About Us

Nami Patel, SIPA (Alum)

Nami graduated from New York University with a B.A. in International Politics, focusing her studies and work experience on social justice and gender equity. She has over six years of experience as a social impact communications specialist, working with nonprofits and social enterprises to raise brand awareness and funds. Nami came to SIPA after spending two years in Guatemala where she most recently worked with an agricultural social enterprise aimed at combating malnutrition through the sale of biofortified corn. She first came to Guatemala as a Princeton in Latin America Fellow and worked with an indigenous girls’ education nonprofit in the Guatemalan Highlands. Prior to her stint abroad, Nami worked with several nonprofits serving low-income and immigrant populations in New York City and also worked as an immigration paralegal supporting workers and asylees seeking US legal status.

Nami is interested in using human-centered design to build more equitable cross-sectoral partnerships and social systems. She is passionate about girls’ education and refugee livelihoods. Nami is originally from Atlanta (OTP, don’t @ her) and has a deep love for cooking, languages, and photography. She possesses, as her father has rudely pointed out, the interests of a “teenage boy” and loves talking about space, dinosaurs, and the Shrek film franchise. Nami is excited to spend her final year at SIPA serving as Consulting Chair for the Columbia Impact Investing Initiative and a Design Fellow!