Fellows

Lena Bullard

Lena is a senior studying French and International Relations. She is a 1693 Scholar and recently worked for an NGO in Laos that raises legal awareness around land rights issues. Her research interests include human rights, decolonization, and international law.

Cathleen Díez-Damen

Cathleen is a first-year 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 junior 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 sophomore interested in English and International Relations. She is a 1693 Scholar, with experience facilitating cultural exchange, appreciation, and diplomacy between U.S. and Japanese youth diplomats. Her interests include human rights, educational equity, and transitional justice.

Sophia Mekbeb

Sophia is a first-year student exploring a major in Government. She is a 1693 Stamps Scholar, belonging to the W&M's most selective scholarship program. Her interests include human rights, democracy, and transitional justice.

Soeun Lee

Soeun is a junior majoring in International Relations and Secondary Education in Social Studies. She was previously a GRI Global Scholar, with internship experience in South Korea. She is interested in the intersections of politics, education, language, and human rights.

Julia Meyer

Julia is a senior majoring in International Relations. She has interned with the Foreign Policy Research Institute, where she studied U.S. security interests and environmental is in East Asia and Oceania. Her interests include human rights, advocacy, and transitional justice.

Zola Sayers-Fay

Zola is a junior studying International Relations. A 1693 Scholar, she is learning Arabic and exploring her interests in educational policy, civil rights, and transitional justice.

Ahlaad Yalavarthi

Ahlaad is pursuing an M.S. in Computer Science. His work focuses on machine learning, AI systems, and digital security. He previously worked as a data engineer at Oracle and has led academic projects in AI and machine learning. At IJL, he is eager to contribute his expertise to research at the intersection of technology, human rights, and transitional justice.

Post-Baccalaureate Fellows

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 senior at William & Mary majoring in Government and History. She has interned with the People Power Data Project where her work focused on pro-democracy protests in Latin America. Her interests include human rights, law, and democratic transition.

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.

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.

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 later obtained a Master's in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at Queen's University Belfast as a George J. Mitchell Scholar.

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.

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.