Caroline Bland
Caroline Bland is a returning student to the Elliott School and is majoring in International Affairs with a regional concentration in Asia. Caroline is originally from New Orleans. In 2015, she studied abroad in Seoul as a part of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)’s seventh cohort. Caroline began studying at GWU in 2016, and was a member of the GW Model United Nations team, the District K K-pop dance team, and the GW THiNK chapter. Before returning to GWU in the fall of 2021, she worked as an executive assistant at a nonprofit in New Orleans. Her academic interests in Korean studies span from the language to history and politics, particularly security challenges on the Peninsula. In her spare time, Caroline loves reading high fantasy novels, going to karaoke with friends, and eating anything sweet.
Research Topic:
South Koreans’ Trust in American Extended Deterrence Against North Korea as a Nuclear Threat
Ishani Chettri
Ishani Chettri is a junior pursuing Journalism and International Affairs with a concentration in Asian Studies. Her hometown is South Brunswick, NJ and definitely considers it as part of Central Jersey. She’s interested in topics like space technology and policy, the future of AI and its role in technoorientalism and LGBTQ+ movements in Asian societies. Ishani serves as Co-Director for Academic Engagement Research in the US-China Strategic Studies Organization and Contributing Web Developer for the GW Hatchet. Outside of school, she likes F1 racing, reading manga and playing Genshin Impact for way too long. One of her life goals is work as a foreign correspondent for international news sites like South China Morning Post!
Research Topic:
Queer culture, lifestyles & societal perspectives in South Korea
Sarah Choi
Sarah Choi is a senior from South Korea pursuing a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication at the School of Media and Public Affairs with a second major in International Affairs. Her concentration is in International Development and her areas of interest include international development policy, human rights, and foreign relations between Sub-Saharan Africa and South Korea. She is also passionate about digital storytelling and creative media work, and she continues to expand her storytelling skills working at the CREATE Digital Studio on campus. She hopes to pursue a career related to international development policy in South Korea in the future.
Research Topic:
South Korea and Sub-Saharan Africa: Present and Future Relations
Balin Cooper
Balin Cooper is a senior at the Elliott School of International Affairs, majoring in International Affairs with a concentration in International Economics. He is also completing additional coursework through Columbian to get a minor in Economic theory. Balin grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he was a pilot program member of his high school’s International Baccalaureate program. There he served as the president of the IB ambassadors program, and discovered his passion for International Affairs.
Research Topic:
South Korean Political Economy during Postwar Reconstruction
Victoria Freire
Victoria Freire is a senior from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania studying International Affairs and History with a concentration in Latin America. Her primary academic interests include Latin American Cold War history and declassification, however, she has since become particularly interested in the Korean War and US-ROK-DPRK relations. Her GWIKS Undergraduate Research Fellows project will focus on U.S. foreign policy towards the Korean peninsula and its implications for Korean reunification.
Victoria also conducts research as a member of the Elliott School’s Dean’s Scholars Program where she investigates American involvement in the 1976 Argentine military dictatorship, using recently declassified CIA, FBI, DoD, and DoS documents. Outside of her studies, Victoria can be found organizing politically alongside Sunrise Movement to end the climate crisis, pass the Green New Deal, and eliminate fossil fuel corruption on GW’s campus.
Research Topic:
U.S. Foreign Policy Implications on Korean Reunification
Jasmine Kelly
Jasmine Kelly is a sophomore from New York, NY, majoring in anthropology and sociology and minoring in Asian studies at Spelman College. She has been studying Mandarin for almost 10 years, and most recently she participated in the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for Chinese. She is interested in studying the development and manifestation of what makes us ‘us’, and exploring human accounts of love, family and self. She anticipates going into international relations and working to increase mutual communication and acceptance between nations. Her research will include the perspectives of discrimination against Koreans throughout the Korean diaspora post-WWII. In her free time Jasmine loves to paint, draw and read. She also loves watching college gymnastics and professional basketball.
Research Topic:
Korean identity and Korean Diasporic Identity in Conversation with Blackness
Zhuoyi Liu
Zhuoyi Liu is a senior from Shenzhen, China, pursuing a BA in Environmental Studies and International Affairs with concentrations in International Environmental Studies and Security Policy, and a minor in Russian Language and Literature. He is interested in China-US coopetition, energy security, sustainability, military development, political dynamics in northeast Asia, and especially the relations across the parallel. Outside of school, he holds a black belt in Taekwondo and enjoys homemade Korean food. Zhuoyi is excited about being a part of the Undergraduate Research Fellows Program and hopes to gain deeper insights under the guidance of GWIKS experts.
Research Topic:
Korean Diaspora in China and Their Roles in PRC-ROK Relations
Tappy Lung
Tappy Lung is from New York and is a junior at the Elliott School. She is double majoring in International Affairs and Political Communication with a concentration in Asia. She is passionate about exploring the role of identity politics, public opinion, and digital media in international affairs. Outside of classes, Tappy is the President of the US-China Strategic Studies Organization, plays on GW’s club badminton team, and enjoys walks to the monuments with friends. Tappy’s interest in Korea began in high school through a friend and has developed with academic studies in Korean culture, historical memory, and nationalism. Tappy also studies Korean at GW and is excited to see her language, writing, and analysis skills come together in her research.
Research Topic:
Korean New Religious Movements, internationalization, and the changing media landscape
Emily Neal
Emily Neal is a senior from Monrovia, California pursuing a BA in International Affairs at GWU. She is concentrating in Contemporary Cultures & Societies and minoring in Immigration & Migration Studies. Her areas of interest are world migration, applied anthropology, and international diplomacy. She looks forward to applying these interests to her research about Korean migrant workers and building on her research skills in hopes of utilizing them in future educational opportunities. After graduation, Emily hopes to pursue a Master’s degree and travel abroad someday. Outside of the classroom, she spends her time cooking, exploring DC, and dog walking.
Research Topic:
Korea Diasporas in the Western Hemisphere
Dylan Shepard
Dylan Shepard is a sophomore at the Elliott School studying both international affairs and economics. He is an editor and academic engagement contributor at the US-China Strategic Studies Organization. Having grown up overseas in India and China, Dylan is particularly interested in understanding the rise of the developing world and its impact on the advanced economies. He spends most of his time researching Chinese domestic politics but also follows British, Japanese, and EU affairs closely. Outside of international relations, Dylan is interested in 20th century history as well as in government fiscal and monetary policy.
Research Topic:
South Korean Authoritarianism and its Impact on the Miracle on the Han River
Ky’iana Stanley
A native of Georgia, Ky’iana Stanley is currently a senior at Spelman College where she is pursuing her undergraduate degree in international studies with a concentration in international development. She recently spent her summer studying at the Johns Hopkins SAIS Europe Summer Academy in Bologna,Italy as a Hopkins Propel Scholar. Along with a background in ASL, Ky’iana has completed seven years of Spanish language learning, and is in her first year of learning the Korean language. Her aim in global affairs has always been to understand others through languages, values, histories, and the arts. With the will to hone her academic research skills as a platform, she intends to utilize this amazing opportunity to gain the experience to set the foundation for a long lasting career in global affairs where she hopes to use her future research as a model for development in both the Global South and the Global North.
Research Topic:
The global spread of Kpop/The Intercontinental Expansion of Kpop in the Digital Age
Zichong Ye
Zichong Ye is from Shunde, China. He is a rising senior in ESIA with concentrations in Asia and Security Policy. He is interested in studying military and security related issue of Asia, particularly Sino-US relations, Sino-ROK relations, and North Korea’s statecraft and military development.
Research Topic:
North Korea cyberspace activities
