About me
My name is Patrick Maxwell, and I am a senior at Lebanon Valley College. In May of 2017, I will graduate with two degrees: a Bachelor of Science in International Business and Economics (a self-designed degree) and a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies. Ultimately, I am interested in innovative solutions to poverty alleviation and aim to pursue a career in the field of international development. Post-graduation in 2017, I plan to pursue a terminal master’s degree in international affairs. Currently, I have been accepted by Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs into their M.A. in International Affairs with a concentration in Economic and Political Development and a regional specialization in Africa.
Resulting from an extensive undergraduate background in business, my primary research interests center around entrepreneurship as a means of economic development, the clout of governance in impacting levels of entrepreneurship in society, and the development potential of social businesses and microbusinesses. An additional research interest of mine fixates on solutions aimed to ameliorate access to financial services – and more broadly the role of technology in both economic and political development – as demonstrated by my exploration of mobile finance’s potential for economic development in my honors thesis as well as my microfinance experience in Uganda.
In the summer of 2015, I completed a Month-long Microfinance internship in Uganda, Africa with the NGO TASAAGA. This internship offered me first-hand experience working in the field of development. While working with TASAAGA, I designed and implemented a Basic Business Literacy Course which aimed to help women with limited literacy and a nonexistent business education learn essential business principles in order to craft their own business plans. Additionally, I worked with a team of local volunteers and TASAAGA staff members to complete survey research of farmers in the surrounding villages in order to evaluate the need for an Agricultural Information and Communication Technology center. Throughout this experience I gained invaluable intercultural communication, project management, and curriculum design skills.
In the Spring of 2016, I spent a semester in Berlin, Germany. Opting to live with a host family and immerse myself completely in the German culture and language, I made invaluable connections. I keep in regular contact with my host family in order to maintain my German language skills. While studying at the Freie Universität Berlin, I completed a number of European Studies and intensive German language courses. This coursework includes a German Architecture Survey course, a course on the History of Modern European Diplomacy, and an International Business course. At the conclusion of the semester, I was certified at the C1 Level in German on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
In the Summer of 2016, I completed a Business Development Internship with the PA Immigrant and Refugee Women's Network (PAIRWN). Fascinated by the mission and vision of PAIRWN, I accepted an offer to serve as a member of the organization's Board of Directors. Serving as the Board’s secretary, I am tasked with completing minutes from formal meetings and gatherings. Additionally, I serve as the organization’s lead grant writer and am working currently to implement strategies and tactics to improve board governance and efficiency.
Ultimately, I aspire to remain in the realm of academia, choosing collegiate-level instruction as my final career goal, which will capitalize on the breadth of education and experience amassed over my lifetime. While the pursuit of a terminal master’s degree is therefore unconventional as this aforementioned goal will necessitate education at the doctoral level, I wish to first develop a portfolio of professional experiences in the field of international development. Thus, in the short-run I endeavor to pursue a career with a the United States Government or a multilateral institution pursuing research principally focused on poverty reduction through strategies aimed to politically and economically empower impoverished people in sub-Saharan Africa. My ideal position would be to work as a Private Enterprise Officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Foreign Service or to work as an Analyst for the World Bank. The development of advanced quantitative skills, the cultivation of research methods, and the exposure to professional experience offered by attending graduate school will enable me to realize these goals.
Resulting from an extensive undergraduate background in business, my primary research interests center around entrepreneurship as a means of economic development, the clout of governance in impacting levels of entrepreneurship in society, and the development potential of social businesses and microbusinesses. An additional research interest of mine fixates on solutions aimed to ameliorate access to financial services – and more broadly the role of technology in both economic and political development – as demonstrated by my exploration of mobile finance’s potential for economic development in my honors thesis as well as my microfinance experience in Uganda.
In the summer of 2015, I completed a Month-long Microfinance internship in Uganda, Africa with the NGO TASAAGA. This internship offered me first-hand experience working in the field of development. While working with TASAAGA, I designed and implemented a Basic Business Literacy Course which aimed to help women with limited literacy and a nonexistent business education learn essential business principles in order to craft their own business plans. Additionally, I worked with a team of local volunteers and TASAAGA staff members to complete survey research of farmers in the surrounding villages in order to evaluate the need for an Agricultural Information and Communication Technology center. Throughout this experience I gained invaluable intercultural communication, project management, and curriculum design skills.
In the Spring of 2016, I spent a semester in Berlin, Germany. Opting to live with a host family and immerse myself completely in the German culture and language, I made invaluable connections. I keep in regular contact with my host family in order to maintain my German language skills. While studying at the Freie Universität Berlin, I completed a number of European Studies and intensive German language courses. This coursework includes a German Architecture Survey course, a course on the History of Modern European Diplomacy, and an International Business course. At the conclusion of the semester, I was certified at the C1 Level in German on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
In the Summer of 2016, I completed a Business Development Internship with the PA Immigrant and Refugee Women's Network (PAIRWN). Fascinated by the mission and vision of PAIRWN, I accepted an offer to serve as a member of the organization's Board of Directors. Serving as the Board’s secretary, I am tasked with completing minutes from formal meetings and gatherings. Additionally, I serve as the organization’s lead grant writer and am working currently to implement strategies and tactics to improve board governance and efficiency.
Ultimately, I aspire to remain in the realm of academia, choosing collegiate-level instruction as my final career goal, which will capitalize on the breadth of education and experience amassed over my lifetime. While the pursuit of a terminal master’s degree is therefore unconventional as this aforementioned goal will necessitate education at the doctoral level, I wish to first develop a portfolio of professional experiences in the field of international development. Thus, in the short-run I endeavor to pursue a career with a the United States Government or a multilateral institution pursuing research principally focused on poverty reduction through strategies aimed to politically and economically empower impoverished people in sub-Saharan Africa. My ideal position would be to work as a Private Enterprise Officer for the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Foreign Service or to work as an Analyst for the World Bank. The development of advanced quantitative skills, the cultivation of research methods, and the exposure to professional experience offered by attending graduate school will enable me to realize these goals.