Sara Pan Algarra

Sara Pan Algarra - Global Challenges Scholar

Sara is a researcher and policy advisor pursuing a PhD in Comparative and International Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Sara’s dissertation investigates the intersection between climate disasters, internal displacement, and school abandonment among adolescent girls in low-income neighborhoods in the Honduran Sula Valley. This work reflects her commitment to addressing pressing global issues through context-based academic inquiry and practical policy insights.

Prior to joining Columbia University, Sara completed the MA in Global Challenges: Law, Policy, and Practice at the School of Law of Swansea University with the highest distinction. Her MA thesis explored policies and legal mechanisms in Guatemala and Honduras to address issues related to climate displacement and girls’ education. She pursued this area of inquiry through a research placement with UNICEF UK. She also worked as Legal Intern of the non-profit Child Rights Connect in Geneva, Switzerland. Child Rights Connect is an international network of organizations dedicated to children’s rights.

She holds related professional and research experiences in Switzerland, Honduras, Venezuela, Canada, India, Italy, Colombia, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.

She was elected Youth Mayor of the Chacao Municipality in Venezuela working in local youth governance between 2010 and 2014. She also studied at the United World College of India and is a former Dalai Lama Fellow (University of Virginia).

Educational and Career Background

• Doctoral Fellow, Teachers College, Columbia University. PhD in Comparative and International Education (2022 – 2026) [MPhil granted by Columbia University in February 2025]
• International Fellow, School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University (2023 – 2024)
• Hillary Rodham Clinton Global Challenges Scholar (Highest Honors), Swansea University. Master of Arts (MA) in Global Challenges: Law, Policy, and Practice (2021 – 2022)
• First class Honors (Summa Cum Laude) Bachelor’s in Social Research and Public Policy and Theatre, with a specialization in Political Science, New York University (NYU Abu Dhabi campus) (2016 – 2020)
• International education: During her bachelor’s, Sara studied for two semesters in London and New York City respectively, taking classes on Education Policy at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and on European politics in NYU London. She also did an intensive course on identity politics in NYU Sydney.
• International Baccalaureate (Highest Honors), United World College of India (UWC India) (2014 – 2016)

Areas of Expertise

Examples of Sara’s Publications

Russel, S. G., Mantilla Blanco, P. L., Romero Amaya, M. D., Pan Algarra, S. M., Rojas, A., Jones, V., Arevalo Rojas, L., Abril, P. A., Cordero Romero, T., Aljuri Pimiento, J. C., & Valencia, C. (2024). Transitional Justice and Education in Colombia: The Perspective of Youth. Teachers College, Columbia University. https://doi.org/10.7916/hq2h-nk14

Pan-Algarra, S. M. (2023). [Review of the book Navigating Precarity in Educational Contexts: Reflection, Pedagogy, and Activism for Change, edited by K. Monkman, A. Frkovich, & A. Proweller]. Comparative Education Review, 67(4), 918-920. https://doi.org/10.1086/726910

Gleason, N. W., & Pan Algarra, S. M. (2022). Disruption and Public Policy Education across Asia: The Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Climate Crisis, and COVID-19. In S. Nair & N. Varma (Eds.), Emerging Pedagogies for Policy Education: Insights from Asia (pp. 15-38). Palgrave Macmillan

Pan Algarra, S. (2021, September). Female Sexual Violence and Jus Post Bellum in the Rwandan Genocide. NYU Abu Dhabi Journal of Social Sciences. https://sites.nyuad.nyu.edu/jss/raped-vaginas-raped-cockroaches-female-sexual-violence-and-jus-post-bellum-in-the-rwandan-genocide-sara-pan-algarra/

Nielsen, A., & Pan Algarra, S. M. (2021, May 21). Working Paper: Futures at Risk How the UK Can Support Education for Girls on the Move in a Changing Climate. UNICEF UK