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Kevin is a sophomore at Emory University studying Philosophy, Politics, Law and minoring in Computer Science. Although he has always considered himself more of a STEM-oriented person, he found a passion for writing and research through his experiences in debate during high school. Because of his exposure to a multitude of issues and policies, he has a diverse array of interests, from criminal justice to the future role of AI in policy-making, as well as foreign policy in North Korea and the effect of technology on civil liberties. Kevin hopes to leverage a platform like ACE so that others can interact with different perspectives than their own.

On campus, Kevin is involved in student government, the Korean Student Association, and religious life. In his free time, he loves playing basketball, listening to music, and maintains a personal blog.

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Rylan Forester is a senior studying Arabic and International Relations at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. He joined ACE as a Student Fellow because of his passion for foreign affairs, specifically in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as his concern for the lack of interest in foreign policy amongst Americans. In joining ACE, Rylan hopes to further its mission by informing those that make up our democracy on pertinent foreign affairs.

Previous to Rylan’s work at ACE he has conducted various research on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the 2011 NATO intervention in Libya, US foreign policy on the Yemen Civil War, and Middle East and North African nations’ policy on Uighurs in Xinjiang. As well, Rylan is proficient in Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine Arabic after studying abroad in Amman, Jordan in the spring of 2020. Rylan most recently worked with the International Institute of New England teaching English as a second language to refugees and immigrants in the Boston area.

In the future, Rylan looks forward to contributing to ACE by pursuing research on pressing foreign policy topics to Americans in the Middle East such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA), the current conflicts in Libya, Syria, and Yemen, foreign aid, and more.

Senior Fellow; Co-Leader of Foreign Policy

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Medha is a Foreign Policy Research Associate with ACE and a graduate student at The Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University. The school has awarded her a Global Initiative Fellowship for her accomplishments. She has a bachelor’s in Economics and International Relations from Ashoka University, Sonepat, India. She is also a founding member of the International Relations society at Ashoka University. Her parallel literary interests in holocaust memoirs has had a significant effect on her academic pursuits. In her free time, Medha plays basketball and watches war documentaries.

While working as a research assistant at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Medha assisted with an in depth econometric study on the Indian defence expenditure and the corresponding civil military relations. This year she completed a human rights thesis as a part of the Ashoka Scholars program. The thesis specifically asks ‘Why the United Nations Security Council is ineffective in carrying out collective action against clear cases of genocide?’ She is now specialising in international human rights law and IO’s. She plans to do a comparative study on contemporary cases of genocide as the culmination to her master’s degree. Currently she is concerned with the vacuum in international leadership during the Cov-SARS-2 pandemic.

Medha joined ACE because she is interested in the tumultuous political discourse on foreign policy in the United States. She firmly believes that American posturing on the world stage has incredible potential for good. Importantly, Medha postulates that informed publics in western democracies have a remarkable influence on the decision making landscape.

Matt grew up outside of Chicago Illinois and am currently a sophomore attending University of Rochester studying Economics and Spanish. He joined ACE as a Student Fellow because of the importance of accessible, accurate information in regards to policy issues and elections for voters. He also hopes to further develop his research skills and knowledge of Economic Policy and other relevant topics. He hopes to combine this with his interest in Environmentalism and work towards creating a more sustainable future with viable policy ideas. He was originally interested in policy and political engagement from learning and working with local elected officials in his town and he hopes to continue this interest in working with ACE. Outside of school, he enjoys playing guitar, basketball and chess

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Zach is currently a senior at SMU double majoring in Financial Economics and Philosophy. His overarching goal is to teach people how to think for themselves, analyze both sides of any situation and make a decision for themselves. He found an opportunity to do this during my internship with the Dallas County Republican Party while interning in the legal department, specifically campaign finance. On campus, he’s the president of Phi Alpha Delta and on ownership of Student Mobilization, an on-campus ministry. He also works as a tutor for student-athletes in the Philosophy department. In his free time, he’s a huge fan of learning (about whatever seems interesting), finding good music, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

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Neha Suneja (she/her) is a current sophomore at Boston College pursuing majors in Economics and Philosophy. She was raised in New Delhi, India until she moved to Amsterdam, Netherlands at age eleven, stimulating her keen interest in international affairs and foreign policy. Furthermore, she is involved in student activism, especially anti-racism and female empowerment through her roles in campus organizations FACES and Bystander Intervention. She intends to combine her interests in social justice with international affairs in order to explore the ramifications of American policy on marginalized populations both within and outside the United States. She is also interested in how such forms of injustice manifest in healthcare outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, and film.

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Neha was born and raised in Massachusetts before accepting a position with the GW Paris Scholars Program, where she was one of twelve students selected to study abroad in Paris for the first year of college before joining George Washington University for their sophomore year. She is currently studying Economics and Public Policy with a minor in Sustainability. Neha is passionate about politics and has a keen interest in researching economic and environmental policy as well as criminal justice reform. Neha aspires to work in public policy in the future and wants to contribute to making society a more equitable place. Outside of academics, she loves to dance, travel, and bake. Neha is thrilled to be a part of ACE and is excited to do her part in helping students become more democratically engaged.

Maya is a current sophomore at Hamilton College where she is pursuing an economics major.  Her particular interest in economic policy bloomed when her professor introduced her to positive and negative externalities. She began to understand that economic policies are an intersectional way for her to contribute to American democracy. Understanding money and how it affects our lives is vital for all to know, and she will take her broad background in education to help make meaningful breakdowns of modern policy. Maya also has a peculiar fascination with public transportation. If you find public transit so captivating, like Maya, enjoy the following podcast!

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Julia is a third-year Creative Writing and Urban Studies major at the University of Chicago. She has been passionate about environmental justice since high school and works to mobilize other young people around candidates and legislation that fight for a just, sustainable future. Through her organizing work with Sunrise Movement, Greenpeace, and Illinois Public Interest Research Group, Julia has tackled everything from climate migration to utility accountability to single-use plastics. She can’t wait to study pressing environmental issues further and share her findings around campus with ACE.

In her free time, Julia writes snarky articles for The Chicago Maroon, dances ballet (now socially distanced), and works on her magical realist short story collection.