MIT Students Rethink Social Impact at a Global Scale

Rebecca Mariani

Mar 5, 2026

This February, I had the chance to lead the Sloan Entrepreneurs for International Development (SEID) club’s annual trek to Washington, D.C., bringing together a group of MIT Sloan students interested in learning more about international development, sustainability, and social impact.

Left to right: Chloé Delfau (MBA '27), Matias Bertranou (MBA '27), Fakhri Guniar (MBA '26), and Rebecca Mariani (MBA '27)

SEID is a student-run club at MIT Sloan that focuses on helping students better understand the global development landscape and the role that business, finance, and innovation play within it. The club creates opportunities for students to engage with real-world development projects, learn directly from field practitioners, and exchange perspectives with classmates who share an interest in global impact. Through speaker events, treks, and community discussions, SEID provides a space for exploration and learning, while encouraging students to think critically about how development work happens in practice.

The goal of this year’s D.C. trek was to make the development field feel more tangible, especially as a potential career avenue. As a group, we wanted to better understand how major development institutions operate, how priorities are set, and how decisions made at the global level translate into outcomes on the ground. By speaking directly with professionals across organizations, we gained insight into the different approaches within the field and the trade-offs that shape development work. Just as importantly, the trek created space for peer learning, bringing together students with diverse backgrounds and shared curiosity about global development.

Rebecca Mariani | MBA '27

We explored how sustainability shows up in development finance, multilateral policy design, and social innovation, reinforcing the idea that economic development and environmental responsibility are deeply interconnected.

Sustainability was a central theme throughout the trek. Across each visit, conversations highlighted how climate considerations, environmental risk, and long-term resilience are increasingly embedded into development strategies and risks considerations. We explored how sustainability shows up in development finance, multilateral policy design, and social innovation, reinforcing the idea that economic development and environmental responsibility are deeply interconnected.

During the trek, we visited the World Bank International Finance Corporation, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Global Environment Facility, and Ashoka, each offering a different perspective on how impact is created at scale.

We also hosted a networking dinner with the President of the MIT D.C. Alumni Club, which gave us the chance to connect and continue conversations beyond the formal site visits in a more informal setting.

Continue reading to hear directly from my fellow SEID club leaders to learn more about their experiences on this trek: