It’s refreshing to talk to a friendly, intelligent woman who calmly describes herself as powerful.

As the United Nations Development Program Resident Representative in Sri Lanka since January 2023, Azusa Kubota (‘95) has access to Heads of State and a staff of 170. Together, they work on projects in climate change, sustainable development, economic governance, social protection, and more.

The week before we talk, she is in Nepal for work. One of the UNDP’s youngest heads of mission, she has also served in Bhutan, the Solomon Islands, Lao PDR, New York, and Malawi. Her job moves her every 2-3 years. She once spent three days in Bhutan, traveling to a remote village that received an irrigation program. An old lady in the village had lived most of her life without running water and thanked Azusa for the project.

An ambitious student from Shikoku, Japan, she could just have followed her older siblings to high school in Tokyo, but Azusa wanted more. A tutor told her about the Kumon opportunity at KLAS in Leysin, and after visiting and convincing her parents, who are avid travelers and hikers, they gave her the go-ahead, and she was off. 

The summer after her first year at KLAS, she joined music teacher Dorisson Johnson on a volunteer trip to Romania. She continued the biannual trip after transferring to LAS. At an orphanage for children with HIV/AIDS, she recalls meeting sockless children who had never seen a tennis ball. Her experience galvanized her commitment to building a career that would make a difference in the world. While volunteering at a mental health hospital, she met a family of six sleeping in a single room together. They asked for chocolate.

Early in her senior year, Azusa received an early acceptance and a scholarship to Smith College. Wondering if development work would be a good fit, she spent her study abroad year in Dakar, Senegal. The challenging year showed her the depth of her strengths and confirmed that she wanted to work in international development. 

Working for the UNDP is a demanding lifestyle with surprising rewards. She’s “at work” 24/7, with few opportunities to relax and no designated home base. She’s one of the youngest people worldwide in her position, and as she’s grown into her role. She’s also learned to embrace her personality: frank, approachable, and silly. She’s seen how her approach surprises a staff member who’s used to working in a hierarchical institution, but in the long run, it makes her life more comfortable.

Thanks to her lifestyle, people from the past turn up in surprising places. An intern she offered to house while working in Malawi turned out to be an LAS alum. She welcomes contact from her fellow Magic Mountain alums and looks forward to sharing wisdom with them she would have appreciated earlier in her career.

Written by Christine Taylor ('94)