Carlos Diaz

Age: 23

Home Town: Newark, New Jersey

Education: B.A. in Geography, Rutgers University. M.A. in Global Thought, Columbia University.

Specific Field Interests: Climate Change Mitigation, International Development/Sustainability

Placement: AIF-LAMP, Dhang, Gujarat

Area of Focus: Education

Fellowship Project: Developing learning resource centers for students and faculty to promote teaching and curriculum improvement.

Highlights: "Carlos is serving as a Banyan Impact Fellow with TeamLease Foundation in Dang, Gujarat. For his Fellowship project, he is developing learning resource centers for students and faculty to promote teaching and curriculum improvement. This initiative aims to establish better educational methods for teaching topics related to climate change, sustainability, and more. Carlos graduated from Rutgers University in December 2022 with a degree in Geography. He went on to pursue a Master's degree in Global Thought at Columbia University, graduating in May 2024. His thesis, “Investing in Developing Nations to Increase Resilience Towards Natural Disasters and Hazards,” discusses how to promote sustainable development through improvements in physical infrastructure, education, and climate change awareness to reduce vulnerabilities in marginalized communities and developing nations, with a focus on countries like Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, and India. While in university, Carlos interned and worked at Neglia Engineering Associates, where he gained experience in fieldwork surveying, data analysis, and creating maps for municipal leaders to address issues in public infrastructure (e.g., storm, sanitary, and transportation systems) as U.S. states implemented new regulations to reduce environmental impacts. He was later accepted into the ""Global Ivy Futures"" fellowship, hosted by Columbia at the Argentine Korean Institute in Buenos Aires, Argentina. There, he promoted educational development for aspiring higher education students by tutoring and teaching science and math-related subjects in English."