In the fall of 2025, Harvard Extension School launched its Global Sustainability Practicum, a new course that convenes admitted degree candidates in Sustainability, Global Development Practice, or Management abroad for a week-long consulting immersion.
Co-taught by Dr. Michael Mortimer and Alexander Puutio, and offered in partnership with the Barcelona Urban Research Institute, the Fall 2025 course blended weekly online sessions throughout the semester with an immersion experience in Barcelona and Calicia, Spain. This course is offered again in the Fall 2026, taught by Mortimer and Mark Nabong.
Students worked as sustainability consultants, developing recommendations for local organizations working on challenges like rural depopulation, economic development, and cultural preservation.
Below, two students from the inaugural cohort, Fidan Zeynalova and Sofia Reinoso, share what the experience meant to them, what they learned along the way, and how it changed the way they think about sustainability work.
Meet the Students
Fidan Zeynalova is currently a Project Development Manager at SOCAR Green and is in the Sustainability Master’s Program at Harvard Extension School.
Sofia Reinoso is currently a Sustainability Co-op Intern at Signet Jewelers and is in the Sustainability Master’s Program at Harvard Extension School.
Why I Enrolled in the Global Sustainability Practicum
Two big draws of the practicum were the chance to apply classroom learnings to real-world scenarios and to connect with peers and faculty in person.
“Since I’m an entirely remote student and study mostly asynchronously, I was very interested in the opportunity to meet some of my fellow classmates and the teaching team in person,” Reinoso said. “I was also captivated by the chance to gain practical skills in sustainability and interact with clients directly.”
Zeynalova, who works in renewable energy, was drawn to the chance to explore a side of sustainability she doesn’t normally encounter in her daily work.
“Most of my contribution to sustainability is through the energy transition,” she said. “This practicum gave me the opportunity to engage with a different dimension — the social and community side — and to see how issues like depopulation, local livelihoods, and cultural heritage all shape what sustainable development actually looks like on the ground.”
Building Skills Through Real Consulting Work
The course is intentionally structured around the rhythms of a real consulting engagement. There is statement-of-work development, hypothesis testing, client presentations, and iteration based on feedback.
Zeynalova’s team reviewed local planning documents, conducted case study research, and translated their findings into three concrete business model proposals for the client.
“It sharpened my ability to synthesize complex information into usable recommendations,” she said. She also pointed to personal growth in project management, stakeholder communication, and cross-cultural teamwork skills.
For Reinoso, the practicum was her first experience working directly with clients.
“I come from a science background,” she said. “I was able to learn so much about maintaining clear communication, taking into account cultural differences, and overcoming misunderstandings.”
Moments from the Course that Changed My Perspective
During the experience, Zeynalova was struck by conversations with local leaders and artisans in the Oscos-Eo region of Galicia.
“We were not just thinking about how to stimulate economic activity,” she said. “We were thinking about how to support a place, a culture, and a way of life that people care deeply about protecting. That human dimension stayed with me.”
Reinoso’s turning point came toward the end of the trip. After months of collaborating online, the final days in Spain created an opportunity for a genuine professional connection with the clients.
“We were able to see eye to eye on a lot of topics that we weren’t able to reach a mutual understanding on before,” she said. “It showed me the importance of in-person contact when it comes to building these relationships.”
Working in an International Setting
When establishing connections across cultures, Reinoso noted the importance of small talk and establishing a strong foundational relationship before getting to the work.
Throughout the course, the teams had to combine different perspectives, stay flexible, and constantly test whether ideas were actually grounded in the client’s context.
Zeynalova also reflected that the international setting pushed her to rethink communication and problem-solving.
“When you are working across languages, institutions, and cultural contexts, you cannot assume that a model that works somewhere else can simply be copied and pasted,” Zeynalova said. “You have to understand local realities, local constraints, and how people themselves define the problem.”
Taking the Course Experience and Applying it in a Professional Context
Both Zeynalova and Reinoso said the consulting experience in Spain was a highlight of their Harvard Extension School studies. While it demanded more of their schedule, the complete cultural immersion allowed them to explore the places they went to, and the fieldwork gave them practical experience.
“We were responsible for producing something thoughtful and useful for a real client, in a real place, with real constraints,” Zeynalova said. “It demanded much more than a typical course, but it also gave much more in return.”
Reinoso agreed.
“I will definitely be applying the skills I gained in this course in my professional life,” she said. For her, the practicum experience allowed her to apply knowledge from other courses and make invaluable connections with the other students, the teaching staff, the organizers in Spain, and the clients.
Learn More about Graduate Degree Programs at Harvard Extension School
This course was available to admitted degree candidates in the Sustainability, Global Development Practice, or Management Master’s Degree Programs.
