News

St. Olaf College alum Aya Elawad ’26 has received a Rotary Global Grant Scholarship that has enabled her to pursue a graduate degree at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland.

The $35,000 award from Rotary International is an annual scholarship that supports graduate-level studies related to one or more of Rotary’s seven areas of focus, with an emphasis on humanitarian issues. Elawad has enrolled in a master’s program for international economics this fall. 

“I was grateful, because I don’t think I would have been able to do a master’s program without the funds provided by this scholarship — it would have been really challenging,” Elawad says. “It is now possible for me to continue with my education, and better position myself to help different communities.”

Originally from Sudan, Elawad came to the Hill from Li Po Chun United World College Hong Kong as a Davis UWC Scholar, majoring in quantitative economics and mathematics, with a concentration in statistics and data science. Her interest in development economics — particularly foreign aid, cash transfers, and the economic dimensions of conflict — grew throughout her undergraduate experience. 

That interest became especially personal as the civil war erupted in Sudan. 

“I really wanted to do a lot of research in conflict and institutional reconstruction, and how you move from one to the other,” Elawad says. 

Geneva offers an ideal setting to explore those questions. In addition to the Graduate Institute’s focus on international affairs and governance, the city is home to the World Trade Organization, World Economic Forum, and numerous international organizations and nongovernmental entities. Elawad says that proximity will give her opportunities to learn not only in the classroom, but also from researchers and practitioners working on the issues she hopes to study. 

“I always knew I wanted to do development economics, even if I didn’t know exactly what that looked like day to day,,” she says. “I think that this will give me the exposure that I need.”

Rotary Global Grants support graduate-level academic study related to one of the organization’s areas of focus. Elawad applied under the category of community economic development, outlining how her coursework and future research could contribute to efforts to strengthen communities — in the case of the former, she had a powerful base to launch from. 

As a sophomore, Elawad began having conversations with Kirsten Cahoon ‘98 and Leslie Moore ‘77 in the Piper Center for Vocation and Career about the possibility of pursuing graduate study. They helped connect Elawad with courses and faculty members that would prepare her for the demands of a masters program, as well as information about the rotary scholarship. 

She also had conversations with professors in the Economics Department, including Associate Professor of Economics and Tomson Family Chair of Law and Economics Colin Harris and Associate Professor of Economics and Department Chair Allison Luedtke, who advised her on the value of doctoral study and career possibilities.

One particularly formative experience came when she attended an Effective Altruism conference in Boston with support from St. Olaf. There, Elawad met a speaker whose work centered on determining how limited resources could be allocated to create the greatest impact in areas such as global health, wellness, and international development. 

“I kind of fell in love with that,” Elawad says. “It was in that moment that I sort of discovered the position that I want to have someday.”

That chance meeting helped her to solidify in her mind a future in economics. The following summer, Elawad participated in St. Olaf’s Weber Scholars program, where she gained research experience and worked with Harris on a paper titled “Aid for Growth or Equity? Examining the Diverging Effects of Different Implementing Partners”.

“It was great, because it let me test out in a way if this was truly the area for me, and the answer was yes, this is definitely what I want to do,” Elawad says with a laugh. 

By the summer before her senior year, Elawad was preparing her Rotary application. She worked on essays with Moore, connected with the Northfield Rotary Club, and went through an extensive interview process with the determining board. The process to receive the scholarship was lengthy and required both patience and persistence.

Now, her persistence has taken her to Geneva for a two-year program that combines coursework with significant research opportunities. Elawad hopes to secure an internship during the summer between, an experience she believes will help her decide whether to pursue a Ph.D. immediately after her master’s degree, or spend several years either working or participating in a pre-doctoral program.

Long term, Elawad envisions a career at an organization where economic research can inform policy. She points to institutions like the World Bank, United Nations, and major economic research organizations, such as think tanks and poverty labs, as examples of places where she could see herself working. 

“I want to work in positions of power, where policy can be used to improve lives,” Elawad says. 

For now, she is eagerly immersing herself in a new academic and international environment. This is her first time living in Europe, and she is already considering opportunities beyond Geneva, including the possibility of an exchange semester in Zurich. 

But what excites her most is the opportunity she has to learn. 

“I’m someone who really romanticizes study,” Elawad admits. “I feel like the environment I’m in really matters, and I feel like I’ll be able to shine here, like St. Olaf — even though Northfield and Geneva are very different places.”

Surrounded by researchers, economists, and international peers, Elawad sees Geneva as a place where she can begin discovering what exactly comes next. 

“I actually can’t wait to see what version of myself I find in Geneva,” she says. “I feel like I’ll be exposed to basically all of the people that I aspire to be — I think that’ll be very inspiring.”