Mark
Buttweiler
University of California, San Diego School of
International Relations and Asia Pacific Studies
Mark Buttweiler graduated Magna Cum Laude from
Boston College in 2009 with a BA in International Studies. From 2010 to 2011,
he did research through the Fulbright Association in Sofia studying Bulgarian
and the Movement for Rights and Freedoms: a political party that represents
ethnic minorities in Bulgaria. Following the fellowship, he moved to South
Korea to teach English as a second language through the Seoul Metropolitan
Office of Education while studying Korean. At UCSD’s International Relations and
Pacific Studies program, Mark is currently working toward a Masters
in International Affairs with a focus in Economics and Korea. Mark works
as the Content Director for IR/PS’ Journal of International Policy Solutions
and is the incoming Vice President for his department’s Korean culture club. He
also works as the Director of Marketing for Strategic Community Consulting, a
consulting firm that works with non-profits in the San Diego area.
Jenna Gibson
Georgetown University, Edmund Walsh School of
Foreign Service
Jenna Gibson is a first year Master of Science
in Foreign Service student concentrating in Global Politics and Security. She
received a Bachelor of Journalism with majors in News-Editorial and French, and
a minor in Japanese from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. After graduating,
Jenna spent two years in Cheonan, South Korea as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching
English as a foreign language to more than 700 Korean middle school students.
There, she spent nearly as much time correcting misconceptions of Americans as
she did teaching how to use nouns and verbs. Though
this experience, she learned firsthand the importance of media messages in
informing, or in many cases misinforming, people about other countries. With
her studies at Georgetown and outside of the classroom, Jenna hopes to learn
more about the intersection of international communications, freedom of
expression rights and public diplomacy.
David Gitter
George Washington University, Elliott School of
International Affairs
David Gitter is an MA candidate at George
Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs pursuing a
degree in Asian Studies, with a specialization in Politics and Security Policy
in East Asia. His research interests include East Asian security, Chinese
foreign policy, and the US Rebalance to Asia. This summer, David will intern at
the Freeman Chair in China Studies of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies (CSIS). He also served as Education Dept. Director at
CEDCA Corp. in Shanghai, overseeing the development of CEDCA’s new English
training program. He has studied Mandarin in Mainland China under the Chinese
Government Scholarship Program at Beijing Language and Culture University, and was an undergraduate exchange student at
Tsinghua University. He obtained his BA in Political Science from the State
University of New York at Stony Brook. Upon graduation, David plans to pursue a
career in government advancing the US Rebalance to Asia.
Whitney Hoot
University of Maryland, School of Public Policy
Whitney Hoot is a graduate student at the
University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing an M.S. in conservation biology
and an M.P.P. in environmental policy. Her undergraduate degree, from Barnard
College of Columbia University, is in sociology and environmental science. She
previously spent two years living in the Federated States of Micronesia, on the
island of Pohnpei, where she worked at the Pohnpei Island Central School as a
WorldTeach volunteer, the Conservation Society of Pohnpei, and the International
Organization for Migration. She has conducted research on Ulithi Atoll in the
FSM, studying the descendants of Sorol Atoll, an island that has been abandoned
by its native population. Since returning to the US, she has worked at the
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and the World Wildlife Fund. Her
interests include disaster preparedness, global energy policy, environmental
migration, and the social and ecological resilience of island systems to
climate change.
Rebecca Hostetler
University of Denver, Josef Korbel School of
International Studies
Rebecca Hostetler is a Master of Arts candidate
in Global Finance, Trade and Economic Integration at the University of Denver’s
Josef Korbel School of International Studies. While pursuing her Bachelor
of Arts degree in International Studies at California State University, Long
Beach, Rebecca studied abroad at Waseda University in Tokyo. Upon her
return to the United States, Rebecca worked with a Japanese recruiting agency
in Southern California, and later worked for the American subsidiary of a major
Japanese hair color manufacturer in Research and Development. Upon
completing her master’s degree, Rebecca plans to work in small business
consulting, supporting small business operations as a form of community
economic development around the world.
Nicole Kessler
University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of
Public Affairs
Nicole Kessler is a Master of Science in
Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy candidate at the University of
Minnesota’s Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She has a B.A. in Applied
Physics from the College of Saint Benedict. Prior to attending the Humphrey
School, Nicole spent four years as an environmental, life support, and thermal
systems flight controller for the International Space Station (ISS) at NASA
Johnson Space Center. In this position, Nicole coordinated with JAXA flight
controllers on a regular basis to ensure proper utilization of ISS
environmental systems. She is interested in learning more about the research
JAXA is pursuing to solve environmental and energy issues, and how future
international cooperation can assist in these pursuits. She is very excited to
have the opportunity to travel to Japan.
Daniel Khalessi
Yale University, Jackson Institute for Global
Affairs
Daniel Khalessi is a master’s candidate at
Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and the Brady-Johnson Program in
Grand Strategy. He graduated with a B.A. in International Relations from
Stanford University in June 2013 with Honors from the Center for International
Security and Cooperation (CISAC). At Stanford, he served as Research Assistant
to Professor Scott Sagan on nuclear nonproliferation and participated in Former
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s seminar, “Challenges and Dilemmas in U.S.
Foreign Policy.” Daniel interned as a policy adviser for Ambassador Susan Rice
at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the Department of Treasury’s
Middle East and North Africa Division. Prior to coming to Yale, he was
appointed by Former Defense Secretary William J. Perry to serve on the Student
Advisory Board of the William J. Perry Project on Nuclear Disarmament. This
summer, he will be retracing the footsteps of Alexander the Great through
Central Asia.
Saumya Kurup
Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced
International Studies
Saumya Kurup is currently pursuing her Master’s of Arts in International Relations and
International Economics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced
International Studies (SAIS) in Washington, D.C., USA. She is
dual-concentrating in Energy, Resources, and Environment (ERE) and South Asia
Studies. After graduating, Saumya plans to pursue a career working towards
sustainable development with regards to energy and environment, particularly
with the Asian region. Prior to graduate school, Saumya spent her junior year
of her undergraduate studies at the International Christian University (ICU) in
Tokyo, Japan, where she studied Japanese and performed Japanese folk and temple
dances. She is very interested in the growing relationship between Japan and
India, particularly the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project, and is interested
in the impact this relationship can have on US relations with both countries
and on potential tri-lateral relations.
Emily Rodriguez
University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of
Public and International Affairs
Emily Rodriguez is a Master of Public and
International Affairs candidate at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate
School of Public and International Affairs studying International Political
Economy. Her academic research focuses on international trade policy,
negotiations, and U.S. export initiatives. Prior to graduate study, Emily
completed her undergraduate degree at Louisiana State University, earning a B.A
in International Studies and minors in French and Business. She recently
completed an internship conducting research on the Trans-Pacific Partnership
(TPP) at the United States Department of State’s Office of Multilateral Trade
Affairs in Washington D.C. Currently, she is providing export-focused
services on behalf of Western Pennsylvanian businesses as an International
Trade Promotion intern with the United States Department of Commerce’s
Commercial Service in Pittsburgh. She is excited for the opportunity to
travel to Japan and continue her research on the trade relationship between
Japan and the U.S. in the advent of the TPP.
Emmett Sapp
Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of
Public Policy
Emmett Sapp grew up in the small timber town of
Darrington, Washington, where he spent much of his childhood hiking and
backpacking in the North Cascade mountains. He studied International Politics
at Georgetown University, and joined the Peace Corps following graduation.
Emmett served as a volunteer in the slums of Paraguay’s capital city, Asuncion,
where he worked on youth development and community service initiatives. Emmett
is currently pursuing a Master in Public Affairs at
Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School. He will be joining the Foreign
Service after graduation and is excited to learn more about the US-Japan
relationship during his time in the country.
Eugene Shapsyuk
Georgetown University, Edmund Walsh School of
Foreign Service
Eugene Shapsyuk is pursuing a Master’s
Degree in Global Business and Finance at Georgetown University’s School
of Foreign Service. Prior to graduate school, Eugene worked at the U.S.
Department of the Treasury’s Office of International Affairs, on Alcoa’s
International Government and Public Affairs team, and at JPMorgan Chase. He has
also spent time in India and Nepal on two competitive fellowship programs that
tackled economic and community development issues through social
entrepreneurship, microfinance, and budget advocacy. Eugene’s professional
interests are energy and trade policy. Eugene graduated from Columbia
University in 2010 with a BA in Political Science and Spanish.
Clint Shoemake
Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and
Diplomacy
Originally from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, Clint
graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Arkansas.
He was named the top male graduate of his class, having been a leader on campus
and in the community. Clint studied in Tanzania, interned for the U.S. Senate,
worked on an oral history project with Tibetan refugees in India, and
researched female entrepreneurs with Vital Voices in Ghana. He is a
Fletcher School student council representative and a Senior Editor for The
Fletcher Forum of World Affairs. Clint serves on steering committees for the
British Consulate-General Boston and volunteers at an afterschool program. A
State Department Pickering Fellow, Clint interned for the Coordinator for Cuban
Affairs and he will intern with the Refugee Coordinator for Central Africa this
summer. Before going to Japan, Clint will be in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo researching conflict’s effects on gorilla conservation for his thesis.
Brett Tolman
Yale University, Jackson Institute for Global
Affairs
Brett Tolman, a native of Portland, Oregon, is
currently a first year Masters student of Global
Affairs at Yale University where he is focusing his studies on international
trade and investment. Prior to attending Yale, Brett worked for a number of
years in Asia-Pacific on sustainable and economic development projects. In
2010, Brett received a Fulbright Grant to Sri Lanka where he worked as a
lecturer at Colombo University and consulted with manufacturing companies to
create more sustainable supply-chain operations. After Sri Lanka, Brett worked
for two years in Vietnam with TRAFFIC, a joint program of the World Wildlife
Fund and the IUCN in their Greater-Mekong program. During his time with TRAFFIC,
Brett helped to facilitate formal agreements between South Africa’s and
Vietnam’s Ministries of Trade and Security to collaborate on natural resource
trade and combat transnational crime.
Diana Won
University of Michigan, Gerald R. Ford School of
Public Policy
Diana Won is a Master of Public Policy candidate
at the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy. Her
policy interests include diplomacy and international development. During summer
2014, Diana will serve as a Rosenthal Fellow in the Political Section at the
State Department’s Embassy in Lima, Peru. Before beginning her studies at the
Ford School, Diana lived in Bucaramanga, Colombia as a Fulbright English
Teaching Assistant and worked in New York City as a paralegal on issues of
zoning and land use. She has traveled extensively through Central and South
America and this will be her first trip to Japan. Diana holds a B.A. from
Rutgers University in Planning and Public Policy with minors in Spanish and
Women’s and Gender Studies.
Calita Woods
American University, School of International
Service
Calita Woods is a MA candidate concentrating in
U.S. Foreign Policy with a functional focus on diplomacy and security and an
emphasis on Japan and South Korea. She recently completed a fellowship in
the U.S. Congress, providing expertise on foreign policy matters and issues
related to the United Nations. Her professional experience includes the
United Nations World Food Program, The World Bank, the Center for Community
Change, and the Quaker Oats Company. Calita is a graduate of the Paul H.
Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) where she completed a
Master of International Public Policy with concentrations in international
development and public health. She conducted research in Japan, which led
to the publication of a paper about Japanese Official Development Assistance to
Africa for agricultural research and food security initiatives. As a 2014
Boren Fellow, Calita is looking forward to undertaking the second year of her
coursework in Kyoto at Ritsumeikan University.