Utku (Zehra) is a fourth-year student at the University of South Carolina and is majoring in political science. Through consistently staying up to date with the politics in the Middle East and traveling to the region throughout her life, she has developed a deep passion for Middle Eastern foreign policy/international relations and hopes to utilize her passion through her role on the research team. She also looks forward to expanding her perspective on this topic and effectively contributing towards ACE’s goal of a more democratically engaged society. In her free time, she loves listening to music/podcasts, hanging out with friends, and reading.