton Health Access Initiative. Based in Kampala, Uganda, he has worked on a range of data analysis, forecasting, and supply chain projects to support the Government of Uganda in improving access to medicines for HIV patients. His experience in Uganda’s public health sector has solidified his belief in the valuable lessons private sector principles could offer for public sector challenges. He looks forward to his Luce Scholar experience as a unique opportunity to understand economic development activities and approaches in Asia.