Meet our Young Global Professionals

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security — Forward Defense

Bassoli graduated from Georgetown University with a master of arts in security studies and a concentration in military operations. Previously, she earned a master of letters in strategic studies at the University of St. Andrews and a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy. Her areas of interest include naval and maritime affairs, civil-military relations, and the defense industrial base. In her free time, she enjoys walking, swimming, and reading.

Europe Center

Cameron is a recent graduate of George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs with an MA in European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies with a concentration in international security policy. He is interested in the development of European foreign and security policy, German politics and foreign policy, and transatlantic relations. He received a BA in political science, history, and economics at Southeast Missouri State University, with a minor in German language and culture. He previously interned at the US State Department with the US embassy in Warsaw, and he has spent time abroad in Europe and in Central Asia. In his free time, he enjoys swimming, drinking coffee, and learning new languages.

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Fagel is a senior at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, majoring in international politics and minoring in Jewish civilization. He is interested in the power of contemporary information ecosystems and the issues that plague them, such as information disorder, radicalization, and foreign interference. He volunteers on campus as a member of the Student Advocacy Office and works as a program aide at Georgetown’s Center for Jewish Civilization. He is passionate about open-source research and filmmaking, having previously been a student fellow at the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics.

Europe Center

Goldstein recently earned his BA with summa cum laude honors from American University’s School of International Service, where he focused on national security, global governance institutions, and the European region. As a member of the honors program, Goldstein researched the emergence of nonstate rule-makers in sustainability finance policy and Germany’s proposed climate club as a mechanism to resolve transatlantic trade frictions regarding decarbonization. Goldstein previously interned with the Europe Studies team at the Council on Foreign Relations and with the Transatlantic Defense and Security team at the Center for European Policy Analysis. In these roles, he worked on projects related to strategic culture, the transatlantic politics of long-term security cooperation with Ukraine, and defense industrial base investment. Goldstein is proficient in German and studied abroad at the Free University of Berlin. He is originally from Austin, Texas, and enjoys reading, cooking, and playing the bass guitar.

Global Energy Center

Harrington graduated from Williams College in June 2023 with a degree in environmental studies and history and a minor in global studies. Her studies focused on environmental justice and sustainable development, and she interned at Williams College’s Sustainability Center as a senior. She also interned with NASA, where she conducted geospatial research at the intersection of urban flooding and environmental justice. After graduating, Harrington interned at the White House in the Council on Environmental Quality, where she worked on the National Environmental Policy Act, clean energy, and infrastructure team. These internships furthered her interest in sustainable development, environmental justice, and clean energy policy. In her free time, Harrington plays the flute and ultimate frisbee and enjoys spending time with her dogs.

Digital Forensic Research Lab — Cyber Statecraft Initiative

Johnston (she/her) is a second-year master’s student and Knight-Hennessy scholar at Stanford University, where she is studying international cyber policy and security. She is a first-generation college student and graduated summa cum laude from Northeastern University, where she earned a dual bachelor of science in politics, philosophy, and economics and history, culture, and law. Johnston’s research interests lie at the intersection of national security and cybersecurity, focusing on the implications of digital infrastructure on global security, the role of cyber operations in contemporary warfare, and the challenges of safeguarding critical information systems against emerging threats. Her professional experience spans roles with the United States Department of State, HUMAN Cybersecurity, and in the US Intelligence Community, where she worked on cyber policy and its impact on international security frameworks. In addition to her academic pursuits, Emerson serves as a civil affairs specialist in the US Army Reserve. In her free time, she enjoys rock climbing, playing blues guitar, and escape rooms.

Millennium Leadership Program

Karkhanis recently graduated magna cum laude with a BA in international relations from Colgate University. In addition to her major, Karkhanis also completed minors in religion and Asian studies while developing an interest in Chinese culture and language. While at Colgate, she was the editor-in-chief of the Colgate Maroon-News. She has previously worked as a faculty research assistant in Colgate University’s political science department and as an intern with the US State Department, during which she researched China’s media presence overseas. Karkhanis studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland. While in Geneva, she interned at the New Humanitarian and further developed her interests in human rights, the media’s role in foreign relations, and international law.

GeoEconomics Center

Originally from South Korea, Kim received her bachelor’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University, where she majored in international affairs with a regional concentration in the Middle East and minored in Arabic. She is currently part of the Prosecution Project, an open-source intelligence research platform that tracks and analyzes criminal cases involving political violence and extremism in the United States. She previously worked at Albright Stonebridge Group, the Georgetown Center for Global Health Science and Security, the embassy of Jordan, and the Education Above All Foundation in Doha, Qatar.

Millennium Leadership Program

Lennon is a graduate of Northwestern University with a BA in sociology and international studies. He specializes in economic sociology and international political economy, seeking to highlight the human side of economic policy. He conducted research at the Northwestern Institute for Policy Research, investigating and analyzing market reactions to the climate crisis through the development of insurance and reinsurance markets. He also has experience in policy impact analysis through working at the Bronner Group, LLC, a government services consulting firm in Chicago. While at Bronner, he focused on regulatory analysis and compliance for small government agencies. Outside of work, he is an avid rower and enjoys frequenting local coffee shops and live music venues.

GeoTech Center

Meyjes is a recent graduate of the University of Cambridge, where she completed her master’s degree in politics and international studies. Prior to this, she attended the University of California, Los Angeles, on a full scholarship, earning a BA in history and graduating summa cum laude. Her recent research has primarily focused on feminist technoscience and the social consequences of emerging digital technologies, particularly within a Global South and developmental context. Her master’s dissertation examined the implications of gender-focused technological innovations in developmental and humanitarian contexts. After graduating from Cambridge, Meyjes co-founded AFTER, a nonprofit youth-led political engagement initiative. Meyjes previously enjoyed a career as a professional dancer, which took her from her home in England to the United States. She continues to nurture her passion for dance alongside other creative pursuits, such as music and painting.

Freedom and Prosperity Center

Mortenson recently graduated from Boston College, where he majored in political science. During his junior year of college, he studied development politics, international political economy, and African political theory at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. He focused on sustainable development, democratization, and international conflict during his time as a student and is particularly interested in sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Mortenson was also a staff writer for the sports section of the Boston College campus newspaper. In his free time, Mortenson loves to play and watch soccer, listen to music, and explore different areas of Washington, DC.

Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs

Ouhri is a recent graduate from the University of Florida, where she studied political science, development policy, and religion. With a lifelong interest in Iran, she studied Persian, and with the encouragement of the University of Florida’s Jewish Studies department, she studied Hebrew. Her primary academic interest lies in development aid relationships, especially from the Gulf to the Maghreb. She wrote for the Florida Political Review, a student-run publication at the University of Florida, and was named a civic scholar by the Bob Graham Center for Public Service for her immigration research. Before interning in the Florida Senate, she worked at civic technology nonprofit Florida Community Innovation, where she researched and co-designed an anti-human-trafficking technology project. In her free time, she enjoys kayaking and reading poetry.

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Palacios recently graduated from the University of Notre Dame, earning a bachelor of arts in economics and global affairs with a concentration in Latin American Studies. During her time at Notre Dame, she contributed to the US Agency for International Development’s Private Sector Engagement (PSE) Evidence Gap as a research assistant at the Pulte Institute for Global Development. In this role, she collected and analyzed evidence on private sector engagement in development projects and coded this data into the PSE Evidence Gap Map. Through her work, she facilitated knowledge-sharing across a spectrum of issues, including poverty alleviation and private capital mobilization.
Palacios also previously worked on a project analyzing the US Department of State’s Gang Resistance Education and Training program in El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama. Originally from El Salvador, Palacios is deeply committed to understanding and addressing the complex economic, social, and political challenges facing Latin America. She is passionate about crafting evidence-based interventions and promoting engagement to drive meaningful change in the region.

GeoTech Center

Pan is a recent graduate of the School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University with a master of international affairs degree, specializing in technology, media, and communications with a concentration in international economic policy. He graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in global studies from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a recipient of the Departmental Highest Honors and International Institute Excellence in Leadership Recognition. At Columbia, Ryan researched online mis- and disinformation, US government efforts to regulate algorithmic biases, and the artificial intelligence (AI) competition between the United States and China. For his capstone project, Pan contributed as a report lead to the research on technology transfer from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency with the US Department of Defense. Pan also worked at Access Now as a United Nations (UN) Advocacy Consultant, tracking the trends and gaps of digital rights in international law, and interned at the Internet Governance Forum Secretariat at the UN Office in Geneva and traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to support the seventeenth Internet Government Forum 2022. He also interned at the Division for Public Institutions and Digital Government of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs to conduct qualitative and quantitative assessments of the UN E-Government Survey 2024. Pan speaks Mandarin and Cantonese and has an intermediate level in French and German.

GeoEconomics Center — Economic Statecraft Initiative

Pir-Budagyan holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University, where his research focused on the US-Russia strategic relationship, nuclear nonproliferation, export controls, and economic statecraft. Previously, he worked at the Russia Matters Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, where he contributed to the New Global Commons Working Group report titled: “The Ripple Effect: A US Diplomatic Strategy for a Changing World Order.” He is a member of the Younger Generation Leaders Network at the European Leadership Network. He speaks Russian, German, Spanish, and Czech.

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security — Forward Defense

Reicher recently graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College, where he majored in government and Asian studies with a minor in public policy. Reicher’s research has focused on Indo-Pacific security, with an emphasis on Chinese-Russian alignment and Chinese investment in Central Asia. He has studied abroad in China twice, including a transfer semester at Beijing Normal University and with the US State Department’s National Security Language Initiative. Reicher also studied Central Asian geopolitics in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in 2022 and has spent time traveling in Thailand and Bhutan. His experience includes an internship in the Office of Legislative Affairs at the US Department of Defense, where he prepared briefs for senior leaders and maintained relations between the Pentagon and Congress. He also served as a special assistant to the Department of Defense’s director of intergovernmental affairs, coordinating Pentagon relations with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and organizing conferences with the White House and other US federal executive departments. Additionally, Reicher has spent time working on energy and environmental issues for the nonprofit Clean Energy for America, interned in the House of Representatives, and has served as a staff assistant with the Woodrow Wilson Center. Finally, Reicher was the co-founder of the Dartmouth Political Union, where he helped to organize student debates and speaker series with prominent politicians, officials, and activists. In his free time, Reicher enjoys musical theater, astrophotography, hiking, swimming, and boiling maple syrup in his home state of Vermont.

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Rhodes recently graduated with honors from Virginia Tech, earning a BA in international studies, concentrating in international relations, Latin American politics, and Spanish, as well as a global engagement field study minor. Previously, he worked as an intern for the US Department of State’s Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism under the guidance of Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt to promote international religious freedom and human rights advocacy across Latin America and Europe. Rhodes has also studied in Argentina at the National University of Córdoba researching Argentine politics and Latin American history. Rhodes has conducted research on the correlations between political polarization, populism, and corporate state capture in Peru. He has also conducted research through the Diplomacy Lab program concerning Chinese propaganda in universities. Rhodes is interested in democratization, populist trends, human rights advocacy, economic development, and regional integration efforts. In his free time, Rhodes enjoys hiking, reading, photography, and learning new languages.

GeoEconomics Center

Rosales is a recent graduate of the University of Wyoming, where he earned degrees in economics and international affairs with a focus on economic systems and East Asia. Most recently, Rosales was studying Mandarin in Taiwan on a David L. Boren Scholarship. While studying at the University of Wyoming, Rosales interned as a research analyst with the Department of Commerce Rural Export Center. He also has research experience in international trade and urban studies. In his free time, Rosales enjoys spending time outdoors, cooking, and exploring cities.

Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs

Springs is a recent graduate of Tulane University, where she earned a BA in history and international development. Her interests lie in humanitarian work, peace and conflict studies, and international human rights law. She has previously worked as a research assistant in the Transitional Justice Evaluation Tools project, sponsored by Global Affairs Canada, which tracked human rights accountability mechanisms throughout the world. She has also worked as an intern for the humanitarian organization Mercy Corps, where she conducted outreach with the United Nations and US Congress on humanitarian issues. She has conducted independent research in Israel and Palestine, focusing on international justice and its implications on the peacebuilding process. Her honors thesis focused on the post-conflict political agency of female combatants of the Nepali civil war, based on primary research conducted in Nepal. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and exploring new coffee shops.

Global Energy Center

Storz recently graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a BS in architectural engineering and a minor in leadership studies. She is passionate about the sustainability and resiliency of the built environment and has conducted extensive research on wildfire building codes, embodied carbon, and district-scale energy modeling. Storz previously interned at the US House of Representatives and the Colorado State Senate, where she focused on climate and energy issues affecting her home state. She is dedicated to bridging technical solutions and policy through interdisciplinary conversations and expertise. In her free time, Storz enjoys skiing, traveling, and bullet journaling.

Global China Hub

Su is a recent graduate of Boston University, where he studied international relations with focuses on foreign policy, security studies, and China. His primary areas of interest include cross-strait relations, the People’s Liberation Army, and nuclear deterrence. Su previously worked at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Foreign Policy Research Institute, and the Institute for the Study of War. In his free time, Su enjoys board games, cooking, and trying new restaurants.

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security — Forward Defense

Young is a recent graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he was awarded a master of science with merit in global politics. He previously graduated with high honors from the University of California, Santa Barbara, completing a double major in political science and global studies with emphases in international relations and the Middle East and North Africa region. Having studied and worked in both Europe and the Middle East, Young wrote his master’s dissertation about the impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the geopolitics of the eastern Mediterranean and its natural gas projects. His passion for youth in underserved communities led him to pursue a year of service, teaching English abroad. Young’s interests include geopolitics, security policy, deterrence, conflict resolution, and conflict stabilization. Outside of work, he enjoys cooking, reading, traveling, and visiting Washington, DC’s museums.