Bridging Business and Purpose: MIT Students Explore Sustainable Development in Washington, D.C.

Carolina Orozco

Jun 20, 2025

Students at the World Bank's International Finance Corporation Headquarters, Washington D.C.

This May, I had the opportunity to co-lead a career-focused trek to Washington, D.C., organized through the Sloan Entrepreneurs for International Development (SEID) club. The trek brought together a group of MBA students interested in exploring professional pathways in international development by engaging directly with some of the field’s most influential institutions. Through site visits and conversations with practitioners, the experience aimed to shed light on what a career in global development can look like, while fostering connections with organizations working at the intersection of sustainability and finance.

Over the course of the trek, our group met with leaders at the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Gates Foundation, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and its Invest and Lab arms, as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Each visit offered a unique lens into the development ecosystem, ranging from impact investing in Latin America to inclusive financing tools for local entrepreneurs, and large-scale strategies for climate resilience in emerging markets.

Carolina Orozco | MBA '26

For MBA students eager to bridge business and purpose, it was a powerful reminder that sustainability and development are not parallel tracks, but intertwined imperatives.

Sustainability was not a side theme; it was central to every conversation. Whether learning about how the IFC evaluates environmental and social safeguards in infrastructure projects, or hearing how the Gates Foundation supports health equity and climate adaptation in vulnerable communities. Some focus on environmental transitions, others on strengthening social systems, but all share a vision of long-term impact.

This trek was more than a tour, it was a window into the career paths and values that guide global changemakers. For MBA students eager to bridge business and purpose, it was a powerful reminder that sustainability and development are not parallel tracks, but intertwined imperatives.

A few of our trek participants share their key takeaways and the advice they have for students interested in a career in sustainable development:

Aqua Janat

Pronouns

she/her
Degree Program

MBA '26
At a glance

Aqua is on a mission to leverage technology and business solutions for social impact, and participated in this trek to learn how leading institutions balance financial sustainability with social impact.

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