# @princetonspia on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/B5vVHCtBOPh
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/20742528-princetonspia-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/ad786cb644.jpg
- **Posted:** 2019-12-06T17:34:29.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Princeton SPIA (@princetonspia) — https://gondola.cc/princetonspia

## Caption

#WooWho: “I moved to the U.S. when I was 8. A very vivid image in my mind is from when I landed in New York — it was a blanket of lights I’d never seen before. I was born in Cabo Verde, an archipelago off the west coast of Africa near Senegal. It is tiny: the population is about 500,000. I grew up in a village on the rural island of São Nicolau; I like to call it my happy place! It was a simple village life in a close-knit community where everyone takes care of each other. My family’s move to the U.S. is the story of many other Cabo Verdeans at that time — a search for better opportunity. At that young age, I started wondering why some places have more wealth or a higher standard of living than others. I wondered why some people have to leave their homes to search for better opportunities elsewhere. My mom would send me back to Cabo Verde every other year for summer vacation, so I stayed connected to the islands. I was living in these two worlds, and it sparked my interest in economics and why some communities are better off than others. I started my career in corporate finance but found early on that it wasn’t my path; I wanted field experience in economic development, so I decided to go back to Cabo Verde to work for the government. I was part of a pioneer unit working on public-private partnerships, but my job also focused on many aspects of the government’s reform agenda. It was hard being far away from my family for the first time, but it was such an experience of self-discovery…leading me to realize I wanted to gain more in-depth knowledge and skills in policymaking. I want to do work in development that has impact; I want to be part of the effort to make sure people are taken care of. I’m very grateful my mom made a decision to give me freedom of choice by starting her life over here in the U.S…the privileges I have now and the good education I received I attribute to her and that hard decision.” – Djeniffer Melo MPA ’20. (Photo by eganjimenez) #Princetagram ****** #WooWho is a Wilson_School Instagram series featuring our community. Want to be featured? Comment or direct message us.

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- **Likes:** 129
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- **Comments:** 10

## Tags

princetagram, woowho

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