Student Spotlight: Funding an Equitable Clean Energy Transition
Photo: Ngagoum Ndalloka Zita
Growing up in a small town in India, Shubhi Arora was no stranger to disruptive power cuts. Arora witnessed firsthand how low-income communities suffered disproportionately from poor energy access. “I worked in an oil and gas refinery for almost a year and it exposed me to the impact of the current energy system,” she says, but she also saw how the system might be improved.
With an eye toward progress, Arora became an engineering consultant for energy companies in India and spent four years working in nonprofit organizations. Now, Arora is a student in Columbia University’s MPA in Environmental Science and Public Policy Program (MPA-ESP), where she is gaining the skills to pursue a career in sustainable finance with a focus on funding the clean energy transition. Arora discusses her most memorable experiences in the program and her career aspirations below.
