Anna Kosa ’14 brings international relations background to UN job in Nepal

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Anna Kosa ’14, an international relations major, is again using her Colgate education as a springboard for travel and career opportunities. She is currently working for the United Nations Development Program in Kathmandu, Nepal. You can read about her newest adventure on her blog.

Kosa is providing communications and general support for the Conflict Prevention Programme (CPP), which is designed to increase dialogue between all stakeholders in Nepal. The program also established a system to detect key conflict areas as the nation drafts a new constitution, a process that has created political turmoil.

Kosa originally is from Vancouver Island, located off the coast of western Canada. Colgate was the right college choice for her even though it was 2,952 miles from home, Kosa said, because it provided a way for her to step outside her comfort zone. 

At Colgate she studied in Venice, Italy, for a semester as part of a university study-abroad program, giving her a chance to pursue her interest in the classics and the Italian language.

She also spent a month in Tanzania with National Geographic Student Expeditions. She credited her experience staying in the rural village of Maji ya Chai with helping her decide to pursue a degree in international relations and engage in developmental work.

“This opportunity with the United Nations is a way for me to further my interest in international relations and political science, as well as pursue my passions for nongovernmental work and the protection of human rights,” Kosa said.