Richard Ulbricht is a Master's student studying Peacebuilding & Mediation at the University of St. Andrews' School of International Relations. He graduated previously from Cornell University with a Bachelor's Degree in Government. His academic interests pertain to the relationship between international institutions, political economies, and peace & conflict.

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William (Max) Mayo is a Master's student studying International Security Policy with a regional specialization in East Asia at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs. He graduated previously from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and worked for 8 years in the engineering construction industry. His academic interests include East Asian Security, US-China relations and the securitization of global development.

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Marcello Souza of Jericho, Vermont, is a student of diplomacy and international relations pursuing a B.S. in Diplomacy and International Relations from the Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy and International Relations with a minor in Russian and Eastern European Studies. His research interests pertain to matters of international security, negotiation, conflict management, international law, and institutions of global governance with a special interest in Eastern Europe and the Syrian Civil War.

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Kareem Rifai is originally from Detroit, Michigan and is a third-year student at the University of Michigan studying Communications, Japanese Studies, and International Security with a focus on East Asia. He has also studied East Asian foreign policy at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea as well as foreign language studies in Sapporo, Japan, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Marbella, Spain. His academic interests include popular pro-democracy movements, the effects of the mass media landscape on democratization, and Russian and Chinese expansionism. 

 

Will Kielm is originally from Eugene, Oregon, and a student of international relations pursuing a B.A. in Public Policy from Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Will's policy concentration is in International Relations (IR) Theory and its Application to U.S. Foreign Policy. His research interest includes the debate between realism and liberal institutionalism on the limits of interstate cooperation, security policy, and the broader economic & security implications of a world state.

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Christopher Kolmos is a recent graduate who earned his Master's in International Relations from American University in Washington D.C., and his Bachelor’s in the same subject from the University of Washington in Seattle. In both cases, Christopher focused on European studies, with a special focus on Russia and the former Soviet Union. Previously, Christopher worked as a research intern at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism. 

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Maddy Ghose is a recent graduate of the University of San Francisco, where she earned her MA in International Studies with a focus on global justice and governance. She wrote her master's thesis on Danish-Russian relations from 1989-2019 and analyzed this relationship in the contexts of European collective and energy security. She also holds a BA in International Relations from the University of California at Davis and spent a semester at the University of Copenhagen. Maddy is interested in transatlantic security-political relations, current threats to and the future of US-EU relations, and particularly the role of the Nordic countries in the transatlantic relationship in both the short and long-term.

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Sam Gibson is a recent graduate of Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, having earned an MA in German and European Studies. While in school, Sam concentrated on the contours of the US-EU relationship and spent a summer working at the US Mission to the European Union in Brussels, Belgium. His interests include the history and future of the transatlantic alliance, and the trajectory of European integration. 

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Sylvie Antal is a third year student at the University of Michigan studying Information Science with a concentration in Media Analysis and a minor in History, Law and Policy. She is interested in digital policy and ethics, and will be helping the Streit Council with social media strategy and content management this spring. Sylvie was born and raised near Detroit, but plans to move to Washington, D.C. following graduation. 

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Bartia Cooper is currently working toward her M.A. in Political Science with an International Relations concentration from Arizona State University. Her interest area is East Asian political relations, and she specializes in Korean politics. Bartia studied abroad in South Korea and is proficient in Korean. Outside of these foci, her studies relate to the onset of war and international conflict, effective peace management strategies, international political economy, and global responses to refugee crises. At the Streit Council, Bartia is a part of the World Organization Program.

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Haeli Mouré is from San Antonio, Texas. She is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin where she obtained a B.A. in International Relations and Global Studies specializing in International Security. Haeli has also studied at the University of Alicante in Spain while pursuing her minor in European Studies. To further her education, Haeli has traveled extensively throughout Europe, Central America, and Southeast Asia. Her interests include international security and foreign policy in relation to globalization in the post-Cold War era. At the Streit Council, Haeli specializes in Global Governance.

Darlene Onuorah is originally from Austin, Texas. She is currently working toward her M.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs. Her specialization is U.S. foreign policy in East Asia, specifically political relations with Japan. She is also interested in international development in East and Southeast Asia; she has extensively researched political, economic, and human rights-related challenges of some ethnic minorities within these regions. Additionally, Darlene earned her B.A. in Global Studies from St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas. She also studied abroad in Japan, and speaks Japanese proficiently.

Mary Capparuccini is from Upstate New York. She holds a Master of Public Administration and a B.A. in International Relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She has also studied at Bahçeşehir Üniversitesi in Istanbul, Turkey, at IDC Herzliya in Israel, and in Strasbourg, France. Most recently, she was the Brady K. Howell Fellow at the National Security Studies Program in Syracuse, NY, but has also worked USAID and interned for U.S. Embassy Tunis, U.S. Embassy Dublin, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Near East Foundation. Her current focus is on national and international security policy, specifically between the U.S. and Europe.

Brendan Reaney is from Braintree, Massachusetts. He is currently pursuing his M.A. in International Relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse, University. Previously, Brendan attended Westfield State University where he received his B.A. in History and Political Science with a concentration in International Relations. He has also studied at the University of Sevilla in southern Spain. Brendan’s areas of interest include transatlantic relations, transatlantic security, and NATO's role in the relationship between America and Europe.

Michael P. Dimino hails from Hunting Valley, Ohio. He has written extensively on international security policy and political-military issues, U.S. foreign policy, East Asian and Southeast Asian affairs, and the future of international institutions. He holds an M.A. in International Security from Johns Hopkins University, concentrating in Strategic Studies. His master's thesis examined security competition, misperception, and securitization in the context of territorial sovereignty disputes in the South China Sea. He also holds a B.A. in International Relations from American University's School of International Service, and has studied at Københavns Universitet in Copenhagen, Denmark. Previously, Michael interned for Sen. John McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman in addition to Snell & Wilmer LLP and the Cleveland Council on World Affairs. His research areas include the regional security dynamics of East Asia, China-ASEAN relations, international arbitration, global governance, international relations theory, political economy, and military history.

Andrea Bodine is from Western Maryland. In 2015, she graduated from Loyola University Maryland with a B.A. in Global Studies and Economics and a specialization in European Integration. Most recently, she graduated from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium, where she received her M.A. in European Studies. Her studies focused on European foreign policy and its instruments, particularly with regard to the European Union’s relationship with Russia. She is particularly interested in European politics and economics, Eurasia, and transatlantic relations.

Ellen Myers is pursuing a B.A. in International Relations at American University, where she has taken classes specializing in Transatlantic and European Affairs. Her courses have taken her all over Europe, including the Balkans, and the Caucuses. Her academic interests are European Integration, International Development, and Human Security. Ellen's passion for this subject material comes from a belief in cooperation and representation around the world.

Urtė Peteris is originally from Klaipėda, Lithuania. She recently graduated from the University of Miami, where she received a B.A. in political science, international studies, and history. Her academic work focused on the former Soviet space, particularly on civil-military relations, institutional decay, conflict, and nationalism in Russia and Eastern Europe. Urtė has been an intern with institutions such as the European Commission and the State Department, and seeks to continue her work in the research of security studies and how domestic civil-military relationships inform foreign policy.

 

Thomas Rhoades is originally from Standish, Maine. He is a recent graduate from the University of New Hampshire with a B.A. in History. His studies centered on European intellectual history, and German intellectual history in particular. He examined its relationship to the turbulent twentieth century and its significance in the twenty-first. At UNH, he also served as a writing and research tutor, while participating frequently in opportunities to present his research at school-sponsored conferences.

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Anna Lee is from Southern California and is currently pursuing a Masters in International Cooperation from Seoul National University’s Graduate School of International Studies. Her thesis focuses on national cybersecurity agendas and cooperative espionage between democracies. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with B.A. degrees in Near Eastern Studies and Linguistics in 2013. Anna's primary academic interests generally revolve around international security, with specific focus on information and space security.
 

Kristian Kafozoff is a Bulgarian-American from central New Jersey. After attending Saint John’s University in New York City where he graduated with an undergraduate double major degree in History and Politics, he pursued a postgraduate master’s degree in the History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science in the United Kingdom. Past relevant experience includes: interning with a UN affiliated NGO focused on international development and a U.S. advocacy organization focused on non-nuclear proliferation. Kristian’s main interests are related to Anglo-American relations in transatlantic security as well as conflict resolution issues in the Balkans, Eastern Europe and the greater Middle East both past and present.

Triet Pham is originally from Vietnam and lived in Indiana for five years before moving to Washington D.C. for graduate education. He is currently a second year graduate student of the Masters of German and European Studies Program (MAGES) in the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. His concentration is the transatlantic economy and international development, as he is also a candidate for the International Business Diplomacy Honors Program. Triet interned with UNESCO in Paris over the summer, working on anti-corruption and transparency in governance in less developed countries.

Alex Roberds is from St. Louis, Missouri. He is currently a junior at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he is pursuing a B.S. in Foreign Service, majoring in Regional and Comparative Studies with a focus on Western Europe and Eurasia, with a minor in German. His areas of interest include transatlantic relations, the development of the nation-state, Germany’s role in the European Union, and relations between Russia and the West.
 

Robert Swanson grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. In 2013, he graduated from the College of Charleston with a BA in English and Creative Writing. After a seven-month solo trip through the Balkans and Central Europe, he moved to Washington, DC where he is currently an MA candidate in European and Eurasian Studies at the George Washington University. His main interests include Eurasian energy geopolitics, EU expansion, ex-Yugoslavia, and the culture of post-Soviet space.

 

Xueting Zhang recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University – School of Advanced International Studies with a M.A. in International Economics and International Relations, and a concentration on Asia and Japan Studies. Born in Beijing, she lived in Chicago in her childhood years, returned to China during middle school, and later attended Waseda University in Tokyo for her undergraduate studies. Fluent in English, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese, Xueting is interested in international and regional geopolitical economics as well as global integration and conflict resolution.

Shona Carter is originally from Massachusetts. In 2012, she graduated from the University of Massachusetts, where she studied political science. She is currently studying international economics and finance at the graduate level, as a foreign affairs fellow for the U.S. State Department. Shona is a former intern for the United States Senate and Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She has also worked with the numerous international agencies on areas such as international economic development, education, gender equality and human rights. She is a certified writing tutor and has worked to help close the scholastic achievement gap in inner cities. Her interests include, diplomacy, economics and international trade and investment.

Andrew Blinkinsop is a Southern California native currently living in Seattle. He graduated from Harvard University in 2013 with a B.A. in Government with Economics as a secondary field. Following graduation, he spent nine months in Volgograd, Russia on a Fulbright Grant, having studied the language for several years. Andrew's primary interests revolve around the post-Communist space, Russia/NATO relations, and Great Power competition.

 

Fabio Capano is from Trento, Italy and served in a NATO peace-keeping mission in Albania. Fabio received a B.A. in Sociology and dual MAs in International Relations and Public Policy.  He recently completed his doctoral dissertation, which studies the “Trieste Question,” or the Cold War territorial dispute between Italy and the Yugoslav Federation as a political tool and ideological construct during the Cold War. His research interests include the process of European integration, regime transition in Eastern Europe, 20th century nationalism and transatlantic relations in post-Cold War Europe. In addition to interning at the Streit Council in the area of transatlantic security, Fabio is also serving as program officer for F-r-e-e, an international non-profit organization that support the process of socio-political reconciliation in the Balkans.

John Gennace A lifelong passion for U.S. foreign policy compelled John Gennace to make a mid-career change, return to school and pursue a degree in international relations from Harvard University. A Marine Corp combat veteran, Gennace recently completed his studies, graduating cum laude, and is currently applying to graduate programs in international affairs. Gennace’s military background as a Desert Storm Marine, experience guarding nuclear weapons and his studies at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government instilled in him the critical importance of crafting sound policy--and the consequences of getting it wrong. Gennace has had the distinct privilege of meeting and studying with some of the best and brightest scholars and policy experts in the world, including Ambassador Nicholas Burns, General David Petraeus, Meghan O’Sullivan, Robert Kaplan and many others. A patron member of the Hudson Union Society, Gennace had the honor of introducing the Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral James Winnefeld, at a recent Society event and has attended private receptions with the likes of Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, former Secretary of Defense William Cohen, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, former CIA ad NSA director Michael Hayden, former CIA Director Porter Goss, former CENTOM Commander General Anthony Zinni and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps, General John Paxton.

Joyce Iwashita was born and raised in Hawaii and recently graduated with a B.A. in Economics with Honors from Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon. While at school, Joyce also pursued interests in international affairs and graduated as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Joyce has previously interned at the U.S. Senate, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and National Criminal Justice Association. She is passionate about increasing public safety and is especially fascinated by transnational security threats and emerging technologies that are changing the way countries look at and address global security issues. In 2014, Joyce was awarded a Harry S. Truman Scholarship for her commitment to a career in public service.
 

Ryan Adkins is an Ohio native who grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. Ryan studied international relations with emphases on security studies and political economy at the University of Southern California and Russian studies at St. Petersburg State University in Russia, where he has lived on two different occasions. Currently an accountant for Great Hearts Academies, a network of 21 classical K-12 charter schools, he previously worked in finance and development roles in other non-profits ranging from a global music museum to a megachurch to the headquarters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Ryan was also appointed to two terms as a Senate Page. His areas of interest are security and counterterrorism, ethnic tensions in the former Soviet Union and former Yugoslavia, foreign policy of the former Soviet Union, and the economies in transition in former communist countries. Prior to returning to the United States, Ryan was exploring the instability and radicalization of Islamic society in Chechnya and the Caucasus following the collapse of the Soviet Union, as well as its current place in the international jihadi movement.

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Jack Beecher recently graduated magna cum laude from the George Washington University with a BA in Political Science and a minor in History. He previously interned for C-SPAN and the Scottish Affairs Office of the British Embassy in Washington, DC. In 2012, he studied abroad in London and interned for a member of the British Parliament. He has been following the Scottish Independence campaign with keen interest. He is particularly interested in the politics, history, and international relations of Europe and the Middle East. Born in Ireland, Jack immigrated to the United States at the age of nine.
 

Tenzin Woedbum GGT is a Tibetan-American who grew up in Burlington, Vermont. He finished his undergraduate degrees in Social Thought & Political Economy and Chinese Language & Literature at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He is currently enrolled in a Master’s Program in International Trade & Investment Policy at the George Washington University. Tenzin has previously interned for the United States Department of Agriculture and the Office of Senator Bernie Sanders. His academic interests include economic modernization, developmental theory, political philosophy and law. He is fluent in Tibetan and Chinese, and has participated in several leadership programs including FACES and CAPAL. Tenzin is currently working at a law firm in Washington, DC.

Arie Groenveld graduated from Rollins College in 2012 with a B.A. in International Relations. In 2013 he completed his MSc in International Relations at the University of Amsterdam. His academic interests include the role of the EU in Middle Eastern affairs, U.S.-EU relations and the political situation in Lebanon. Born in the UK, Arie has lived in Switzerland, the Netherlands and the U.S.

Soazic Heslot is from Strasbourg, France. She holds a master's degree in European Security from the Institute of Political Studies of Strasbourg. The first part of her studies included coursework on European politics, political science and international relations. She studied in Krakow, Poland, for a year (2012-2013) and interned for a think tank in Perth, Australia, in 2014. As part of her master's program, she went on a field trip to Kosovo. She is currently in Geneva, where she interns at the European Union Delegation to the United Nations. She is particularly interested in European security (external and internal), the action of international organizations, the Middle East (she wrote her master thesis on Syria) and in the link between security and development.

Alex Tilatti is from Toronto, Ontario and has lived in the DC area since 2008. In 2012, Alex graduated from American University majoring in Secondary Education and Law and Society. Recently, he completed a graduate degree in International Commerce and Policy at George Mason University. As a graduate student, Alex explored various economic topics including tax policy for U.S. multinational corporations, Brazil’s Balance of Payments issues, and the most recent financial crisis in the United States and Europe.  He has had internships on Capitol Hill in a congressional office and campaign finance firm, and also gained experience at Third Way think tank.   He is very interested in European politics, transatlantic trade and TTIP negotiations, and global banking and economic crises.

Molly Shutt is a native of the DC area, who grew up nearby in Maryland. Currently a senior at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, she majors in International Politics and Economics. Molly also studies Arabic and has spent two semesters abroad in the Middle East, at the American University in Dubai and with a Middlebury program at the University of Jordan, in Amman. In addition to Arabic, Molly has studied Spanish and French. She previously interned for the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC, and worked as a Senate Page for a summer session during high school. Her interests include transatlantic relations, particularly as they relate to the economy, Middle East relations, NATO operations and international security.
 

Daniel Rosas is originally from Huntington Beach, California, and is a recent graduate with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles. Daniel majored in Russian language and Global Policy. He is also a graduate of the Language Flagship, which is conducted by the National Security Education Program. Daniel did extensive research in Russian and English for the Language Flagship focusing on Political Islam, U.S.-Russia/Eurasia relations and security, and U.S. National Security with regard to religious geopolitics in Eurasia. Additionally, he is an active member of the National Service Language Corps, a federal foreign language and research pilot program. Daniel is currently a Masters student of Public Policy at American University, focusing on U.S. National Security and International Development. His other research interests include transatlantic relations, U.S.-Eurasia security, Public Health, and transnational terrorism.

Anna Massoglia is a third year law student at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. She graduatedmagna cum laude from North Carolina State University, where she obtained a B.A. in Psychology with honors as well as a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in American Politics. In addition to her other pursuits, Anna has participated in the U.S. Department of State Virtual Student Foreign Service program, where she worked with the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs to enhance the digital diplomacy efforts of the Bureau of Energy Resources. Her research interests include issues related to international electoral policy, digital diplomacy, statutory interpretation and election law.

Stephanie Linares, originally from Maryland and raised in El Salvador, recently graduated with an M.S. in Defense and Strategic Studies from Missouri State University. She graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A in Anthropology and a B.A in Criminology & Criminal Justice in 2011. In the past, she interned for the‎ National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism, the Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies and the Bureau of Industry and Security at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Her areas of interest include transatlantic security, intelligence, WMD proliferation, NATO operations, and transnational terrorism.

Michael Landry is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International Trade and Investment Policy at the George Washington University. He received his Bachelor’s from the University of California, San Diego in Political Science with an emphasis in International Relations. Michael is a member of several honor societies, including Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society. He is especially interested in transition economies and while completing his undergraduate degree he studied in Warsaw, Poland. Since graduating, has worked as a freelance editor for academic organizations such as the Polish Sociological Association and two divisions of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

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Dean Ensley is currently pursuing a Masters in Security Policy Studies at the George Washington University. He graduated from Georgetown University in 2013 with a B.S.F.S. in International Politics and a Certificate in European Studies. Previously, Dean worked for the Truman National Security Project, the National Defense University, and the Congressional Taskforce on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. A Third Culture Kid, Dean hails from Texas but has spent most of his life living abroad in Norway, Malaysia, Colombia, and Denmark. His interests include geopolitics, new military technologies, transatlantic security partnerships, and athletic events such as Tough Mudders, and he aspires to work in the U.S. Foreign Service.
 

Lindsay Kihnel is from Waynesville, North Carolina. In 2013, she began attending King University in Bristol, Tennessee, where she is majoring in Security and Intelligence Studies with a minor in Political Science and Spanish. She is a member of the Snider Honor's Program and works as both a Teaching Assistant for the Political Science Department and a Career Center Tutor. She is also a former House Page for the North Carolina House of Representatives. Her interests include international relations and national security. In the future, she hopes to attend graduate school to study international relations so that she can work with the U.S. Department of State.

William Rose is a recent graduate Tufts University, where he received his B.A. magna cum laude with highest thesis honors in International Relations and German Studies, and minored in Political Thought. His senior thesis, which explored the rise and impact of contemporary extremist parties in Greece and Hungary, won the John S. Gibson Award, and he has also been presented with the Robert Asch Prize to enable continued post-graduate research. In the past, Will has interned for the Jerusalem Center for Genocide Prevention, the State of Illinois Office of Trade and Investment, and the American Civil Liberties Union. His interests include art, international politics, history, and, above all, political philosophy.

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Nicholas Hager graduated Magna Cum Laude from George Mason University, where he obtained a B.A. in Philosophy as well as a B.A. in Government and International affairs, along with a minor in International and Comparative Studies and a concentration in Philosophy and Law. Most recently, he completed coursework for his M.S. in Global Politics at the London School of Economics and expects to graduate with Merit. It is his goal, in interning for the Streit Council, to learn more about how democracies resonate with other democracies, how and why they collaborate, what could be done to facilitate the prevalence and fruitfulness of these collaborations, and how democracies address the “problem” of non-democracies. In the near future, he hopes to attend law school and study international law so that he can work with the International Criminal Court.
 

Kiersten Tibbetts recently graduated with honors from Salve Regina University with a B.A in International Studies and European History, along with a minor in Spanish. She spent a semester during her junior year studying abroad in Spain and her senior year as mentor to the international student population on her campus. Both experiences increased her interest in international affairs. During her time with the Streit Council she will focus on the issues related to the transatlantic community. In the near future, Kiersten plans to attend graduate school for international relations in the greater Washington, D.C. area.
 

Alessia Rossi was born in 1986 in Naples, Italy. She graduated summa cum laude in 2010 with an M.S. in Economics and Finance at the University of Naples Federico II. During her university career, she spent one year studying at Goethe Universität in Frankfurt am Main thanks to an exchange program between European universities, where she had the chance to enroll in a variety of finance and economics courses that cultivated her interest in starting a career in this field. She graduated with a B.S. in 2008, with a final dissertation on macroeconomic policies of the European Union. She is particularly interested in the EU and U.S. economies and their interdependence. In addition to interning at the Streit Council, Alessia is a research economist at a non-profit organization.
 

Rachel Sullivan is originally from Burlington, VT and completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Chicago, where she received a BA in Political Science and French Language & Literature. During her tenure at the University of Chicago, Rachel took advantage of the opportunity to study abroad at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris, where she focused on issues of multiculturalism, immigration, and discrimination. Continuing to develop on these themes, Rachel is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution through Georgetown University, with a concentration in international security and terrorism.

Johann Benson is originally from Northfield, Minnesota, where he also attended St. Olaf College. After graduating with a B.A. in Mathematics and Philosophy, he spent several years abroad—in Austria, Norway, and Russia. Johann is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. His primary research interests are global trade and international economic relations, as well as energy and environmental policy. His work at the Streit Council is focused on the current euro zone crisis and economic cooperation between the United States, the European Union, and the larger European community.

Klaudiusz Brian Magierowski, originally from Wroclaw, Poland, moved to the U.S. in 2006. He pursued his university education in Europe and the U.S. Brian received an M.A. degree in Archeology from Wroclaw University, and recently graduated with an M.S. in Defense and Strategic Studies from Missouri State University. He is interested in a variety of topics, including transatlantic relations, energy security and sustainability, the rise of China, deterrence theory, and security issues in Central and Eastern Europe. During his internship at the Streit Council, Brian is focusing on transatlantic security and plans to pursue a career in U.S. national security.
 

Matus Muron is from Bratislava, Slovakia. He is currently a senior at American University’s School of International Service and will be graduating in May 2013. He is pursuing a B.A. in International Studies, focusing on European Area Studies and International Economic Relations, with a minor in International Business. He studied abroad at SKEMA Business School in Sophia-Antipolis, France, as well as in Brussels, Belgium. During his semester in Belgium he studied all aspects of the EU’s functioning and also interned at the European Parliament. Matus’ academic interests include European integration, CFSP, energy security, and NATO enlargement.

Alexandra Coakley is a recent graduate of Occidental College where she majored in history. As an undergraduate, Alex gravitated toward modern foreign policy challenges, especially those which the United States faced during the Cold War era. Her senior thesis examined how Vietnam Veterans Against the War articulated a vision of military intervention that championed participatory citizenship and humanism, rather than the interests of polarizing politics and a rising military-industrial complex. This fall, Alex will pursue a master’s degree in international relations at the University of Cambridge with a focus on the history of U.S.-U.K. defense policy and intelligence cooperation.

A.J. Collins is a recent graduate of the University of Alabama where he earned a B.A. in Economics and Political Science. Originally from Virginia, A.J. studied abroad in Belgium during the summer of 2011 and interned in American Samoa over the course of his undergraduate career. He is specifically interested in European party systems and European integration, as well as the economic implications of transnational policy matters. For his undergraduate thesis, A.J. focused on the populist radical right in Europe and factors leading to its rise and electoral success. For his future career plans, he intends to pursue a Master’s Degree in European Politics and/or Economics before attending law school.

Arthur Chan, born in 1990, grew up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and later obtained a B.A. in Political Science from New York University. He has spent time studying abroad in London, traveling throughout Europe, and is currently working toward a master’s in European affairs at Sciences Po Paris in France. In addition to interning at the Streit Council this spring, he will also be interning in the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. His research interests include: transatlantic relations, democracy promotion strategies, South Asian security threats, and the U.S. role in the Asia-Pacific region.

Kerry Givens is currently a second year master’s student enrolled in the University of Arizona’s distance program with a focus on International Security. He holds a Masters of Arts in Criminal Justice from American Military University. As a researcher and teacher of criminal justice and foreign policy, his professional goal is to aid in the development policy for senior officials in the field of foreign policy analysis. As a researcher and teacher, he focuses on major issues related to international security; specifically, key technologies in nuclear and biological weapons, military platforms, and intelligence gathering, and how these factors directly affect domestic and international determinants influencing the use of force. He has written for inhomelandsecurity.com and examiner.com on international affairs issues. At the Streit Council, he aims to gain hands-on experience working with experts on transatlantic and global security issues.

Rebecca Karasik is from New York City. She graduated from New York University in 2010 with a B.A. in Political Science and Middle East Studies, and she received an M.A. from New York University in Political Science in 2012.

Jillian Laux is a recent graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, where she earned an MSc in International Relations. Originally from Pennsylvania, Jillian received a B.A. in Political Science and French from Dickinson College in 2010. While at Dickinson, Jillian spent a year abroad studying at the Political Science Institute in Toulouse, France. She is particularly interested in European communitarian issues and the development of a European common identity. Throughout her academic career she has spent significant amount of time researching the role the EU’s ERASMUS university exchange program plays in shaping and reinforcing European identity among participants.

 

Genevieve Shapiro is from Morgantown, West Virginia. She is currently a senior at West Virginia University and is pursuing a B.A. in International Studies and History. She has spent time abroad studying at the Ecole de Management in Strasbourg, France. Some of her interests include transatlantic security, NATO enlargement, U.S.-EU relations, development policy, and international law.

 

Matthew Stenberg is from Minneapolis and has studied in both the United States and Europe. He majored in history at the University of Tulsa and spent a semester in Freiburg, Germany studying European Union governance. Subsequently, he attended the Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota, graduating with a Masters of Public Policy focusing on global issues, and Central European University in Budapest, graduating with a M.A. in International Relations and European Studies.  He has been a member of the U.S. State Department’s Young Leaders Dialogue with America since 2010.

James Maloney grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia and currently resides in New York City where he is the communications associate for the Foreign Policy Association. He graduated from Lafayette College in May 2012 with a B.A. in Government & Law. In the spring of 2011, he studied public policy at the University College London in the United Kingdom – a formative experience that sparked his passion for international affairs. James’ research interests include transatlantic security, international relations of the Middle East and South East Asia, security studies, and counterterrorism studies.
 

Annika Schulz was born in Northern Germany and spent some time living and studying in the U.S. Midwest. She is currently enrolled in the European Studies program at Maastricht University, in the Netherlands. There she is also active as a member of an international student association with a focus on International affairs and NGO co-operation. Her personal interests lie in International Relations with focus on EU-U.S Relations and International Security Studies, for which she acquires additional knowledge through participation in conferences throughout Europe. 
 

Vriddhi Sujan is of Indian origin, born in Nigeria, and grew up in Budapest, Hungary. She is currently enrolled at the George Washington University where she is majoring in International Affairs with a dual concentration in Conflict and Security, and International Economics, and a minor in History. She will graduate in May 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Vriddhi is highly interested in transatlantic security relations, and is actively involved in anti-trafficking organizations where she focuses on raising youth awareness. Additionally, she is in the process of researching child trafficking in Burma, which will be the focus of her senior thesis. 

 

Elby Davis is from a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is currently pursuing a B.A. in European Area Studies and German language at American University's School of International Service. In the summer of 2012 he concluded a 7 month period of study at Sweden's University of Gothenburg where he focused on EU policy and Scandinavian sociology.  Elby's academic interests include transatlantic security, EU immigration studies, and Scandinavian federalism.

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Blake Goodman was born and raised on Long Island, just outside of New York City. He is currently enrolled at the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University, where he majors in International Affairs, dual concentrating in European and Eurasian Studies and Security Policy Studies, with a minor in Geographic Information Systems. He will be graduating in May 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Blake previously interned with 30-year veteran Congressman Gary L. Ackerman, as well as with the Global Bioethics Initiative in New York City. Blake’s academic interests include transatlantic security, comparative political systems of Europe, EU and NATO enlargement, and EU-US relations.
 

Geoff Atchison joined the Streit Council in May 2012. He will be graduating with a B.A. in International Relations from American University in December 2012 with a degree emphasis in European Politics and Spanish Language. His research interests are diverse and include democracy building in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as EU enlargement and transatlantic security relations. Geoff will be studying abroad in Madrid, Spain in Fall 2012.
 

Sarah Golden is from Fairfax Virginia. She recently graduated with a B.S. in Political Science and Religious Studies from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Sarah has traveled extensively throughout Europe and has lived and studied in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. She plans to attend the University of Amsterdam's security studies program this coming fall.
 

Tom Aitchison grew up in Solihull, West Midlands, in the UK.  Having completed two years of his B.A. in History and International Relations at the University of Exeter he is now studying at American University in Washington DC. Whilst at Exeter Tom has worked in Parliament for a Cabinet Minister and works for the University in coordinating research into EU relations. He also participates in and organizes Model EU simulations which allow him to utilize his German. During his studies Tom has found a strong interest in comparative electoral politics between nations. This comparative analysis has focused his attention on EU co-operation, elections and enlargement. Tom hopes this experience will further aid his dissertation but also hopes it will assist him in pursuing a career in international electoral institutions.
 

Uzoma Ekenna was born in Nigeria in 1989 and moved to the U.S. in 1996.  She recently received a B.S. degree from Appalachian State University with a degree in International and Comparative Politics and minors in Spanish and Biology.  She studied abroad in Spain in 2011, and has traveled extensively throughout Europe and Africa.  Her professional interests include European Relations, global governance and African development.