Arielle Jean-Louis

Arielle Jean-Louis has a background that fits right into IE University’s international student body. Her parents are originally from Haiti, but immigrated to Miami, Florida in the United States in order to study at university. Arielle was born there, but they soon moved to Canada, just outside of Toronto, when she was six. Once she entered university, she decided to double major in Political Science and Diaspora Studies. This double major aligned well with her interest in human rights, specifically those of displaced and low-income people. Her studies allowed her to do quite a bit of traveling during her undergrad, as she got the opportunity to study policy and history in Greece for one summer, and political economics in Barcelona during a year-long exchange.

During her final year of university, she began working as an intern at TD Bank in Toronto, Canada. Once she graduated in 2019, she was hired full time as a Communication Analyst in the TD Securities arm of the bank. Her focus was on internal communications, specifically facilitating training and creating large-scale events. However, her career goals were still focused on another area: human rights. She chose IE University’s Master in International Development for the next step in her career, citing the program’s unique Capstone Project and its focus on innovation as being what won her over. The prospect of living in Madrid and learning Spanish was also a selling point for her.

Once she started the program, however, the part she liked most was her fellow classmates, whom she quickly learned shared the same goals of making the world a better place. For Arielle, it was fulfilling and eye-opening to be able to engage with peers and understand their worldviews, ideas and backgrounds, which at times positively challenged her existing biases. Arielle has also benefited from workshops with UN staff, which she has found to be a useful and practical addition to her education. She says that she was happily surprised with the amount of networking she was exposed to merely by being part of the program.

“I love my classmates, and the space I was given to challenge my existing norms and biases.”

 One huge takeaway for Arielle has been the importance of open-mindedness that she has gained at IE University, which she says is something she will remember for the rest of her life.

She urges everyone to open their mind to allow a deeper understanding of other people and cultures, especially when their ideas and opinions may not align with one’s own. Those are the lessons that will never leave you, she affirms. For Arielle, it was IE University’s international quality that made it a perfect place to expand her horizons and ultimately, her personal growth. This personal growth has been a huge part of her experience at IE University, helping her evolve as a person. The hard work she put in has truly paid off, as she knows she will use what she has learned during her time with us in the decades to come.

After she graduates, Arielle sees herself working for the UN, OECD, or other nongovernmental agencies, making use of her new trilingual abilities, adding Spanish to her native English and French. She is also considering the possibility of consultancy work with nonprofit, NGO or human-rights-focused organizations, which closely aligns with her interest in human rights, the rights of displaced people, and development in low-income areas.