Student Leaders and Members

Claudia is a sophomore at Tufts University double majoring in Psychology and International Relations. She is from Saratoga Springs, New York, and currently serves as Secretary of the Tufts chapter of Amnesty International. She has enjoyed working with Amnesty so far and is looking forward to the rest of the semester.

Ray Bernoff is a senior majoring in Film and Media Studies. He grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts and was homeschooled for eight years before attending Harvard Extension in lieu of high school. His interests include image-making in a variety of formats, storytelling from filmmaking to journalism to creative writing, disability and LGBT+ activism, cycling, forensics, and hair styling. At Tufts, he is a staff photographer, former photo-exec, and investigative journalist at the Tufts Daily newspaper, a member of the disability group formerly known as CAST, and is co-producing and DPing a variety of video projects with other FMS majors and TUTV members. Last summer he was a news producer at Arlington Community Media, Inc.

Ian Boldiston is a senior from Albany, New York majoring in International Relations with a concentration in Globalization and minors in Spanish and Political Science. He is particularly interested in the nexus of diplomacy and development as well as rule of law and human rights issues. In the past, Ian has completed internships in international development and legal research. On-campus, he was also a Tufts with Rwanda Fellow, is a Tufts Wilderness Orientation Leader, has been involved with the Prison Initiative student group, and plays for the Cricket Club. This is Ian's second year being a part of MERG, and he is also currently participating in the IGL's EPIIC Colloquium 2021-22: "Problems Without Passports".

Zack is a junior from Seattle, WA majoring in Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations with a concentration in Security. He is particularly interested in diplomacy and the cultural history of the MENA region. He has worked multiple internships connected to international relations and video production, most recently with Carpe Global, an international education website. Outside of MERG, Zack competes with the men’s ultimate frisbee team and works with the Boston Red Sox Fan Services Office.

Nicola Chang hails from Hong Kong, and is a senior majoring in International Relations and Economics. Besides her interest in China-U.S. relations and how it pertains to her hometown in particular, Nicola is also involved in the music scene at Tufts University. In her spare time Nicola enjoys reading books on Behavioral Economics, listening to Maurice Ravel, or drumming on trashcans. Nicola hopes to someday promote music as a facilitator for development of social and human capital, but she'll get back to you on that eventually.

Judy Chen is a junior from Taiwan who studies Anthropology, as well as Cognitive & Brain Sciences and Science, Technology, & Society on the side. Having lived abroad her entire life, Judy loves traveling to and living in different countries to connect with people and see how they make life their own. She loves spending her time writing, creating, having six-hour lunches, and exploring the edges of human connection. Currently, she is interested in bringing more humanity and human nuance to the world of tech and design.

Ming is Chinese and joined Fletcher straight from her undergrad majoring in Economics. Prior to Fletcher she worked as a financial services consultant at Oliver Wyman and had experience in designing sovereign bonds earmarked for vaccine R&D during her work with GAVI, the vaccine alliance. In the past two years, she developed strong interest in ESG investing. She became the co-president of Fletcher Social Investment Group leading advisory projects for social enterprises, NGOs and impact investors. Mostly notably, she supported the rollout of the impact fund under Arab region's first venture philanthropy foundation. During the pandemic, she conducted equity research with Fidelity Investment based on companies' inherent resilience from their key business models and ESG integration; she also served as a research fellow under Responsible Asset Allocator Initiatives at New America, rating and ranking the ESG practices of 200+ SWFs and PPFs. Now she is exploring entrepreneurship opportunities in sustainable apparel.

Connolly is a junior originally hailing from Chicago. At Tufts, Connolly is pursuing a double major in International Relations and Economics. A lover of history, he is always looking to connect current events to the past. Outside of MERG Connolly is a member of an MIT research group and enjoys hiking wherever a trail can be found.

Konrad Gessler is a senior from North Salem, NY majoring in International Relations: Security Studies. As a member of the 2011-2012 EPIIC Colloquium "Conflict in the 21st Century", Konrad traveled to Muscat, Oman to research Omani-Iranian bilateral relations during the tensions in the Straits of Hormuz. Konrad co-directed FIELDEX, a real-time simulation of a conflict scenario with participants from civilian universities and military academies. He also organized a career panel for ALLIES with panelists representing careers in the public and private sectors. Konrad is looking forward to his continued involvement in the IGL's programs during his last year at Tufts.

Jeremy is from Geneva, Switzerland and is a Junior at Tufts studying Film and Media Studies. His dream is to become a writer & director for his own feature films. He has been seriously into photography for about 4 years now and shoots solely on film (regular and medium format). He is currently in the process of writing/directing/producing his first short film with the help of Professor and filmmaker Khary Jones.

Sofie has always loved telling stories and learning from others, so finding documentary photography was a perfect fit for her when she arrived at Tufts. She is now a graduating senior TA’ing for the Advanced Documentary Practice class and is an International Literary and Visual Studies (ILVS) and Spanish double major. She has travelled extensively around Latin America and hopes to generate social change and impact through visual narratives.

There is a Korean proverb that says, “The frog in the well knows nothing of the great ocean.” The story continues with the small frog, “Haewa” means ‘sea frog’ in Korean, leaving the well, the only world he has known, to experience a new world. He is not satisfied with staying near the well and journeys beyond the town and country he is from. He heads towards the sea, his ultimate goal, passing over mountains and through rivers. His is a life of insatiable challenges in a new world outside the well; and that has been Youngchan’s life for the past 27 years.

Youngchan Kim is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. He is from South Korea and finished his bachelor’s degree at Kyung Hee University majoring in Political Science and International Relations with special focus on China and North Korea. With his academic interests in China, he attended a number of academic activities in China and Taiwan including one year of exchange study at National Cheng Chi University (NCCU) in Taipei. He also served the Korean Army for two years as a soldier of the Korean Augmentation to the United States Army (KATUSA). Before he came to the Fletcher, he also worked at Center for Medicine and Korean Reunification, Seoul National University. As a researcher, he participated in a number of different projects including publishing a white paper for North Korea Public Health as well as in developing a Public health contingency plan for North Korea’s emergent situation with special focuses on mass influx of refugees. At the Fletcher School, he is concentrating on International Conflict Resolution and Development Economics, while he is actively engaging in many school activities as a member of China Studies Society and North Korea Working Group of the Fletcher School. Youngchan is a big lover of backpack travel and he has been traveled in 78 cities in 18 countries across Asia, Europe, Africa, and North America so far.

His panel “US Pivot Change and Asia’s Response” will cover the Obama administration’s foreign policy toward Pacific Asia and what has been done in the past based on the policy and the reactions of the countries in the Asia-Pacific area, especially in East Asia; China, Korea, and Japan. Furthermore, the panel will examine the future of the US Pivot Change and its impacts on the political spectrum in Pacific Asia. 

Alex Knapp is a sophomore majoring in international relations.  He is very excited to be research coordinator for X Effect and looks forward to supporting members' research.  His interest in gender issues started spring semester 2013 when he took the class Introduction to Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies.  Alex also enjoys music and theater, and is a member of Tufts Concert Choir and is treasurer for Bare Bodkin Theater Company.

Tara Kola is a junior majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Chinese. She was born near San Francisco, and moved to Bangalore, India at the age of 13. With a strong interest in linguistics and the application of computational tools, Tara will be spending next year in Beijing and Kunming studying natural language processing and Chinese calligraphy. She is also interested in health informatics, and is currently working with the Village Zero Project on visualizing geotemporal trends in cholera epidemics in Bangladesh. She hopes to extend her work with health informatics to preventative traditional healthcare practices in India and China. Tara spends her spare time reading travel books, writing articles about the residents of Boston, practicing Indian classical dance, cooking dishes from around the world, and running down the Charles.

She will be leading this years panel on Foreign Media Perceptions. This panel aims to study how the picture painted of China by domestic and international media affects how the global community understands China. To what extent is the media's image of China consistent with how it sees itself? How do international perceptions of China affect policy-making? By bringing together the viewpoints of diplomats, foreign correspondents and researchers in social psychology, this panel attempts to address these questions from a multidisciplinary perspective.

Katlyn is a junior from St. Louis, Missouri and intends on majoring in Film and Media Studies and Political Science. At Tufts, she is involved with theatre and comedy groups including The Institute Sketch Comedy and Stand Up Comedy Collective. She is the PR director for Major:Undecided sketch comedy. She also is the co-creator of the TFL comedy blog and is in the process of starting her own podcast. She is interested in American politics, especially topics centered on education, and is a member of Tufts Tutors. In the future, she would like to pursue her passion for journalism and work for a news publication doing photography, filmmaking or writing.

Anna is a staff photographer for Tufts University, capturing news, portraits, sports and daily life on the university’s four campuses. On the weekends, she enjoys making short documentary films and audio stories about wildlife and environmental issues in the New England area. She loves to go on hikes with her pup, working on local farms, drinking iced coffee and trying to teach herself Spanish on cd during her commute to work. She’s excited to be in the PNDP this spring semester and learning more about visual storytelling.

Jessica Muganza is a sophomore from Rwanda majoring in International Relations and Community Health. She is passionate about Healthcare and Development work and was a member of the EPIIC 2012-13 Global Health and Security colloquium. She has interned with several NGOs like Partners in Health and with the Rwandan Ministry of Health. She is also interested in women's issues and African politics. She enjoys poetry and cultural dances.

Ellie Murphy is a junior at Tufts University double majoring in International Relations and Sociology. She is from Westchester, New York and attended Fox Lane High School. She serves as the IGL Liaison of the Tufts Amnesty International chapter. Ellie joined Amnesty because she is passionate about international human rights, specifically in regards to equitable access to education. She likes how the Tufts Amnesty chapter focuses on educating the Tufts community about human rights issues and also creating opportunities for advocacy work. Ellie is also the co-president of Tufts Women in International Relations.

Nora is a senior at Tufts University studying history, economics and international relations. She is a 6ft Norwegian with a passion for photo documentary and storytelling and a penchant for wearing maximalist outfits. She grew up in an international environment in Oslo, Norway and Palo Alto, California, and continues to fuel her curiosity for the world by volunteering in places like Kashmir, India and Maasai Mara, Kenya. After graduation she plans to move her base to London and work in Vietnam, Bangkok, and wherever she might find herself. 

Alyssa is currently a junior at the School of Arts and Sciences, studying Economics and International Relations, with a minor in History. On campus, she is the one of the presidents of Women in International Relations and serves as one of the events chairs for JumboVote, Tufts’ nonpartisan civic engagement initiative. She also works as a research assistant for Digital Planet of the Institute for Business in the Global Context (IBGC) at the Fletcher School, focusing on the digital economy, as well as Tufts Labor Lab, which focuses on understanding and improving working conditions in factories across the globe. In her spare time, Alyssa loves doing the New York Times’ crossword puzzles, finding new restaurants, and playing the piano or viola. This summer, Alyssa is working for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sustainable Wastewater Infrastructure of the Future (SWIFt) initiative, where she is looking forward to deepening her knowledge of renewable energy and the environment. SWIFt aids water and wastewater utilities in improving energy efficiency and implementing advanced energy technologies.

Lizzy Robinson is a junior from Albany, New York, double majoring in International Relations and Economics. On campus, she is involved in NIMEP (New Initiative for Middle East Peace) and EPIIC, and works as a research assistant in the Political Science department. Lizzy is primarily interested in foreign policy, security issues, and diplomacy, and hopes to join the Foreign Service. Outside of academics, Lizzy enjoys running and raspberries. 

Jacobis a sophomore from Brooklyn, NY. He is majoring in political science and minoring in economics, with afocus in political theory. His involvement in Tufts International Development has inspired a passion for sustainable development and educational access.Jacobis also a monitoring and evaluation intern at the MIT D-Lab, where he works to understand the impact and strategy of the different international development initiatives that the D-Lab oversees.

Major: International Relations

Marianna is a junior from Raleigh, North Carolina. She is double majoring in International Relations and Russian and Eastern European Studies with a minor in French. Marianna is new to the ALLIES executive board this year and is excited to be working with the team as the Logistics Director! At Tufts, she is a News Editor for The Tufts Daily and the social chair for the Club Tennis Team.

Email: marianna.schantz@tufts.edu

Kyle Scott is a senior from Baltimore, MD who is majoring in Film and Media Studies. He's interested in and art and photography and how the intersection of those two mediums reflect truths about the human existence. At Tufts, Kyle works as the Creative Director for the Tufts Observer. On the weekends, you can catch Kyle at the Somerville Theater watching almost anything. Kyle is very excited to be in PNPD this semester and is looking forward to understanding more about how we tell stories.

Jessie Wang is from Austin, Texas double majoring in International Relations and Community Health with a minor in Chinese. In her junior year Jessie studied abroad at the University of Ghana and the University of Hong Kong. After coming back, as a culmination of her academic background and work experience Jessie is co-directing the China-US Symposium. Post-graduation she hopes to do a Fulbright in Hong Kong studying site-specific art or continuing on to law school. While academic pursuits are a worthy cause, Jessie would ideally divide her time ice climbing in Patagonia or soloing in Krabi.

Harrison is a freshman at Tufts from Maine planning on studying Biomedical Engineering. He learned about Amnesty International through a teacher in high school and sought out the Tufts Chapter upon becoming a student. Harrison is excited to learn more about the organization and work on issues affecting rural communities.

Vicky is a sophomore studying civil engineering from Troy, PA. She has been on the Nicaragua project since her freshman year. Outside of EWB, she is in Tufts Taekwondo and enjoys to read and volunteer in the community.