Building a Better Future for Refugees

Krishnan Raghavan
MA ’17
International Development
First Year: SAIS Europe

Krishnan decided to apply to Johns Hopkins SAIS because of the strong quantitative component of the curriculum. Having worked in the development field in communications roles, he wanted to hone his analytical skills to complement his communications experience. Professionally, he is interested in refugee relief, development in fragile states, and post-conflict reconstruction. He therefore knew he wanted to attend a school with strong conflict management and international development departments and Johns Hopkins SAIS was the only institution that fit the bill. Moreover, he was happy to have the chance to spend one year studying in Italy.

Prior to his graduate studies, Krishnan worked in refugee relief and humanitarian response in Nairobi, Kenya, for two years. Before that, he also spent time working in refugee resettlement in northern California, and a year teaching English in Bangkok, Thailand as a Princeton in Asia fellow.

Outside the classroom, Krishnan was the editor of Perspectives, the student-run publication of the International Development program. He also joined several study trips, including the career trek to Geneva, Switzerland, and the study trip on post-conflict reconstruction in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Krishnan will soon be working with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as a Regional Livelihoods Specialist based in Tunis, Tunisia and covering Francophone North Africa. His role will be to provide technical support to UNHCR and its partners in the region to design and implement projects that provide refugees and asylum-seekers with sustainable livelihoods opportunities.