Colleen Billiot

Having been an international relations major and German minor at Tulane University, it is unsurprising that Colleen would like to work for the Department of State or the U.N. after completion of her M.A. She is particularly interested in sub-state and ethnic conflict. Outside of her academic work, Colleen loves to sing, write fiction and poetry, and horseback ride. 

Meredith Bird

Meredith grew up in upstate New York near Syracuse but studied at Indiana University Pennsylvania where she majored in Asian Studies with a minor in history. Meredith is particularly interested in China and intends to continue on the country and its neighbors during her time at Georgetown. She is especially intrigued by US-China relations and hopes to work on this topic in her future career. Meredith enjoys science fiction literature and film as well as studying capoeira. 

Gabriela Campos

Gabriela is originally from Brazil but she earned her undergraduate degree in international studies and journalism from the University of Miami. At Georgetown, Gabriela intends to concentrate on the roles of sports and media in conflict resolution. She hopes to travel abroad through her career and wants to work for an international NGO or non-profit after finishing her graduate studies. In her spare time, Gabriela works at Georgetown Cupcake. 

Deborah Drew

Deborah has long admired the work of Gen. Romeo Dallaire who was the commander of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Rwanda leading up to and during the 1994 genocide. At Georgetown, her focus is policy development for human rights protection but she is also interested in corporate social responsibility. She majored in history and French at Grand Valley State University in Michigan.

Daniel Dufour

Daniel was born and raised in California. He received his BA in History from University of California, Berkeley. After graduating he worked with refugees resettling in the United States. Daniel’s academic interests include intergroup relations, mediation, international institutions, game theory, and social network analysis. Daniel’s non-academic interests include basketball and computer programming. Daniel has visited Mexico, Canada, Western Europe, Egypt and China. Daniel speaks Spanish and is learning Arabic and Chinese. Daniel also has a twin brother.

Debra Emery

Coming to Georgetown was about more than just studying in a rigorous program because Debra is also connected to the university's Jesuit tradition. She served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest and lived on a Native American reservation in Montana. Having majored in international relations and English at Gonzaga University, Debra is interested in religion and freedom in conflict. 

Samuel Feigenbaum

Samuel hails from San Francisco, where he grew up and lived before moving to Chicago to attend Loyola University. As part of his undergraduate study, Samuel had the opportunity to travel abroad and complete a program in Rome, as well as Marquette and Washington, D.C. He has previously lived and worked in Beirut, Lebanon, and specializes in the Middle East. He hopes to return to the region in the near future. A food lover, Samuel enjoys cooking and experimenting with different ingredients.  

Kristen Garrison

Kristen has a background in psychology and, in accordance, is interested in different styles and purposes of negotiations. Her area of interest is the Balkans and she hopes to work as a mediator or negotiator, especially in international treaties or policymaking. Kristen graduated from Hope College with a degree in political science. 

Rachel Goldberg

Rachel is passionate about the Arab-Israeli conflict and this is her area of concentration at Georgetown. She graduated from the University of Delaware where she double majored in political science and psychology as well as minoring in disabilities studies. She hopes to focus on community-based approaches to conflict resolution in her future career. In addition to her work, Rachel enjoys cooking, hiking, swimming and running. 

Wendy Guardado

Wendy earned her B.A. from Rice University where she studied political science which provides the foundation for her concentration on identity and nationalism at Georgetown. She aspires to become a diplomat in the near future and travel abroad while learning about new cultures. Furthermore, she enjoys watching foreign filmsand learning foreign languages. 

Xi Guo

Christine Harty

Christine is a dual citizen of the U.S. and U.K., where she completed her undergraduate degree in English literature from the University of Sussex. She is interested in the work of humanitarian actors in conflict and exploring how individuals who work in humanitarian capacities alleviate, exacerbate and shape the tensions amidst which they work. 

Patricia Hester

Patricia is interested in developing countries and this was her topic of specialization for her B.A. in political science from the University of Tennessee. She is proficient in French and interested in Africa. Patricia hopes to learn more about sports as a medium for peacebuilding at Georgetown and use this as a launching pad for working with youth through sports in war-torn societies. 

Juyeoun Hong

Juyeoun is a native of South Korea and interested in the current situation in North Korea as well as the country's relations with it's neighbours and the international community. Jeyeoun is also interested in the Responsibility to Protect framework. A graduate of Geumgang University, Juyeoun has a background in international trade and hopes to joint he Korean foreign service upon completion of studies. 

Hilary Johnson

Hilary received her undergraduate degree from Loyola University in Chicago where she majored in political science and minored in communications studies. She is passionate about genocide prevention and she also has an intellectual interested in the Arab-Israeli conflict as well as the larger Middle East region. Hilary spent last year living in a forest in India but she is originally from 

Kelsey Lahr

Kelsey may have spent four years working as a park ranger at Yosemite National Park but she is also interested in public discourse, human rights and conflict-related literature. She majored in communications studies at Westmont College where she also minored in French and hopes to work in the intersection of art and conflict resolution upon completion of her M.A.  

Christina Logg

 Christina graduated from George Washington University where she majored in international affairs with a concentration on conflict and security but she is originally from Los Altos, California.  Christina is interested in negotiations, mediation, the role of technology in the lead up to, during and aftermath stages of violent conflict. She has traveled to more than 45 countries and every continent except for Antarctica. 

Sheyda M-Azar

 Sheyda is originally from Iran but she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Warwick in the U.K. in politics. Interested in Middle East politics and political theory, Sheyda would like to work in the fields of development and diplomacy.  Her hobbies including watching films, dancing and playing poker. 

Gulsahi Onde

 Gulsahi is originally from Turkey but she completed her undergraduate study at the University of Florida where she majored in political science with a minor in international humanitarian assistance and development. Her main foci at Georgetown include international human rights law, humanitarian assistance and refugee protection. She hopes to work for UNHCR, Amnesty International or Oxfam in the future. 

Joshua Peacock

 Joshua earned his B.A. from Hobar and William Smith Colleges in international relations with a minor in philosophy. He currently concentrates on political theory, history and current affairs in preparation for working at a think tank. He also enjoys photography and hopes to travel throughout the world through his career. 

Katarina Pederson

 Despite being a U.S. citizen, Katarina holds both a B.A. and a previous M.A. from institutions in the U.K. She completed her undergraduate degree in international relations at  the University of St. Andrews, in Scotland, and an M.A. in Japanese linguistics at Oxford University. She is proficient in Arabic and Japanese and is currently specializing in conflict resolution in the Middle East and Central Asia.  

Marisa Plaia

 Marisa is graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where she majored in political science and minored in history. Her primary interests in conflict resolution revolve around the topics of post-conflict peacebuilding, human rights protection and the Middle East. She enjoys learning about different cultures by traveling abroad and has visited some twenty countries. 

Vieshnavi Rattehalli

 Vieshnavi is interested in nuclear disarmament, small arms trade control and international economic development, all topics she is further studying at Georgetown. In preparations for her Master's, Vieshnavi earned her B.A. from Boston University where she majored in international relations and public relations. Outside of his work, Vieshnavi enjoys playing the piano, reading and cooking. 

Louis Ritzinger

 Prior to enrolling at Georgetown, Louis worked at a residential medical facility for the homeless in D.C. for a year. He is passionate about conflict resolution, especially the role of religion as an identity and its politicization in violent conflicts. He received his undergraduate degree from St. Mary's College of Maryland in political science and religion studies. He is particularly interested in the region of South Asia and hopes to work in inter-religious dialogue and development in the future. In addition to running and being a sports enthusiast, Louis also plays the drums in his free time. 

Nathanial Roloff

 Nathanial studied English, film and philosophy at the University of Minnesota where he completed his B.A. before continuining onto University College London for a M.A. His area of primary focus is human rights and he intends to pursue field work in Africa and the Middle East, preferrably structured around IDP and refugee issues. He also manages a social justice program through which he teaches and tutors at-risk, low-income youth from disenfranchised communities. 

Lisa Rudolph

 Lisa majored in marketing and Africa studies at the University of Wisconsin in Madison but her current concentrations include UN peacekeeping, refugee law and conflict prevention methods. She aspires to work for an IGO such as the UN. Her hobbies include swimming, reading and traveling. 

Sarah Sayeed

Sarah is originally from India but she was born in Kuwait. She has a background in international relations, economics and political science. Sarah studied at Southern Methodist University where she completed her B.A. She is focusing her current studies on the interconnectivity new media and conflict and the effectiveness of community outreach for conflict mitigation. In her extra time, she works for oneblue.org and hopes pursue a career with USIP or the Department of State. 

Monica Scheer

 A graduate of Northwestern University, where she majored in creative writing and legal studies, Monica now concentrates on international law and mediation. Monica intends to become an attorney mediator after finishing her degree in conflict resolution. She enjoys going to concerts and she also holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. 

Charles Sharick

Angelina Theodorou

Angelina graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.A. in Near Eastern studies and minors in Arabic and history. She is currently focusing on the roles of sectarianism, nationalism and religion within Lebanese society and conflict. She intends to become a foreign service officer or work for the Department of State in some other capacity in the near future.  Angelina also enjoys hiking, reading and traveling abroad, especially since she has family dispersed across five continents. 

Anamaria Trujillo

 Anamaria is a native of Colombia where she completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Los Andes in political science and journalism. She is particularly passionate about the civil conflicts within her country of origin but her focus at Georgetown extends beyond Colombia. She is an avid writer and also enjoys yoga. 

Zorie Valchev

 Zorie is a Bulgarian-American who hopes to work for the Department of State in the future, particularly in the area of human rights protection. At Georgetown, she is learning more about dispute settlement in South America, specifically in Argentina and Chile. She earned her B.A. from Lake Forest in Illiniois in international relations and communications. She has previously lived in Bulgaria, Spain and Chile and hopes to continue traveling. 

Kelly Victor-French 

 Kelly received her B.A. from Florida Atlantic University in history but at Georgetown, she is concentrating on diplomacy, human rights and political theory. After working for some time, she intends to pursue a Ph.D in the future. She enjoys different sports including fencing, archery, hiking and bicycling. 

Leslie Wingender

Leslie grew up in Colombia but she studied at UC Berkeley for her B.A. which she received in peace and conflict studies. Her topics of interest in conflict resolution include displacement, negotiations and perpetuation of armed conflicts. She would like to become a technical advisor for armed-conflict negotiations both on a domestic and international level. 

Zhangdaiwei Xu

Originally from China, Zhangdaiwei is focusing current studies on political conflicts in China and East Asia.  Zhangdaiwei graduated from Zhejiang University in China, having completed a B.A. in journalism.