Alumni Spotlight: Kristin Van Busum (MPA 2010)
After a life-changing trip to Central America, Kristin Van Busum (MPA 2010) combined her passion for addressing inequity with her NYU Wagner education to launch Project Alianza, a women-led nonprofit organization committed to improving education access in rural Latin American villages. While at Wagner, Kristin was involved with the Health Policy Network and the Wagner Food Policy Alliance.
What inspires you about expanding education opportunities for the community Project Alianza serves?
I first went to Central America as a Fulbright fellow studying rural development, but conversations with mothers and teachers changed everything. They already knew what needed to change to make education more accessible, but they lacked the resources and investment to execute. In places where more than half of children drop out in primary school, their insight reminded me that the best solutions come from within the community. That experience shifted me from studying the problem to building a solution.
How did your experiences at Wagner prepare you for becoming a nonprofit founder?
Wagner gave me the practical skills to turn passion into action. Financial management, policy analysis, econometrics, program evaluation—all of it gave me the confidence to not just care about a problem, but to actually do something about it. From the beginning, I approached every initiative by mapping a clear theory of change and collecting data at every step. Wagner gave me the skills to not only build a solution, but ensure we were measuring whether it actually worked.
What advice do you have for Wagner students looking to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector?
Invest in hard skills. Learn how to manage budgets, analyze data, and measure impact. But remember, just like any sector, it’s relationships that move the world forward. Build community and take full advantage of the people and opportunities around you. There’s nothing more empowering than having the tools and connections to make your vision real.
Why do you think access to education and international education are important?
Literacy is the foundation of a fair and thriving society. When a child learns to read, they begin to think critically, participate fully in civil society, and join the formal labor force. For girls, even completing primary school changes the direction of their life, leading to better health and economic independence. At Project Alianza we often say: education changes everything. That’s why.
What future goals are you working towards at Project Alianza?
At our 10-year mark, after seeing the deep learning losses caused by COVID, Project Alianza made a bold decision to build AnGo. It’s a simple, offline reading app that brings quality literacy learning to children with little or no internet access. Looking ahead, we’re focused on scaling AnGo across Central America, proving that simple, tech-powered solutions can support learning in all corners of the world.