Maria Marta Rey Malca De Habich

Maria Marta is pursuing her second year as a Master of Public Policy (MPP) student, concentrating in International Development. Also part of the Stanford undergraduate class of 2018, her graduation at the end of Winter Quarter 2021 will mark the end of her Stanford adventure and her official entrance into the “real world”. With a background focused in health from her Bachelor’s in Human Biology, Maria Marta has enjoyed getting tools and skills in quantitively and policy analysis through the Public Policy Program. She believes these will come in handy when working in program design, evaluation and analysis, as well as policy advocacy in the field of global health. 

Prior to beginning her Master’s degree, in 2018, Maria Marta was awarded a Stanford Public Service Fellowship. In this Fellowship, she worked at the John W. Gardner Center, a policy research center where she spearheaded a needs-assessment study on adolescent mental health, and Redwood City 2020, a nonprofit where she implemented youth empowerment and education programs. Additionally, Maria Marta’s professional experience includes being a research consultant at Save the Children, a development intern at Human Rights Watch and a communications intern at the Peruvian Ministry of Culture. Most recently, Maria Marta has been working for the United Nations Development Programme, identifying best practices used globally to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. 

This quarter Maria Marta is starting the Public Policy Graduate Practicum Project. Her team’s client is Partners In Health, an international nonprofit organization (INGO) that strives to deliver quality healthcare to the most vulnerable populations around the world. The project will focus on developing frameworks that can guide governments in developing countries through the Covid-19 recovery phase. Maria Marta is really excited about this opportunity since it will give her a practical experience of what it is like to be a consultant for an INGO, researching and analyzing a client’s questions and providing policy recommendations that will add value to their work and have a meaningful impact in global health.

Maria Marta has really enjoyed her time at Stanford and as part of the Public Policy Program. She is grateful for all the wonderful friends and memories she has gained throughout the years. She is particularly thankful to the Public Policy Department, for supporting her with the Public Policy Summer Internship Funding and a Zale Award. Her Summer Internship this year, during the time of the pandemic, allowed her to volunteer with a nonprofit organization fundraising to support a shelter for people found homeless during the Covid-19 crisis in Lima-Peru. 

Upon graduating in April 2021, Maria aspires to apply her skills to enhance child health in countries of the Global South like her own, Peru. She will always hold Stanford and her Public Policy mentors, advisors and friends close to heart!