Fellows
Cathleen Díez-Damen
Cathleen is a sophomore interested in government, business, and finance. She is a Sharpe Scholar, W&M's program for students interested in social justice, collaborative research, and community engagement. Her interests include migration, education, memorialization, and how language shapes sociopolitical narratives.
Paula Garcia Monagas
Paula is a senior studying International Relations through the William & Mary–University of St Andrews Joint Degree Program. Her interests include human rights, health equity, and socioeconomic development in Latin America.
Eva Jaber
Eva is a junior studying English and International Relations. She is a 1693 Scholar and an editorial assistant with the Journal of Human Rights. Her interests include human rights, educational equity, and transitional justice.
Sophia Mekbeb
Sophia is a sophomore exploring a major in Government. She is a 1693 Stamps Scholar and an editorial assistant with the Journal of Human Rights. Her interests include human rights, democracy, and transitional justice.
Zola Sayers-Fay
Zola is a senior studying International Relations. A 1693 Scholar, she is learning Arabic and exploring her interests in educational policy, civil rights, and transitional justice.
Post-Grad Fellows
Lena Bullard
Lena is a 2026 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Government and French & Francophone Studies. She was a 1693 Scholar and interned with Amnesty International. After graduation, Lena joined the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as a James C. Gaither Fellow.
Nastaran Far
Nastaran is a 2021 graduate of the University of Southern California, with a degree in International Relations. Previously a Leonard D. Schaeffer Fellow and a Win Without War Policy and Advocacy Fellow, she is attending NYU School of Law.
Samantha Jennings
Samantha is a 2025 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Government and Russian Studies. After graduation, she joined the Law Offices of Thiru Vignarajah as an executive assistant.
JT Kaufmann
JT is a 2024 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Government. An alum of the AidData Listening to Leaders project and former U.S. Forest Service litigation assistant, he joined Fish & Richardson P.C. as a patent paralegal.
Katalina Li-Kroeger
Katalina is a 2025 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations and Public Policy. Previously a James Monroe Scholar, she is pursuing a Master's in International Relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute (IHEID).
Julia Meyer
Julia is a 2026 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. She previously interned with Amnesty International, analyzing gender-based violence, authoritarian practices, and sexual violence prevention in Indigenous Communities.
Sarita O'Neill
Sarita is a 2025 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Government and Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies. She was a Government Department diversity fellow and served as an intern in the United States Senate.
Hannah Ray
Hannah is a 2025 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Government and Eurasian Studies. She received the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to the Republic of Georgia.
Hailey Robertson
Hailey is a 2021 graduate of the University of Southern California, with a degree in Global Health from the Keck School of Medicine. She launched her post-graduate career with a Junior Researcher position at Talus Analytics and is now Ph.D. student in epidemiology at Yale University.
Leo Sereni
Leo is a 2024 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Government. A Monroe Scholar and an alum of the Project for International Peace and Security, he accepted a case development intern position at Grant & Eisenhofer P.A.
Elijah Tsai
Elijah is a 2025 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations. He was a James Monroe Scholar and GRI Global Scholar. He is pursuing a Master in Management at l'Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires in Fontainebleau, France.
Ahlaad Yalavarthi
Ahlaad is a 2026 graduate of William & Mary's M.S. in Computer Science and a research fellow in the International Justice Lab. His work focuses on machine learning, AI systems, and digital security.
Alumni
Alexandra Byrne
Alexandra is a 2023 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations and French & Francophone Studies. She wrote for W&M's student newspaper and was a Freeman Fellow in Mongolia. Before attending Columbia Journalism School, she worked at the Pulitzer Center.
Sally Calengor
Sally is a 2023 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations. After graduation, she accepted a Research Assistant position with the RAND Corporation.
Margot Cunningham
Margot is a 2021 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Anthropology and Marketing. She was a College Honors Fellow, Nathan Altshuler Awardee, and Freeman Fellow. She continued her education with a Master's in Marketing at Vanderbilt University, graduating as the Class Valedictorian in 2023.
Gabrielle DeBelen
Gabrielle is a 2022 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Public Policy and Asian & Pacific Islander American Studies. She was a 1693 Scholar and placed at Capital One as an Associate Legal Specialist for Litigation after graduation.
Georgia Freyer
Georgia is a 2026 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Government and History. She has interned with the People Power Data Project where her work focused on pro-democracy protests in Latin America. She received the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award to the Kingdom of Spain.
Nitya Labh
Nitya is a 2022 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations and Economics. Previously, she was an NGO delegate to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women. After graduation, Nitya joined the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as a James C. Gaither Fellow.
Soeun Lee
Soeun is a senior at William & Mary double majoring in International Relations and Secondary Education in Social Studies. As a GRI Global Scholar, she interned in South Korea, working with North Korean defectors and developing an English education curriculum.
Nathan Liu
Nathan is a 2022 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations, and a former James Monroe Scholar. Previously, he interned with the Partnership for Public Service, helping to increase innovation in the federal civil service. After graduation, Nathan placed at Booz Allen Hamilton as a Strategy Consultant.
Daniel Posthumus
Daniel is a 2024 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in Economics and Government. A 1693 Scholar and former White House Council of Economic Advisors intern, he accepted a pre-doctoral fellowship at Stanford's Institute for Economic Policy Research before attending Boston University's Economics Ph.D. program.
Alyson Reynolds
Alyson is a 2024 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations. A Monroe Scholar and an alum of the geoLab, she accepted a paralegal position at the Northern Virginia Immigration Law Firm.
Adriana Rudling, Ph.D.
Adriana was an IJL post-doctoral associate (2023–2025). Her research centers on the interactions between victims of massive and systematic human rights violations and the measures state bureaucracies have established in (post-)transitional societies to respond to these harms.
Zoha Siddiqui
Zoha is a 2023 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations and Hispanic Studies. A 1693 Scholar, she obtained a Master's in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at Queen's University Belfast as a George J. Mitchell Scholar and is pursuing a J.D. at Harvard Law School.
Johanna Weech
Johanna is a 2020 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations and Hispanic Studies. Previously, she worked for the National Security Archive, processing declassified human rights cases from the 1976-83 junta in Argentina. Her first placement was with Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. as an International Trade Paralegal.
Chabeli Yumang
Chabeli is a 2025 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations. A former intern with the State Derpartment's Bureau of East Asian/Pacific Affairs, she accepted a government contractor position with the Deparment of Defense.
Bilen Zerie
Bilen is a 2023 graduate of William & Mary, with a degree in International Relations. She was a member of both the James Monroe Scholars and William & Mary Scholars programs. Before attending NYU School of Law, she worked at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.