Aryn Adkins is a current junior at American University where she is majoring in International Relations and she is minoring in Spanish language and area studies. She is currently pursuing a thematic focus in peace, global security, and conflict resolution as well as a regional focus in the Western Hemisphere. Aryn is interested in using her background in social media and international relations to merge international relations research and current events into accessible social media posts. 

Jordan Francois is a senior at the State University of New York at Fredonia, majoring in French and Political Science and minoring International Studies. At the Eurasia Center, he has a focus on Francophone countries in particular France and other European French countries with an emphasis on politics. Currently writing a brief in French presidential politics on the upcoming French election with incumbent President Emmanuel Macron in 2022.

Corisande Hardy is a junior at American University's School of International Service. Majoring in International Studies, she had dedicated her studies to focusing on Eurasia through a human rights and comparative governance lens. Having previously lived in 6 different countries across Europe and Asia, Corisande feels a deep connection to the region and the research done at the center. In the past couple of months, she has worked with the Social Media team on the re-designing of the website and the Women's Program.

Wagma Isaczai is a second-year student at American Universities School of Public Affairs. She is majoring in Communications, Legal studies, Economics and Government studies. Wagma is from Afghanistan but has lived in countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe. She is currently working for the Security and Peace Program at the Eurasia Center and has written on the Azerbaijan-Armenia War. She plans to write a brief on the Rise of Islamophobia in France. 

Mary Iwase is a junior at The George Washington University, majoring in International Affairs with a regional concentration on Latin America. At the Eurasia Center, she does research for the International Education Program and focuses on the new University of Eurasia. Mary researches and writes Eurasia Briefs on such topics as EU-Japan Post-Pandemic Economic Cooperation: with Perspectives on Recent Trade Agreements made between the EU, UK, and Japan. As someone coming from Japan, Mary enjoys researching topics related especially to Japan and other Eurasian countries.

Marykate Juliano is a senior at American University, who is set to graduate in December 2020.  She is an International Studies major with concentrations in Foreign Policy & National Security, Peace, Global Security & Conflict Resolution, with a regional focus in Eurasia, along with a Russian Language minor.  Marykate is extremely passionate about Russia-Ukraine relations along with their relationships with the US, combating human trafficking and organized crime, internationally and domestically.  With her research for the Eurasia Center, she has gained deeper insights into the political and legal framework of the Russian Federation, along with how external pressure impacts the Kremlin's decisions.  

Jake Letterie is a 2020 graduate of The George Washington University with a Bachelor’s degree in Geography. He has an interest in the economic development of Southeast Asia, specifically how increased business investment into certain nations can counter Chinese aggression in the South China Sea, making the world a freer and safer place to conduct business. Jake views the work of the Eurasia Center as being invaluable to the cultivation and preservation of international peace. He relishes his opportunity to contribute to that important mission.

Reagan Ashley is an international affairs masters' candidate at Texas A&M's Bush School of Government and Public Service, concentrating on US diplomacy and China studies. With the Eurasia Center, Reagan specializes in East Asian civil society as well as grant writing. Currently, his research efforts are focused on soft power and societal impacts of the Belt and Road Initiative and grant procurement for the Eurasia Center.

Sahara Hoff is a Sophomore at the George Washington University. She is currently majoring in International Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs with a minor in Italian. She has a strong interest in gaining a deeper understanding of geopolitical issues in Europe. She is also interested in exploring the importance of cultural diplomacy as a different form of diplomacy. She lived in Italy for a year which resulted in a deep passion for researching the politics and current affairs of Italy. At the Eurasia Center, her role has been primarily working on public relations via social media as well as performing research on various topics.

Patrick Kendall is a recent graduate from the Global Governance, Policy and Security Master’s Program at American University. His fields of interest include nuclear security and nonproliferation, transatlantic relations, and European diplomacy and security. Patrick is a research assistant with the Global Security and Eurasian Business Coalition teams at The Eurasia Center, where he has worked primarily on expanding the foreign government contacts database and researching Eurasian economic and diplomatic issues. His recent assignments include evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 virus on the global economy and the viability of an integration plan between China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Central Asia and Russia’s Eurasian Economic Union. Prior to the Eurasia Center, he interned at the Hudson Institute, Stimson Center, and the U.S. State Department. 

Patrick Ko is a second-year student at the Elliott School of International Affairs, currently studying international relations. His main area of interest in Latin-America and Eurasia relations, with a particular focus in countries like Brazil, the United States, China, Taiwan, and Indonesia.  Patrick writes briefs, searches for grants, and works within the communications group. He is involved in the Civil Society Team. His Eurasia Brief will cover The Chinese Underground Civil Society, a topic not much covered by the media but crucial to understand Chinese society under a repressive regime. Civil society is one of his main areas of research at the Eurasia Center, while he also informs the world about many important topics that are not covered in the general press, but are essential in order to understand the depth of global issues, many of which relate  to civil society.

Camilla Ma is a graduate student at American University in the International Affairs Policy Analysis program with a concentration in analytics. She has a regional concentration on China and hopes to gain a better understanding of current international security issues in the East Asia region. At the Eurasia Center, Camilla is researching topics for the International Security program on issues such as Huawei and 5G. 

Courtney Marthens is a current junior at American University where she studies International Studies with a focus on Identity and Conflict studies. I am a part of the Gender Program within the Eurasia Center. I am interested in issues of Women’s Rights in the context of the increasing number of far-right movements in Europe. More specifically, I am interested in the interaction between norms and policy shifts to create societal changes for individuals of varying identities, particularly in Eastern and Northern Europe. 

Ariana Orne is currently working towards her Master’s in Strategic Communication at American University. As an intern with the Eurasia Center, Ariana has worked with the social media team to develop new social media and website strategy and has completed a media matrix database for quick access to press and publication for the organization. As the semester progresses, Ariana and the rest of the social media team will be working together towards the end goal of a new website. In the future, Ariana plans to continue to grow her knowledge for communications and strategy and how organizations can best implement the two in efficient and successful ways.

Lydia Roeder is currently a sophomore at American University. She is majoring in International Studies with a primary focus on foreign policy and national security with a secondary focus on peace, global security, and conflict resolution as well as minoring in German studies. Lydia enjoys researching European affairs as a whole, but she is especially interested in German affairs. Lydia is planning to write about Germany’s response to the pandemic and how Europe’s second wave has affected their nation’s progress.

Yujia Wan just graduated from American University School of International Service in May. She holds a Master’s degree in International Peace and Conflict Resolution and a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics and Finance. With the internship experience at the Silk Road Fund, she is especially interested in trade relations and interstate conflicts related to China, such as the Taiwan Strait Issue, the Indian-China war, and the South China Sea disputes. At Eurasia Center, she is working at the International Security team and conducting grant research on security projects. Yujia will further conduct research on the Taiwan Strait issue during the pandemic. 

Helen Yablonski is a junior at the George Washington University from McLean, Virginia. She is double majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in Europe and Eurasia, and Russian Language & Literature. Helen speaks Russian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Her key interests include the politics and public policy in Russia, along with the culture. At the Eurasia Center, she serves as a research assistant and has written a brief on the poisoning of prominent Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. Additionally, she assists in enhancing the Eurasia Center's Social Media presence. 

Ethan Yang is a sophomore at George Washington University majoring in international affairs with a concentration in security policy. He is interested in the security politics of Europe, specifically the conflict in Ukraine and the ongoing tensions between Russia and the EU and NATO, as well as European multilateral defense cooperation. At the Eurasia Center, he is doing research for the Security Peace Program and on fundraising for the Center as well. Ethan is preparing a brief on European responses to Russian aggression.