Alumni Spotlight: Rosa Cuppari (SFS '17)
About Rosa
Name, school, year, degrees
Rosa Cuppari, BS in Science Technology and International Affairs, SFS ’17 , MS and PhD in Environmental Sciences and Engineering, UNC Chapel Hill
Where in the world are you?
Durham, NC
What are you up to now?
It feels odd to say, but I actually work for a specialty insurance company. My dissertation focused on the financial consequences of extreme weather (specifically drought) on renewable energy (specifically hydropower) and how to manage them, and a major strategy is insurance. As I was preparing to graduate, I met a variety of industry executives through roundtables at UNC. While I would have never imagined ending up in insurance, many a discussion later I joined CRC Group, where I do a little bit of everything – quantitative analyses, Board presentations, market expansion / product ideation, and more. I can trace it all back to Georgetown though! I became interested in water security whilst in the SFS, which led me to a job in water and wastewater market analysis. At that point I realized I needed more quantitative / technical skills to find a true “translational” role, where I could understand the latest science and accurately apply it in a policy sense. Because I was also interested in economics and markets as a driving force, I ended up at UNC, at the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems. And from there… well, I still stuck in water and something international, but pivoted more towards hydropower / renewable energy / insurance.
What have you been up to/what are some career highlights you've had?
I have done a lot of “random” things since graduating… I inherited my family’s bed and breakfast in Italy, which I help manage remotely, and I opened a café/bar in Durham, NC with my husband (The Daily - stop by sometime!) [Editor's Note: Check out the Daily's Instagram at the link here!].
Career wise, I am still early on in the insurance world, but academically I am very proud of publishing my last and favorite dissertation chapter in Nature Communications – if you know, you know. [Editor's Note: You can find Rosa's most recent publication at the link here!] It was on pooling drought risk for hydropower-dependent countries globally, and combined my interest in droughts and financial risk with my Georgetown-era interest in sustainable development and international relations.
What's something that you've become passionate about since graduating Georgetown not related to your career?
I have become a big cyclist, am now slightly fixated on food waste, and am all in on local government. For the latter, I was on Durham’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) Steering Committee, helping guide a local process for residents to propose projects the City should invest in, refine them, and finally vote them into being. Not many places have PB initiatives, but if you live somewhere that does, you should definitely get
involved!
What does the Philodemic mean to you?
While I was at Georgetown, Philo was my not-to-miss weekly activity. As someone who has always liked to argue, it was a place for me to share my thoughts and also change my perspective. Since graduating, it has been something I am constantly grateful for. I made some lifelong friendships there (shoutout to Chris DiMisa + Danny Graff among others!) and even ended up living with some fellow Philodemicians during an internship (also great friends – Ashley Burke + Alden Fletcher!). I am certainly not the most involved alum, but it will always hold a special place in my heart.
Did you hold any OC positions while in the Philodemic?
I was Membership Secretary for 2016! It was great to help new members become more comfortable with Philo and help shape their entrance into our great society.
Georgetown
What professor at Georgetown do you think every student should try to talk to at least once?
Mark Giordano is far and away my favorite professor, and we still stay in touch. I think he teaches Map of the Modern World nowadays, so most SFS students at least get to know him a little, and he is full of geographical / geopolitical trivia and interesting anecdotes. Also, he is super chill and will assure you that it’s ok that you haven’t done ABC crazy internship or fellowship, and that’s needed!
What’s your advice on breaking the Georgetown bubble?
Pick a restaurant or something outside of Georgetown to go to at least once a semester, and a different Smithsonian on another occasion! Even choosing those two easy things will get you off campus. Hot tip: the GUTS bus rocks.
The Philodemic
Was there a debate where someone changed your mind about an issue? What was it and why/how did they change your mind?
Totally. It was a pretty early on debate for me on art and what it is, though I can’t exactly remember the resolution. At that point, for me taking photographs was something anyone could do, and I took tons of them, so I never felt like they were “art”. A certain Michael M stood up after me and definitely changed my mind on that point. It’s something I think about often – what is art, who gets to decide that it is, the intentionality behind it…
Who was the Philodemician you most admired and what did you learn from them?
My bud Chris DiMisa! He is one of the most generous souls I know whilst also being wicked smart. He had time for anyone, bought everyone’s fries at Martin’s (don’t even want to know what the budget there was), hosted the best parties, and could talk to you about anything. When I joined he was president of Philodemic. He and I have a perennially running text thread and he is one of the first people I go to with life changes (good or bad). Honored to call him one of my best friends!
Career and mentorship
What advice would you give to undergrads?
Try new things! Never say never! Do the grunt work!
These are truisms, but I still think worth saying. Especially the last point: yeah, nobody wants to do the menial task, but someone needs to do it and you will learn something from it (probably) and, more importantly, have earned someone’s gratitude for doing it. At least sometimes. At the very least it keeps you humble!
Are there any parts of your career that did you not expect as an undergrad?
All of it? I would have fully imagined being in an international and/or policy role (don’t worry, it’s still in sight), and I would have never imagined having a technical role where I frequently code and am considered an Excel / data expert (I have learned a lot). And I most certainly would have never expected to have a PhD. But, all goes to show: never say never!
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