Congratulations to Olga Jagiellowicz ‘27GS, who was selected as the Columbia University delegate for the The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Jagiellowicz is a junior studying political science and psychology in the Sciences Po-Columbia Dual BA Program and is part of a coveted international delegation chosen to participate in the annual event.
Jagiellowicz’s interest in international affairs and human behavior grew from her work as a co-founder of Impactional, an international youth-led NGO that helps expand access to international education and offer cultural exposure to young people around the globe, particularly those in remote areas. “Through collaborating with students worldwide, I’ve seen that young people often have strong local knowledge and valuable ideas about shaping global policy to meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals,” she said. “However, there is a gap between those ideas and the spaces where policy is developed.
This gap is precisely why Jagiellowicz sought out the opportunity to get involved with the youth forum. “The UN ECOSOC Youth Forum caught my attention because it is one of the few platforms that actively tries to bridge that gap, where youth perspectives are not only heard, but integrated into high-level policy discussions,” she said. During the annual three-day event held at the UN headquarters in New York City, youth leaders from around the world engage with government representatives, policymakers, and stakeholders, from both the private and civil sectors, to facilitate successful discussions on advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Experiences like this help shape Jagiellowicz’s long-term ambitions in international affairs. “After Columbia, I hope to pursue a career in international policy or diplomacy, ideally in roles related to negotiation and security within organizations like the United Nations or the European Union External Action Service.”
For now, Jagiellowicz continues pursuing her future endeavors towards diplomacy next as a delegate at the 2026 World Bank Group Youth Summit in Washington DC. “In the long run, I want to contribute to a more human-centered approach to diplomacy,” she said. “I believe that systems are created by people, and understanding how individuals think, decide, and interact within those systems is one of the most valuable skills in this field.”
