Jellie Molino, LLM '17, is currently pursuing a funded doctorate in sustainable procurement at the University of Turin—a first for the Government Procurement Law Program. In a recent interview with GW Law, she spoke about her experience at the law school, and how her degree has shaped her education and career goals for the future.
At GW Law, Ms. Molino pursued her LLM in Government Procurement and Environmental Law. She said that during her time at the law school, she learned to understand how the different models of international procurement intertwine with sustainability issues, saying, "While there are various approaches on how procurement and sustainability are being addressed, my training at GW Law has helped me in analyzing and developing a possible pattern that may make my comparative analysis useful in discussing the various issues on procurement and sustainability." While writing her thesis on the use of sustainable public procurement to fight climate change, Ms. Molino realized that she wanted to specialize in sustainable procurement. This led her to come across the research project at the University of Turin on sustainable public procurement for innovation toward smart cities for a PhD candidate.
After learning about the research project, Ms. Molino said she received encouragement from one of her professors, Christopher R. Yukins, Lynn David Research Professor in Government Procurement Law, to apply. "I decided to pursue a doctorate in sustainable procurement because I know about the importance of procurement in the protection of the environment," she said. Although she has years of experience in procurement and development, and as a university administrator and attorney in the Philippines, as a PhD student, Ms. Molino will have the opportunity to learn more about the European procurement system and international public procurement. "I need to conduct a more thorough study on how sustainable procurement can address climate change, protect human rights, promote economic efficiency and innovation, and even fight corruption," she said.
Although Ms. Molino has graduated, she spoke about how she remains in contact with members of the law school community. She added that she is thankful for the support she has received from LeRoy C. Paddock, Associate Dean for Environmental Studies, and Professor Yukins. "Professor Yukins, including his networks, who had walked with me, continues to walk with me in fulfilling my dream to contribute in the further development of the practice in international procurement," Ms. Molino said. "Even if I am an alumna, they all made and continuously make me feel that I have a GW Law family, who will always cheer for me in every step that I make toward this dream."
This summer, under the supervision of Professor Yukins, Ms. Molino edited and gathered necessary and corroborating authorities for various pieces by U.S. and European professors to be published in a forthcoming volume on "Innovative Cross-Border Procurement," to be published in conjunction with the faculty of the University of Turin, through the Bruylant publishing house (Belgium).