USAID Professionals go Back to School
By Jessica Clayton
DIL Graduate Student Researcher
Exposure to new perspectives and learning from past experiences are key pieces of the
development innovation process. The new USAID Fellows program at UC Berkeley allows
USAID professionals to gain firsthand experience with cutting-edge development efforts at
the University while sharing their intimate field and implementation knowledge with campus
innovators. Luis Pasteur, the 19th century microbiologist lauded for his life-saving vaccines
and pasteurization innovations, famously declared that chance favors the prepared mind.
Great breakthroughs do not appear out of nowhere, but build on observation, planning,
and know-how. Similarly, technology breakthroughs to address complex global development
challenges require prior exposure to diverse ideas, expertise, and concepts.
The Development Impact