Next Stop: The World Bank

Atishay Abbhi
MA ’17
Energy, Resources and Environment

While working at the world’s largest humanitarian organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Atishay realized that understanding macroeconomic issues and data analysis skills are essential for supporting governments and communities in sustainable and resilient recovery efforts. His decision to apply to Johns Hopkins SAIS was influenced by the need to complement his field work on armed conflict and disaster response in India and the Philippines with quantitative skills and a deeper theoretical understanding of sustainable development issues. Atishay chose Johns Hopkins SAIS for its reputation as one of the foremost institutions for international affairs and economics and its proven capacity to train students for exciting careers in development.

After graduation, Atishay will join the prestigious Young Professionals Program at the World Bank. The program will give him a holistic and rigorous exposure to various facets of the development efforts carried out by the bank. He is especially interested in learning how the different divisions of the bank contribute to providing holistic and multi-sector solutions to development challenges arising out of conflict, disasters, and climate change. It represents an exciting opportunity to start a career at the World Bank with a potential to grow into senior management.

Besides the immense support from his family and colleagues, Atishay credits his studies with helping him to secure a place at the bank’s competitive program. Having nurtured countless talented World Bankers, the school enjoys a strong recruiting pipeline with the bank. Atishay notes that rigorous analytical skills instilled at Johns Hopkins SAIS were crucial during the application process. In addition, classes on climate change, sustainable urban development, public-private-partnerships and international economics strengthened his understanding of the theoretical fundamentals and prepared him for the technical side of his role.