Candidate Profiles
MAGIS Candidates, 2008 - 2010

Isabelle Lagarde

Isabelle has a background in International Relations with a focus on sustainable development in Africa. After completing her BA at San Francisco State University, she traveled to East Africa where she worked as Program Coordinator for the Foundation for Sustainable Development. During her 17 months in Uganda and Kenya, Isabelle worked with a variety of grassroots NGOs and learned first hand the challenges and difficulties, as well as the enormous potential, of community based development initiatives.

When her contract in East Africa ended, she traveled to South America where she taught English, while studying Spanish and Dance at the University of Buenos Aires. She also enjoyed writing for a travel website and spent a few months traveling around the continent. She finally returned home to Northern California and spent a year in Berkeley working and volunteering with a local non-profit called Ethical Traveler.

Having traveled throughout her life, calling such diverse places as France, South Africa and Argentina home, she is now looking forward to her studies at UCSB.  She plans to continue to focus on sustainable development in Africa, particularly through grassroots community based organizations.