Meet Arpit, a first year CIPA fellow from India who shares his academic background, work experience, transition from an MBA to an MPA, and why he chose CIPA. From private to public sector, and adventures in the kitchen to blogging for the Huffington Post, Arpit talks about his passions and what brought him to Ithaca.
Meet Arpit Chaturvedi
I’m Arpit Chaturvedi and I hail from a small town called Firozabad in India. I received my Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in History from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi and my MBA in Human Resource Management from Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development, Symbiosis International University, India. Along with interning for both private and public sector firms such as Philips Electronics and Powergrid Corporation of India Ltd. on labour and organizational development projects, I have also actively volunteered for NGOs and have participated in fundraising drives for various issues ranging from children education to the re-habilitation of victims of human trafficking.
I have nearly three years of work experience – the first being at a Talent Management consulting firm called Right Management (part of the Fortune 500 Manpower group) which I joined straight out of my MBA, thereafter at the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, Government of India and finally as a Legislative Assistant to a Member of Parliament in India.
Tell us about your time so far as a student at CIPA.
My policy concentration is Government Politics and Policy studies along with which, I have taken up courses related to Public and Non Profit Management as well – which is reflective of the flexibility offered by CIPA, which sets it apart from the other MPA/MPP programs.
CIPA allows me to pursue a diverse set of interests and participating with local governments is one of them. As part of the Consulting for Government and Non-Profit Organizations, I have gained the opportunity to engage with the Tompkins County Government, New York on a consulting project. This is especially helpful as I intend to work towards enhancing the effectiveness of the government at various levels in India and other developing regions. Also, I have a keen interest in the process of policy-making and am therefore looking forward to engaging with national politics and public administration back home in India.
With a variety of other MPA programs to choose from – Why CIPA?
I received admission offers from a number of schools and programs such as the MPA program at SIPA Columbia, also the MPA-DP program at SIPA Columbia, the International Development (IDEV) Program at SAIS, Johns Hopkins University and the MA in Democracy and Governance Program at Georgetown University. However, I chose to join the CIPA MPA program at Cornell for a combination of reasons which included having unlimited access to the various graduate programs at the Cornell University, the flexibility of the program structure, an option to pursue an externship semester in New York City, Washington DC, Rome, Albany and Mysore.
Besides, perhaps the most important factor that led me to choose CIPA was the individualized attention provided to each student here which was evident right from the beginning of the admission process in my various interactions with the staff and faculty members. I still remember how I rang up the CIPA office one day from India only to find the Director of CIPA on the other side of the line and she took out the time to talk to me for almost twenty-five minutes about the CIPA program and its relevance to my career plans – on an unscheduled call! This was clearly proof of the faculty’s commitment towards the success of each CIPA student.
Where did you work before coming to CIPA?
My post-graduate work experience spans almost over three years, the first being with a talent management consulting firm – Right Management – wherein I was involved in various leadership development projects for a number of Fortune 500 firms as well as some of the largest Public Sector firms in India. Owing to a timely combination of deliberate career decisions and a few epiphanies, I found myself managing an election campaign for my hometown’s Parliamentary seat, after which my career took a turn towards the public sector and public service.
My second year of work experience was as an Apprentice with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, a constitutional body set up by the Government of India for the socio-economic inclusion and justice of the scheduled caste population wherein I worked on developing the Commission’s Vision and Mission statements and also, my recommendations on “The state of Labour Exploitation of Scheduled Caste Population in the brick manufacturing sector” were officially adopted by the Commission. I also worked with the National Foundation for Communal Harmony (an autonomous body under the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India) to promote diversity and inclusion of various communities in India and became the youngest person so far, to be on the editorial board of the Foundation wherein I co-edited a monograph authored by some of the top civil servants of India, titled “Not Without Her – Communal Harmony”.
My last job experience was as a Legislative Assistant to a Member of Parliament and this involved researching on a number of Parliamentary Bills, and handling communications as well as community inquiries for Mrs. K. Kavitha, Member of Parliament, Nizamabad, India. Here, I also prepared research inputs and background notes for Honorable Member of Parliament’s official meetings with various dignitaries such as the 25th United States Ambassador to India, the Railway Minister of India, Finance Minister of India, Minister of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and a delegation with World Bank officials which also gave me the opportunity to interact and learn from some of these dignitaries.
Any advice for those who are interested in applying to CIPA?
A clear idea of one’s expectations from this course and how to tailor it to one’s career needs is critical to make the most out of the CIPA MPA. Hence, communicating specific plans as to how an MPA from CIPA can help bolster your career plans may be extremely helpful while writing a statement of purpose, besides getting a good GRE score (Note: As of July 7, 2020, CIPA will no longer require a GRE score for the MPA admissions application). Also, gaining relevant work experience, whether full or part time, paid or unpaid along with solid recommendation letters can be extremely useful in putting up an effective application.
What are you excited to continue learning about this year?
One of my passions is to engage with policy matters in particular and political philosophy in general through my writings and being in a stimulating environment like Cornell with its learned faculty members who are always open for a good conversation and peers from all around the world, gives ample opportunities to be exposed to new ideas and synthesizing them, some of which I have published in the Huffington Post and other such publications. Earlier, my writings have also been published in the South Asia Journal and in form of a book titled “Our Egalitarian Universe?” and it is an interest that I would like to further cultivate while at Cornell.
What are you doing outside of coursework?
In addition to my coursework, I work as an Associate Editor for the Cornell Policy Review. In my free time, I’ve been tapping into a hidden hobby, cooking! With the help of a few recipes given by my mother, useful pieces of advice from fellow classmates especially from India and Pakistan, and practical demonstrations from my housemate who is a CIPA fellow from Costa Rica, I am cultivating my cooking skills – something I knew nothing about before coming to Cornell!
Can you tell us a fun fact about yourself?
I used to be part of my college band in India as a vocalist and also started a band with a cousin and a friend, named as the “Imperfects”– a name that points towards the fact that none of us ever received any formal training in music and the raw sounds that we produced!
What is your favorite part of Ithaca?
Besides the Commons, my favorite part of Ithaca is the Cascadilla Gorge Trail adjacent to the Cornell campus which offers a picturesque view and a quiet place to walk around, relax and read a book!