Page 5 - Impact Fall 2021

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SCHOLARSHIPS AND FELLOWSHIPS CREATED
STEPHEN PITTS CONDUCTED FIELD RESEARCH IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO AND LEARNED ABOUT THE COFFEE VALUE CHAIN.
Stephen Pitts, currently pursuing his PhD thanks to a donor-created fellowship, was an undergraduate student studying computer science when two service trips to Mexico opened his eyes to poverty in the developing world. After graduation, he joined the Jesuits, a Roman Catholic religious order that works internationally for education and social justice.
He pursued his master’s degree in International Development Economics, which taught him how to help people make long-lasting change to their communities of origin.
“My thesis was an impact evaluation of a coffee cooperative in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas. During my field research, I was introduced to the coffee value chain — from bean to cup — and
the importance of providing producers with the opportunity to export a finished product,” said Pitts. “Building a coffee plant in the same communities where they harvest the coffee does more long-term good than many fair trade solutions, which process beans in the United States.”
As the recipient of the Jean Kinsey Graduate Fellowship, Pitts is able to pursue his doctoral studies at CFANS in Applied Economics, continuing his interest in trade and development, and studying other industries like auto manufacturing in Mexico. “I also hope to learn more about the environment so that Latin America can develop sustainably, making use of their many natural resources without destroying them,” he said.
In the future, Pitts hopes to teach at a university sponsored by the Jesuits, train the next generation of development practitioners, and continue to work with projects in Latin America. “For the past two years, I’ve worked on the U.S./Mexico border in El Paso, Texas. My doctoral studies at CFANS are the next step in the call I feel to address the root causes of the suffering I have heard in this community.”
COURTESY PHOTOS
PHOTO BY EFREN LOYA GOMEZ