IPD Research Affiliates
Undergraduate Researchers
Lila Al-Kassem
Major: BA, International Relations & Global Studies IPD member since Spring 2017 Lila is a junior majoring in International Relations & Global studies with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. At IPD, she is working with the Governance and Development team. She is currently a Virtual Student Foreign Service intern for USAID researching co-partnerships with local agencies and corporations in the Middle East and North Africa. She also interns with GlobalAustin, a non-profit that sponsors international exchange guests through the International Visitor Leadership Program. Lila is additionally National Programs officer for Humanity First-TX, where she is helping coordinate a women and children’s clinic in Chiapas, Mexico. Lila hopes that she can use her experience with IPD to expand her interest in international security, governance, sustainable development, and conflict resolution. In her free time, Lila enjoys volunteering with refugees in Austin, learning French, and drinking (too much) coffee. 
Fabiola Barreto
Major: Goverment IPD member since Fall 2017 Fabiola is a sophomore studying Government with a minor in Business Foundations. She is interested in studying human rights, immigration policy, and education policy. On campus, Fabiola works with the University of Texas Student Government and has worked on the LULAC Council as well as the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA). After graduating, she hopes to pursue a joint degree program and earn a JD and an MPP. 
Anita Basavaraju
Major: Public Health IPD member since Spring 2017 Anita is a undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a degree in Public Health. Her interests include human rights, especially those of women and children, global peace development through public policy, and foreign aid. Being a first-generation Indian-American, she has a special interest in the South Asian region and is well-versed in the region’s cultures, languages, and religions. This background allowed her, among other projects, to create a health camp on menstrual hygiene in rural villages and orphanages in South India. Recently, she has also become a certified phlebotomist to further her skill set when working in health camps. 
Elena Batlle
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 
Paula Benavides
Major: BA, Anthropology IPD member since Spring 2017 Paula is a third year Anthropology student with a minor in Latin American Studies. She is interested in studying the intricacies of race, gender and social class relations in regards to their ties to political unrest and armed conflict. Her current passion is getting to know her homeland of Colombia from an academic standpoint. She believes her cultural anthropology background should be applied to policies and socio-cultural progress, therefore she plans on going to grad school and eventually entering the world of non-profits in Latin America. 
Christina Bui
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Christina is a second year student majoring in International Relations and Global Studies. She is particularly interested in climate justice, terrorism, and refugee issues. In her two years at UT, she has interned at the non-profit, Girl Forward, to work with local resettled refugee girls, and is currently a Foundations Scholar Mentor, and assisting in coaching a high school debate team 
Evelin Caro Gutierrez
Major: Government and Philosophy IPD member since Spring 2017 Evelin Caro Gutierrez is a Government and Philosophy major at The University of Texas at Austin. She is also pursuing an interdisciplinary certificate in Ethics and Leadership in Law, Politics and Government. Originally from Cuba, Evelin is passionate about human rights and social justice. She has been an advocate for refugees and underprivileged communities through her work with Sewa International, Refugee Services of Texas and the Texas Legislature. Evelin also participated in the Archer Fellowship Program in Washington DC, where she interned for the Organization of American States, in the Secretariat of Strengthening Democracy. She plans to become a human rights lawyer who advocates for the disadvantaged and underprivileged. 
Camille Cater
Major: International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Spring 2017 Camille Cater is a third year student in International Relations and Global Studies as well as Sustainability Studies, with a minor in French. She is interested in how climate change affects the public health, social justice, politics, and economic development of low-income countries. She is currently an intern at Rainforest Partnership, a non-profit that works with rainforest communities in South America to grow their economies in a sustainable way that respects both people and nature. 
Carlos J. Chavez
Major: BA, Geography IPD member since Fall 2017 Carlos is a sophomore majoring in Geography in the College of Liberal Arts. He is also a member of Oxfam UT, Texas International Affairs Society, and TX Votes. Shuming Chen
Major: Economics IPD member since Spring 2017 
Felix Clevenger
Major: Government and Economics IPD member since Fall 2017 Felix is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in Government and Economics with a minor in Spanish. His research interests include international development, U.S. federal policy, and government ethics. Felix currently works with IPD’s Chinese Development Finance team, covering news sources published in Spanish. Felix currently evaluates the recent progression of China’s direct investment in Latin America. After graduation Felix plans to work full time as an economic analyst to gain professional experience before entering law school. 
Sebastian De Beurs
Major: BA, Plan II Honors; Government; History IPD member since Fall 2016 Sebastian is a third year student in Plan II Honors and Government. His interests lie in developmental policy, political psychology, and poverty alleviation - especially in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. This past summer, Sebastian was a foreign service intern at the US Department of State in the Bureau for African Affairs. 
Erin Eggleston
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Erin is a fourth year International Relations and Global Studies student with a focus on International Security and minors in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies. She is completing her final year in the Arabic Flagship Program and is proficient in Arabic, Spanish, and American Sign Language. Her interests include international development, conflict resolution, and refugee migration. She volunteers with several refugee organizations in Austin, assisting recently resettled refugees with housing and schooling concerns. Additionally, she has volunteered in several countries throughout Latin America in youth development. In 2014, Erin worked as an Americorps member focusing on youth development and education in South Los Angeles. In her free time, Erin enjoys watching documentaries, Model United Nations conferences, and learning new languages. 
Akshat S. Gautman
Major: BA, Economics; BA, Math IPD member since Fall 2015 Akshat is an undergraduate senior double majoring is Mathematics and Economics. His interests lie in economic development and its impact on governmental policies, as well as utilizing statistical tools to study the relationship. In his undergraduate career, he has worked on projects related to corruption and governance, monetary policy, and financial fraud in the pre-2008 era. Noah Genovesi
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 
Ji Na Gil
Major: BA, Government IPD member since Fall 2017 Ji Na is currently a senior at UT. She is from South Korea and is interested in studying the relationship between democracy and economic development, especially in developing nations. Patrick Golden
Major: Government & Plan II IPD member since Spring 2016 Patrick is an undergraduate Religious Studies and History major in the Liberal Arts Honors Program. Upon graduating, he plans to pursue a Master’s of Divinity, to become an ordained minister. Whether it be cycling across the country from Austin to Anchorage to raise money for cancer research, promoting inclusion to new students as an orientation advisor, or practicing organic and ecologically sound growing methods as a WWOOF volunteer, he has engaged in various social justice oriented missions throughout his three years in college. While interning at Jerusalem Peacebuilders, he worked alongside Muslim, Christian, and Jewish youth and young adults from America, Israel, Jerusalem, and the Occupied Territories to provide guidance, opportunities, and skills intended to foster future leaders for peace in the global community. He hopes to continue to blend his passion for interfaith work into whatever career he ends up with in the world of religious thought, work, and discussion. 
Hannah Greer
Major: Government IPD member since Fall 2017 Hannah is a third year Government major and History minor. She has an interest in human rights studies with a focus on global development and refugee migration. Hannah has interned at Caritas of Austin, assisting in rapid rehousing for refugees and others experiencing homelessness. In her free time Hannah is a cause advocate at a local nonprofit, Market of Hope, organizing fair trade markets around the US. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school, focusing on human rights law, and eventually start her own nonprofit. 
Tatiana Guevara
Major: Government & Latin American Studies IPD member since Fall 2016 Tatiana is a third-year undergraduate student with the Department of Government and the Teresa Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies. During her three years at the University of Texas she has interned for various local campaigns and worked as a legislative assistant for the Texas House of Representatives during the 85th Legislative Session. Her interests lie in Latin American politics and human rights, and policy from the United States to Latin America. During the summer of 2017, Tatiana spent one month studying Social and Economic Inequality of Brazil in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. She is currently interning as a Scholarly and Public Programs coordinator, assisting in the planning and execution of guest lectures and workshops from renowned musicians, writers, scholars, journalists, and activists within the LAS field. Varun M. Hukeri
Major: BA, Government IPD member since Fall 2017 
Joelean Hall
Major: International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Spring 2017 Karla June Howard
Major: BA, Government IPD member since Fall 2017 Devon Hsiao
Major: BA, Korean IPD member since Fall 2017 
Amelia Hsieh
Major: Psychology IPD member since Spring 2017 Amelia is a third year student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Sociology. She is part of the University Leadership Network (ULN) and an intern for the IPD through this nationally recognized incentive-based scholarship program at UT. She is interested in promoting social justice, equality, civility, and worldwide economic stability. Her goal is to learn about the foundation of foreign aid planning and formulate possible solutions to providing adequate psychological counseling/therapy for those without access to it. 
Jordan Hudson
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 
Paige Johnson
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Paige is a Freshman from San Antonio, TX studying International Relations and Global Studies with a specialization in the Political Economy and Latin America through the Liberal Arts Honors program. She is very interested in crisis relief and response, conflict resolution, and refugee aid and resettlement. Paige is working towards fluency in Spanish and has worked on the Open-Aid Honduras and Governance teams. Outside of IPD, Paige is a member of the Liberal Arts Council and the Dean’s Student Advisory Committee. 
Karan Kanatala
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies and Finance IPD member since Fall 2017 Karan is a sophomore studying Finance and International Relations and Global Cultures (IRG). Having childhood interests in the relationships between business, government, and culture, he’s working with the governance team to research World Bank safeguards compliance. Leveraging his Spanish skills, he’s also collaborating with the team to determine if there’s evidence of corruption in Honduras. After graduation, Karan wants to work in a financial institution to explore global banking strategies to gain insights into the global financial system before attending graduate school. When he’s not working on these projects or other school work, Karan can always be found enjoying his free time with his friends, family, and colleagues. Brittany Kellogg
Major: BA, Philosophy IPD member since Fall 2017 Brittany is a fourth year Philosophy and Government major at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a contributor to the Agricultural Development team at IPD, a Legal Clerk at Dunham & Jones Attorneys at Law, P.C., and a staff member in the Family Programs department at the Blanton Museum of Art. She is currently researching the relationship between social movements and political efficacy. In her free time she enjoys queso, efficiency, and traveling. Abigail Kuchek
Major: BA, Philosophy and Economics IPD member since Fall 2017 
Vanessa Lizcano
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2017 Vanessa is a senior studying International Relations and Global Studies with a minor in European Studies. She is also in the McCombs certificate program for Business and Public Policy and Global Management. Her interests lie in women's education and economic development. She has done internships with the Texas House of Representatives and was a research assistant for the Department of Government at UT where she studied small businesses and their effect on economic development. She is currently a student employee at the UT International Office 
Amanda Long
Major: International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Amanda is a junior at the University of Texas at Austin pursuing a B.A. in International Relations and Global Studies with a minor in European Studies and Spanish. Particularly interested in the intersection between foreign aid, civil conflict resolution, and governance, she also takes courses to fulfill the Clements Center Security Studies Certificate. On the weekends, she volunteers with the Liberal Arts Refugee Alliance at la Casa Marianella and the Multicultural Refugee Coalition where she tutors refugee families in their English language skills. She is fluent in Spanish and is taking classes in French at UT. Marla Lopez
Major: History IPD member since Fall 2016 Marla is a third year history student at the University of Texas. She is interested in climate change, social justice, and public policy. In her time with IPD, Marla has worked as a research assistant in drafting a policy brief for the Colombia Hackathon led by Dr. Mike Findley. Currently, Marla is interested in pursuing a career in political research or law. 
Juan Lozano
Major: BS Mathematics IPD Member since Fall 2017 Juan is a third year mathematics student in the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas in Austin. His interests lie in the intersection of data analysis, economics, and policy. He is especially interested in the quantification of various economic, social justice measures, and the limitations of the use of big data. In addition, he is also very interested in the theoretical advancement of regression technique. 
Michelle Martinez
Major: BA International Relations & Health and Society IPD Member since Fall 2017 Michelle is attaining a Bachelors in International Relations as well as Health and Society. Her interests lie in international health and the application of public policy in healthcare to providing proper, intensive healthcare for people throughout the world. Graduating May of 2018, she has participated in various organizations focused on international policy such as Model UN and AIESEC, a UN-affiliated international non-profit organization. In the future she is planning on furthering her studies in graduate school for international health. Ethan Masucol
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 
Priya Mehta
Major: BA, Government; BSA Human Development and Family Sciences; UTeach - Liberal Arts IPD member since Spring 2017 Priya is a fourth year Government, Human Development and Family Sciences, and UTeach - Liberal Arts major at UT Austin. She has worked for several politically affiliated offices such as the Policy Office for the Texas Speaker of the House and the Asian American Pacific Islander Association for Public Affairs. In the future, Priya hopes to work internationally in the conflict resolution field. Simon Menet
Major: BA, Government IPD member since Fall 2017 
Jenny McGinty
Major: BA, Plan II Honors; International Relations and Global Studies; Middle Eastern Studies IPD member since Fall 2015 Jenny is a third year student majoring in Plan II, International Relations & Global Studies, and Middle Eastern Studies with a focus in international security and minor in Arabic. Jenny has worked on the Conflict & Development team, particularly focusing on research regarding aid and NGO impact in conflict-stricken regions in the Middle East. Jenny is interested in the long term impact of NGO work in war-torn areas, long term humanitarian aid, and the question of what aid matters post-conflict. Jenny has worked on the Brookings Institution’s Ending Rural Hunger project analyzing the relationship between armed conflict, pastoralism, and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa and is planning to pursue her thesis around her research in IPD. 
Paige Milson
Major: BS, Public Health IPD member since Spring 2017 Paige studies public health and is minoring in geography with a certificate in environment & sustainability. Her research interests include global and environmental health, international development, and health metrics. She is interested in using statistical modeling and geospatial analysis to address health issues and plans on attending graduate school. 
Fabiha Mobin
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Fabiha Mobin is a second year undergraduate student studying IRG, with a focus on international security and regional study of the Middle East. She is currently in the International Affairs Society. She has volunteered with the Bangladesh Embassy for the past five years. 
Sophia Molak
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Sophia is a junior pursuing a degree in International Relations and Global Studies with a focus in International Political Economy. Sophia’s passion for working towards a career in sustainable development and civil rights began in 2015 when she completed a Civil Rights Fellowship in South Africa working with the Nelson Mandela Institute, The University of KwaZulu-Natal, The Phoenix Project and other NGO’s. Sophia is also a member of several international student organizations on Campus such as the Latin Economics and Business Association and the International Justice Mission. 
Levi Mulloy
Major: Government & Middle Eastern Studies IPD member since Fall 2016 Levi is a fourth-year undergraduate studying Government and Middle Eastern Studies with a focus on Arabic language. Levi joined Innovations for Peace and Development in 2016, and has spent most of his time working on the Governance team. In addition to IPD, Levi is involved in the Liberal Arts Honors Program, The Arabic Flagship Program, and is currently working as a Texas Civic Ambassador for the 2017-2018 class. In his free time, Levi enjoys playing jazz piano and spending time with his pet turtle. 
Kiearra Ortiz-Cedeno
Major: BA International Relations and Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2017 Keiarra is an International Relations and Global Studies Major. Before attending UT Austin, she attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. Her interests lie in international security, analysis data collection, aid, and corruption. During her undergraduate career, she began working for Amaanah Refugee Services. She currently facilitates children's transition into the United States through english and academic assistance. 
Nicole Pownall
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2017 Nicole is a sophomore IRG major focusing on Latin American Studies and International Security. Additionally, she is completing certificates in Core Texts and Ideas & Conflict Resolution and Peace Studies. As a member of the Governance team, Nicole has contributed to projects focusing on natural resource extraction and collection worldwide. She aspires to work in the foreign service in her future. Divya Prakriya
Major: BA, Government IPD Member since Fall 2017 
Justin T. Russell
Major: BA, Government IPD member since Fall 2017 Justin is a senior government major at the University of Texas at Austin. His interests lie in the intersection of human rights, energy management, sustainable development, and foreign affairs. During his time at UT, he has worked for several political campaigns and has drafted policies for presidential platforms. 
Domingo Salerno
Major: BA, Government IPD member since Fall 2017 Domingo is a senior government major with a focus on European governments and politics and electoral systems. His current research ambitions include an analysis on the effectiveness of electoral systems in preventing corruption as well as immigration patterns and policies. A few of his other interests include the political, economic, and logistical elements of labor and natural resources. Samantha Shoff
Major: Government IPD member since Fall 2017 Samantha is a senior government major and business minor at the University of Texas and is planning to attend law school after graduation. This past summer, she worked for the House of Representatives for the duration of the special session as a legislative aide. She is currently a clerk at a law firm. 
Thomas Sipp
Major: Government IPD member since Spring 2017 
Ishaana Talesara
Majors: BA, Economics; BS, Math IPD member since Fall 2017 Ishaana is a second year undergraduate majoring in Economics and Math. She is interested in studying the role of political stability in economic development. She spent last summer working at an NGO in India and developed an interest in understanding the disconnects between researchers, NGOs and government, and people. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Economics. Alexa Tavarez
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Ainslie Tisdale
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 |
Graduate ResearchersMolly Adler
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Omar Araiza
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 
Jill Baggerman
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Jill Baggerman is a first year in the Master's of Global Policy Studies program of the LBJ School. She focuses on the intersection of water policy in peace-building contexts. She holds a M.Sc. In Development, Sustainability, and Peace from United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan; her undergraduate degree was in anthropology at UT. Her most recent work was at the African Centre for Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD) in Durban, South Africa. The department focused on peacebuilding efforts in South Sudan and Liberia, both of which she traveled to (during the conflict or Ebola crisis respectively) for workshops and/or research. Baggerman also has some experience in local peacebuilding and development efforts in northern Uganda and Bihar, India and she has served in a few other places. Clearly, she enjoys jumping into serious challenges and seeing what we can do about it. 
Robert Brehm
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD Member since Fall 2017 Robert is a Master's Student of Global Policy Studies at UT. His interests focus on non-governmental organizations, developmental economics, US foreign policy in Latin American, human rights, and comparative politics centered on the Andes - Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. He has worked directly with NGOs in Bolivia and Peru, focused on work in educational development. His undergraduate work involved research into the ethnic history of Peru and Bolivia. 
Emily Brehob
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Emily Brehob is a Master's of Global Policy Studies candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Her interests include the relationship between climate change and food security and the impact of gender on household-level economic decision making. In the summer of 2013,, she worked as an AmeriCorps VISTA at the United Way for Greater Austin, assessing the geographic and economic accessibility of after school and summer programs in the Austin area. From 2014 to 2016, she was a Community Health Educator wiith the Peace Corps in Cameroon, collaborating with local partners to promote malaria prevention and early treatment-seeking. 
Sarah Blumberg
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2016 Sarah is a Master's candidate for Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She received a B.S. in Psychology and a B.A. in Judaic Studies from the University of Arizona. Following graduation, she built her professional career helping new refugee arrivals in Houston achieve self-sufficiency. She has worked in multiple capacities in the refugee resettlement field, including: volunteer coordinator, income support coach, and matching grant coordinator. Sarah is interested in sustainable development, food security, and conflict resolution. 
Katherine Corley
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies; MA, Journalism IPD member since Fall 2017 Katherine is a dual degree Master’s student in Global Policy Studies and Journalism with an interest in Global Health. She completed her undergraduate degree in Philosophy at Rice University, and later completed a M.S. in Mental Health Counseling at the University of Rochester. Professionally, she worked as a mental health therapist for five years. Before that, she spent two years at a governmental consulting firm and also completed an AmeriCorps year working in the field of food security. Patrick Harned
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies and Middle Eastern Studies IPD member since Fall 2016 Patrick is a dual degree master's student with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs. He received his BA in Classical Languages from Hunter University, with minors in Arabic Studies and German, before completing a Critical Language's Scholarship for Arabic language study in Jordan. As a graduate student he focuses on forced migration studies and refugee relief, building on a background of working with immigrants and refugees in Brooklyn, New York. Additionally, he studies and researches new media and politics in the Middle East. Will Hayward
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 
Eun Young Kim
Major: PhD, Public Policy IPD member since Spring 2017 Eun Young is a PhD student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Her research interests encompass topics of program evaluation in the international development context, statistics and open data for policymaking, and policy transfer. Previously, she worked as a researcher at the Center for International Development Evaluation at Seoul National University while doing her masters, participating in projects for evaluation framework design and helping organize workshops for evaluation capacity-building. She received her MPP as well as BAs in economics and in political science from Seoul National University. 
Siyu Luo
Major: MA, Public Policy IPD member since Fall 2016 Siyu is a Master's of Public Policy Candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She is an international student from China and is interested in international development finance, international trade, and monetary policy. She received her BBA in Finance at Hong Kong Baptist University. She did her summer internship at AIddata this year and worked as a research affiliate in the AIIB team at IPD 
Abby Marcus
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Abby is a Masters of Global Policy Studies candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She is interested in good governance reforms and economic development. She received a BA in Political Science and French from Rice University. As an undergraduate, she interned with the Institute Francais des Relations Internationales in Paris and studied development in Yaounde, Cameroon. After graduating, Abby spent a year teaching English in France and two years as a civics instructor with the Close Up Foundation in Washington, D.C. 
Arijit Paladhi
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Arijit Paladhi is a Master's student in Global Policy Studies with an interest in International Finance, Trade, Data Analytics, and Healthcare. He has completed his undergraduate degree in Engineering, with a focus in Biotechnology. As an undergraduate, he worked in taught public speaking, and small dataset analytics in Excel. Professionally, he has worked in the field of data as a Business Analyst, and as a policy journalist covering fiscal developments, infrastructure, and healthcare. Min Hye Harriot Park
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 
Caleb Ray
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Caleb is a Master's of Global Policy Studies candidates at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. He is interested in climate change, development, and security, as well as open data analysis. Caleb has a BA in Anthropology from Laurence University in Appleton, WI. As an undergraduate, Caleb studied abroad in Tanzania. After graduating, Caleb served as an agroforestry Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Guinea 
Kelsey Ritchie
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Kelsey Ritchie is a first year graduate student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs where she is pursuing her Masters in Global Policy Studies. She is studying the intersection of American national security and religious freedom. In addition to her coursework, she works at the Clements Center for National Security as the graduate assistant and serves as the head global writer for The Baines Report, the UT policy journal. Janina B. Staguhn
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies - DC Track IPD member since Fall 2017 
Kimberly Schuster
Major: MA, Global Policy Studies - DC Track IPD member since Fall 2017 Kimberly Schuster is a candidate for the Master of Global Policy Studies (DC Concentration) at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa in Political Science and International Studies from University of Oregon, where she studied abroad in the Czech Republic and Russia. Kimberly also studied in Russia through the Critical Language Scholarship, an intensive summer Russian language immersion program funded by the U.S. Department of State. As an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow, she facilitated the visa process, wrote political briefings, and assisted diplomats with various projects. Kimberly’s Russian language skills and internship experience at U.S. Embassy Moscow furthered her interest in Russia-related policy, diplomacy, and international security issues. |
Jade Tucker
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Jade Tucker is a sophomore of the College of Liberal Arts, majoring in IRG at the University of Texas at Austin. Her interest is in the effects of social entrepreneurship, community service, and the desire to acknowledge more on the structure of a public policy and to obtain knowledge of international affairs/politics. She is currently the Engagement Director of IGNITE chapter at UT, a national organization dedicated to women interested into politics. She has participated in projects such as the school supply drive at her internship in summer 2017 at the Dallas County Democratic Center. Currently, she is a volunteer at the Student Veteran Service at UT Austin. Kanika Varma
Major: BA Government IPD Member since Fall 2017 
Jonathan Velazquez
Major: BA International Relations and Global Studies IPD Member since Fall 2016 Jonathan is a fourth-year student majoring in International Relations and Global Studies, in which he is following the International Political Economy track, and minoring in Latin American Studies and Portuguese. During his time at UT, Jonathan has been part of multiple clubs like HHPO, International Affairs Society, Central Texas Model UN. He has also previously worked as a legislative intern during the 85th Texas Legislative Session, assisting in analyzing newly proposed economic policies. He is interested in working with economic development in Latin American countries. 
Meagan Volquardsen
Major: BS Neuroscience IPD Member since Fall 2017 Meagan is a Research Technician for the Johnston Lab in the Center for Learning & Memory. Her first love is human behavior. She ultimately wants to study decision-making, motivation and behavior, and how it pertains to the MicroEconomics of poverty. She received her BS in Neuroscience at Baylor University in December 2014. She has been in research ever since and is looking forward to focusing her work in hopes to pursue the MGPS program at the Lyndon B Johnson School of Public Affairs. 
Alex Walheim
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 Alex is an undergraduate student at UT Austin studying Government, and he expects to graduate in May 2019. His many policy interests include civil rights and social justice. After completing his undergraduate education, Alex hopes to attend the LBJ School of Public Affairs to pursue a master's degree in Public Affairs. When he is home for school breaks, Alex works for Space Center Houston, the visitor center for Johnson Space Center. Yanrong Zeng
Major: BA, International Relations and Global Studies IPD member since Fall 2017 |