Belinda Archibong ‘06: Economist and Policy Innovator

It was Belinda Archibong’s mother, Agatha Archibong, who found Greenhills for her daughter and son, Andikan Archibong ‘13, after moving her family from Lagos, Nigeria, in 2001.

“My mother is very passionate about education, and she visited Greenhills as I was completing 8th grade,” said Archibong. “Greenhills was a fantastic education, with caring and engaging teachers and incredible opportunities. One of my best memories is the many supportive conversations with administrator Joyce Chance, whose office was next to the college counselors and who always calmed my anxieties around that process.”

Among Archibong’s favorite experiences were English with Mark Randolph, oratory and forensics with Barb Ebeling, and Nadine Hall’s classes.

She went on to major in economics and philosophy at Columbia University, ultimately earning her Ph.D. there, with a focus on sustainable development, and launched her academic career at Barnard.

“A lot of my work revolves around trying to improve the social and economic wellbeing of people by understanding the origins and drivers of inequality—in education, health, employment —and what kinds of policy and tech interventions can address these problems,” said Archibong, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies and a part-time fellow at the Brookings Institution, where she translates her research into policy development.

Archibong is particularly interested in the impacts of climate change and epidemics on the health and education outcomes of women and children. She travels frequently to West and East Africa and recently testified before Congress about her research.

“I feel like the foundations of the research, teaching and advocacy work that I do, how to ask good questions, how to think about sources, and the writing and public speaking skills, are partly the result of what I learned at Greenhills,” shared Archibong. “Part of the reason I give back to Greenhills through the Annual Fund is to provide students like me with the opportunity to access the quality education at Greenhills. The school does very well in supporting brilliant students through tuition assistance – it’s just another example of the school’s standout excellence.”