Coco Lim

Can you tell us a bit about your job responsibilities?

As a Program Associate, I get to do a little bit of everything. My tasks include communicating with our Field staff on a daily basis, preparing quarterly financial and narrative reports, providing regional news updates, and supporting project monitoring and evaluation. As the opportunities arise, I also provide feedback on new projects/proposals, assist with onboarding new team members, and support some of our online events.

What were you doing before you came to NYU Wagner?

Prior to NYU, I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua in their Entrepreneurship Education Program. I worked with 7 high school teachers to co-plan and co-teach classes that focused on starting a business, with topics ranging from market studies, to product creation, and to break-even points. I organized business plan competitions at the school, municipal, and state level, and even had the opportunity to work with a team that made it to the national competition.

How did your experiences at NYU Wagner prepare you for your career?

The connections I made with specific faculty members and the lessons I learned from peers in my cohort prepared me for my career. Namely, my Capstone experience taught me how to identify core problems and articulate it depending on my audience. Capstone gave me a new way to think about problem solving. Additionally, the relationships I formed with my peers, both within and outside of my specialization, continue to serve me on a daily basis. The conversations we had outside of the classroom gave me a better, more holistic understanding of systems and systems change.