2020
Jasmin Higo
- Age: 25
- | She/her/hers
Region:
Country of Origin:
Country of Residence:
Expertise Areas:
It is upon us now, young people of various backgrounds, to disrupt the unequal access to opportunities affecting our vulnerable communities. It is our responsibility now to recenter the narrative on marginalized youth, women, and people suffering from poverty, gender-based violence, and all forms of racism. By lending our voice, we strive to create long-lasting changes for the most underrepresented and most vulnerable amongst us.
- Jasmin Higo
Bio
Jasmin Higo is a graduate student at Cornell University, where she majors in public administration with a focus in economic policy. Jasmin is a German Fulbright recipient. She currently works at the World Bank in the field of food security and data-driven agriculture. Jasmin is committed to advancing regional economic development, and designing equitable programs and policies that uplift marginalized and vulnerable communities. As a Research Assistant at Harvard University’s Growth Lab, where she examines growth opportunities and constraints of African countries. Furthermore, at Cornell she conducts research on racial health disparities in the U.S.. Lastly, Jasmin leads the data cleaning and analysis work for two USAID-funded food security and resilience monitoring program in Ethiopia, her ancestral homeland, and Malawi. Prior to Cornell, Jasmin worked for a Boston-based NGO and the technology company Siemens in the fields of Sustainability, Finance, Mergers & Acquisition, and Equity and Inclusion.
What ignited your pursuit for gender equality?
At the age of 15, I visited the home country of my parents, Ethiopia. The social norm in rural Ethiopia is for girls and women to stay home and focus on domestic tasks. It was a frustrating but also eye opening experience for me, as I set my goal to ensure access to education for all girls in rural Ethiopia.
Please share your biggest wins as an advocate for gender equality.
While I was visiting the home country of my parents, Ethiopia, I witnessed the unequal access for girls and women in the education system. I collected funds in my hometown Munich by building partnerships and used speaking opportunities to raise awareness about the topic of gender equality. With the collected funds ($38,000 USD), I was able to secure a school construction in Gefre Guda, Ethiopia that enables girls free access to institutions of education.
Outside of your gender equality advocacy work, what do you enjoy doing?
I enjoy reading biographies of inspirational leaders. Apart from that, I enjoy meeting people of various backgrounds, traveling, and baking.
Languages Spoken:
- English (Advanced/Native)
- German (Advanced/Native)
- Arabic (Intermediate)
- French (Intermediate)
- Spanish (Intermediate)
- German (Advanced/Native)
Publications:
Speaks On:
- disadvantaged communities in education
- policy suggestions for economic empowerment
- intersectionality and gender inequality
- private sector's role in implementing the SDGs
Past Awards, Certifications, or Fellowships:
- Cornell Institute for Public Affairs Fellowship
- Young Leader WISE fellowship from the Qatar Foundation, Youth Ambassador for International Relations (2019)
- “Menschen für Menschen” German-Ethiopian Leadership Award for collecting highest donation sum to build a school in Ethiopia (2013)
