Spring 2021 Young Global Professionals

South Asia Center

Oyindamola Aluko-Apata is a Nigerian-American from Prince George’s County, Maryland. She graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Shortly after graduating, Oyindamola worked in Tokyo, Japan for 3.5 years as an English Language teacher under the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program. Oyindamola is currently working as an intern with the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center. She is excited to contribute to the organization’s goals, and develop her professional skills with some of the greatest minds in International Affairs.

Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center

Kim Austin is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Howard University with minors in Economics and Spanish. She is a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Honors Association, a writer for the United Nations Association – Howard Chapter, and she serves as Secretary for CHANGÓ, Howard’s Afro-Latino student organization, which fosters international connections and creates a platform for social discourse. Kim is currently finishing her research project on discrimination in Colombia’s labor market. She studied abroad in Cali, Colombia and Oaxaca, Mexico during her sophomore year to learn more about the social, political, and economic factors of social injustice and human rights abuse. Upon conclusion of her undergraduate studies Kim will be pursuing a career in foreign service.

South Asia Center

Emily Carll is a recent graduate of Stony Brook University, where she graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Asian and Asian-American Studies with minors in Russian Studies and International Studies. Emily was selected as a member of the 5th U.S. Foreign Service Internship Cohort, holding two paid internship positions with the U.S. Department of State both in Washington D.C., in the Office of Policy and Global Issues for European and Eurasian Affairs, and abroad at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Emily received the U.S. Department of State’s Critical Language Scholarship in 2020 to study Hindi and is also a 2020 Fulbright recipient to Serbia. Previously, she spent a year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student living in Slovakia. She is passionate about public diplomacy, and aspires to join the U.S. Foreign Service. Emily enjoys learning foreign languages, volunteering with Rotary Youth Exchange, and hiking in her spare time.

Global Energy Center

Maria Castillo is an undergraduate student at Columbia University pursuing a degree in Environmental Engineering and Political Science graduating this May. She is passionate about the intersection of climate change and inequality, especially with regard to energy access issues affecting disenfranchised communities. She enjoys Mexican literature and cinema in her free time.

Published work:
Offshore wind and labor union partnerships: a boon for an equitable green recovery
Rapid response: SPP/ERCOT winter freee energy crisis

GeoEconomics Center

Charlie Chen grew up in Boston and currently attends Yale University where he majors in political science and history. He loves studying history, international relations, and current affairs. In his free time, he enjoys watching movies (especially anything by Scorsese and Tarantino), reading, and traveling. Charlie is Chinese-American and all of his extended family still lives in China.

Future Europe Initiative

Corey Cooper is pursuing his MA at Georgetown University’s Security Studies Program. He was previously a research associate at the Council on Foreign Relations and a Europe Fellow with the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. He received his BA in International Studies from American University in 2016. Corey’s research interests include the future of the transatlantic relationship, European integration, and U.S. grand strategy. 

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Adam Gates is a research intern at the DFRLab. Using OSINT to analyze the intersection of cultural heritage with wider societal issues has always been a passion of his. This abiding interest led him to undertake a Masters in the Digital Humanities at UCL. His thesis assessed data collection methods for GEO-OSINT for cultural heritage sites in conflict contexts. Prior to his work at the DFRLab, he was a remote-sensing analyst at the Central Asian Archaeological Landscapes Project.

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—New American Engagement Initiative

Jan is an international student from Poland currently in his senior year at The King’s College in New York City where he majors in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. He is interested in American political theory, the history of liberalism, and international relations. Jan is also the leader of a local chapter of The John Quincy Adams Society which advocates for realism and restraint in U.S. foreign policy. He is interested in pursuing a master’s degree in international relations at the University of Chicago followed by a career in public policy or political risk consulting.

Atlantic Council in Turkey

Bihter is a recent graduate of International Relations from Bilkent University, and currently pursuing a master’s degree in International Energy at Sciences Po Paris. Prior to starting her master’s, she was responsible for doing research on issues assigned by the Turkish Ministry of Energy at Bilkent Energy Policy Research Center, including the assessment of the planned FSRU terminal at the Gulf of Saros and the progress towards reaching Turkey’s Paris Agreement targets.

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—Global Strategy Initiative

Joel is a recent graduate of Brown University where he studied political Science. At Brown, he was involved in campus politics as the Vice President of No Labels, the only bi-partisan political group on campus, as well as a member of Brown SPEAK, which pressured the administration to bring more conservative speakers to campus. Following graduation, he interned at the Aspen Institute, and assisted with the annual Aspen Security Forum. He loves to learn about other cultures and to travel, especially in Asia. He is currently in the process of applying to Officer Candidate School for the Navy.

GeoEconomics Center

Fatima is currently a student at Howard University where she double majors in Economics and International Affairs. She is Sudanese and has recently moved to Philadelphia.

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Eva is a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Minor in Latin American and Latino Studies. Prior to joining Atlantic Council, Eva worked as Network Coordinator for the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, a non-profit organization where she conducted research on the role policy institutes play in governments and civil societies around the world; planned regional and global think tank summits; and helped prepare a forthcoming publication on the future of think tanks and policy advice around the world. She also completed an internship at the Organization of American States in their sustainable democracy department working with existing special missions across the Latin America. Eva is originally from San Pedro Sula, Honduras. She is a native Spanish-speaker and fluent in English.

Published work:
The pandemic is a chance to reshape women’s roles in Latin America and the Caribbean

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—Cyber Statecraft Initiative

Madison Lockett is a Senior at the University of Texas, studying International Relations and Government. Her studies center on cybersecurity, biosecurity, and the Middle East. Madison is excited to intern with the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative this spring. After graduation she hopes to continue working on foreign relations and security policy.

Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs

Heba Malik is an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan pursuing a dual degree in English and International Studies, with a focus on Security, Norms, and Cooperation. On campus, she is lead editor at the Michigan Foreign Policy Council and the Michigan Journal of International Affairs where she conducts research and writes formal reports and op-eds on the world’s most pressing issues. Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Heba completed an internship at the Women and Children’s Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she handled social work cases and aided in domestic and child abuse intervention. Most recently, she worked on the USAID Advancing Nutrition project and researched the efficacy and implementation of various nutrition programs in West African countries. Heba is deeply interested in foreign policy, US-Mideast relations, and human rights. She is a native English-speaker and speaks fluent Arabic.

Published work:
‘It’s not a zero-sum game’: MENA officials agree that regional integration is key to growth

Future Europe Initiative

Amelia is a recent graduate from the George Washington University with a double major in International Affairs and Economics. She is deeply interested in transatlantic relations and engaged in transatlantic trade research and defense negotiations during her internship at the U.S. Department of State. She also speaks German and completed an internship with Greenpeace International during a semester in Vienna, Austria. Outside of work, she makes hand-drawn coloring pages to help her friends and family de-stress!

GeoTech Center

Arjun Mehrotra is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where he majored in Regional and Comparative Studies focusing on geoeconomics in Asia, along with an honors certificate in International Business Diplomacy. On-campus, he was involved with the Georgetown India Initiative, the Lecture Fund, and the ESCAPE Retreat program. He was a Mortara Undergraduate Research Fellow under Dr. Charles Kupchan, as a research assistant working on Dr. Kupchan’s new book on the history of American isolationism, and an SFS Junior Centennial Fellow under Ambassador Richard Verma, researching U.S.-India relations.

Given his deep interest in international affairs and political economy, having lived in India, the UAE, and Singapore, Arjun has previously interned at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Brookings Institution, Invest India (Ministry of Commerce and Industry), and the Government of Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office.

GeoTech Center

Sana Moazzam is a recent graduate from American University’s School of International Service. She majored in International Studies with a concentration in Global Economy and minored in Finance. During her four years in undergrad, she had the opportunity to intern for Congress, U.S. Department of the Treasury and other entities. Sana’s proudest achievements of 2020 were presenting her senior capstone on water purification in Pakistan and completing her first 8k run. On her days off, Sana enjoys traveling, spending time with her family (and new puppy!) in Washington State and hiking national parks in the Pacific Northwest. She is Pakistani American.

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—Transatlantic Security Initiative

Madeline Olden is a graduate student at American University’s School of International Service, pursuing her M.A. in Global Governance, Politics, and Security. She received her B.A. in International Security and Conflict Resolution from San Diego State University in 2019, and studied abroad in Tbilisi, the Republic of Georgia. Madeline spent the first 18 years of her life in Bavaria, Germany. In 2019, she was invited to attend an international NATO conference in Portugal focused on countering hybrid warfare. Madeline is a 2020 recipient of the David L. Boren Fellowship Award, and a 2020-2021 recipient of the National Military Intelligence Foundation Scholarship Award. Madeline is a 2020 Emerging Leaders Fellow of the United Nations Association of the USA, and has language skills in German and Arabic.

Published work:
Why NATO should adopt a feminist foreign policy
International Women’s Day 2021: The future of defense and security

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—Forward Defense

Raphael Piliero is a 2020 graduate of Georgetown University, with a bachelor’s degree in government. During his time at Georgetown, Raphael managed a debate coaching company in the e-learning industry, and also worked with the House Foreign Affairs Chairman and United Nations Association. He also participated in College Policy Debate, where he was a top 16 debater in the nation. Raphael has had numerous publications featured in outlets such as The Diplomat, Political Wire, and US-China Perception Monitor, and co-authored a study report on space arms control.

Published work:
Pentagon Deputy Hicks should say ‘yes’ to nuclear modernization, ‘no’ to a ‘no first use’ policy
100 ideas for the first 100 days, #69: Modernize the Ground Leg of the US Nuclear Triad
100 ideas for the first 100 days, #81: Maintain a Technological Advantage Over Adversaries

Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Prior to joining the Atlantic Council, Joseph spent 2020 working for Hennepin County as an Elections Assistant helping residents with In-Person Absentee Voting and Voter Registration. During the months between the Presidential and Minnesota State Primaries, he served as site support at one of the COVID-19 isolation hotels that the county provided for folks experiencing homelessness to have a safe place to quarantine. Joseph graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Global Studies, Spanish-Portuguese Studies, and French Studies from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. As an undergraduate, he received a Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship to study Portuguese for a summer in Florianópolis, Brazil, and he subsequently spent a semester each studying in Mérida, Venezuela and Nantes, France. He was also a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Sobral, Ceará, Brazil in 2019. He is a native English-speaker, and speaks fluent Spanish, Portuguese, and French.

Published work:
Protecting the world’s trans population requires political representation

Global Energy Center

Paddy Ryan is a recent graduate from the London School of Economics with an MSc in International Relations. Previously, he wrote for The Spectator and was Europe editor for a Washington-based press agency. He completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA in Los Angeles.

Published work:
Can green finance compensate for London’s post-Brexit losses?
Kazakhstan: The thorn in the side of Russia’s energy colossus

GeoTech Center

Benjamin Schatz is a junior at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service where he studies Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA), concentrating on security. He also minors in Latin American Studies and Computer Science. His coursework focuses on the intersection of technology and international development and he intends to continue learning about how new technologies can solve global issues.

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—Forward Defense

Julia Siegel is an intern in Forward Defense within the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security at the Atlantic Council. In May 2020, she graduated from the University of Virginia’s Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy and Leadership and a second major in Spanish.

Published work:
Disinformation Against Women Puts Democracy at Risk
The future of security in space: A thirty-year US strategy
100 ideas for the first 100 days, #82: Appoint a Special Presidential Envoy for Space
100 ideas for the first 100 days, #90: Shop Small and Fast When it Comes to Defense
100 ideas for the first 100 days, #93: Adopt a Long-Term Space Strategy

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security—Foresight, Strategy, and Risks Initiative

Priya graduated from Smith College in Massachusetts in 2019 with a BA in Government and currently lives in Geneva, Switzerland where she is completing her MA in International Affairs and Global Security. In her free time, Priya loves to hike and do yoga. In the future, she is hoping to pursue a more specialized Masters in European public policy and eventually work with the U.S. Foreign Service.


Published work:
Taking Gender Into Account to Better Confront New Security Threats
100 ideas for the first 100 days, #48: Publicly Commit to Women, Peace and Security

Digital Forensic Research Lab

A recent graduate of St. Olaf College where she completed a degree in History and Political Science, Abigail Wollam grew up around the world. Since being raised in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Croatia, Bolivia, Guinea, and Tunisia, she has worked as an assistant in U.S. Embassies abroad, as a campaign intern in New Hampshire in the 2020 presidential primary, interned with the Smithsonian Institution, and worked with both shovel and laptop as an archaeological research intern at Antiochia ad Cragum in Turkey. In her spare time, she can be found hiking, reading, baking, playing the flute, and Skyping with her dog, Rudy, who presently resides in New Delhi.