2005 EPIIC Archive

2004 EPIIC Colloquium Members

Cynthia Abulafia
Cynthia is a senior with a strong passion for travel and culture. Although she was born and raised in Los Angeles, she has spent many summers abroad, particularly in Spain, and has just returned from a year of study in Italy. Her father is Turkish by birth, with a broad understanding of language and travel, and she grew up speaking Spanish and understanding Ladino at home. She is a major in English Literature, with a concentration in Art History and Comparative Religion. Religion is a topic of particular interest to her, especially in the way that spiritual beliefs have shaped individuals, cultures, and nations. Both she and her identical twin sister, Laura, have studied and followed yoga practices for many years. They harbor a secret fantasy of moving to Singapore together in the future and opening up their own yoga studio. She looks forward to her final year thinking about what the future holds.

Adina Allen
Although her family only recently moved to Ojai, CA after living for 20 years outside Chicago, Adina considers herself a California girl at heart. She spent this past summer doing stream ecology and marine mammal fieldwork at Big Creek Environmental Research Station in Big Sur, CA. Two summers ago she did research on the alpine living environments while backpacking through the back country of the High Sierras in California. Adina is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies and Anthropology. She recently combined these interests while studying abroad last year in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the British West Indies. In her program, Adina did underwater scuba research on juvenile coral populations and studied marine resource management and environmental economics issues of developing countries. Besides the semester she spent abroad in the islands, Adina has participated in education programs in El Salvador, The Bahamas, Cuba, and Israel. In addition to being a past president of Tufts' student environmental group E.C.O., a leader on Tufts Wilderness Orientation, and a former manager of Oxfam Café, Adina has done research for a number of agencies in the Boston area. This summer she worked on marine resource management issues at the Conservation Law Foundation, and the summer before she published articles for Cultural Survival on the environmental and human rights issues faced by indigenous tribes in South America. For fun, Adina loves to backpack, play with her housemates, run, read Tom Robbins books, write in her journal, and create art.

Karen Alroy
Karen is a senior who will be completing her studies in December of 2004. Born the youngest of three children in a Swiss-Israeli household, she has always been keen on learning with a global perspective. A double major in Biology and Environmental Studies, she has truly enjoyed her time spent completing her undergraduate degree. Very enthusiastic, Karen has particularly enjoyed conducting research, both in the laboratory and in the field. Her research includes work with Tufts Sackler School of Biomedical Research on superantigens and autoimmunity as well as research with Tufts School of Veterinary Medicine. This summer, she worked in Thailand investigating how the biodiversity of wild shrimp populations is affected by the environmental degradation of mangrove forests and the development of on-shore aquaculture. If you cannot find her in the field or at the lab, she may be out rowing on the Charles, hiking in New Hampshire's White Mountains, or throwing around the occasional Frisbee disk with friends. EPIIC fits nicely into Karen's long term plans to study the interface between communities and the environment.

Jason Bauer
Jason is a junior majoring in Archaeology and Economics. He was born and raised in West Hartford, Connecticut where he has lived all of his life. He has spent the past two summers on an archaeological excavation in Murlo (Siena), Italy, most recently as a trench supervisor. In addition, Jason also worked on a Summer Scholars project this year, researching the archaeological evidence for trade and industry in Etruria during the Orientalizing period (7th century BC). At Tufts, Jason is actively involved in numerous organizations, including founder and dictator-for-life of TUPAC (Tufts University Presents the Archaeology Club) as well as a member of the Programming Board, Class Council, TCU Senate, TUSC, Entertainment Board, Concert Board and Lecture Series. Oil and water attracted Jason because of the overwhelming use of water in history as a transportation tool and means of communication. In addition, the diversion of water (especially for the creation of energy) has huge consequences for archaeology due to flooding and destruction of sites. He looks forward to EPIIC aiding in his understanding of the world, both past and present.

Casey Beck
Casey is a sophomore, majoring in Peace and Justice Studies and thinking about minoring in Mass Communications or Studio Art. Born in Boston, she grew up in southwest Florida and graduated from Naples High School. During high school, she felt isolated from current events and frustrated by the limiting perspective offered by her town. For this reason, she is extremely happy to be part of this year's colloquium and other globally-oriented organizations on campus. She is excited to be part of the newly founded organization, Pangea: Why Me?/SPARKS and looks forward to bridging EPIIC and Pangea this year. Casey is also interested in using photography as a means for social change and hopes to use Exposure as a starting point for a future in photography.

Dan Becker
Daniel grew up as a Brazilian, despite being born and for the most part raised in Boston. Courtesy of his Brazilian parents, he managed to travel to Brazil for long periods of time, often lasting anywhere from three to eight months. It was in keeping one foot grounded in the States while keeping the other firmly rooted in Brazil that Daniel was able to compare and contrast the vast injustices that plague both nations. Encounters with some of Brazil's poorest citizens helped ignite Daniel's passion for 'social justice.' While in Boston, he has done what he can to bridge some of the gaps between Brazil and the United States. Working with organizations such as Jobs with Justice and B.I.C. (the Brazilian Immigrant Center) on projects supporting the first Immigrant Workers Freedom Ride and opposing the Free Trade Area of the Americas, Daniel has tried to address problems that plague Latinos still residing in Latin America as well as those forced to illegally immigrate. He hopes to continue his passion of addressing some of Brazil's problems while expanding his understanding of global issues involving not only immigration but also geopolitical issues through his studies with EPIIC and in his first year at college.

Jessie Berlin
Jessie is thrilled to be a part of EPIIC. A German-Korean-American, she deferred admission last year to live in Germany with the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program scholarship. As travel and foreign language are two of her greatest passions, she had a fantastic time immersing herself in Germany's language and culture and exploring more of the country. She thoroughly enjoyed poking around other parts of Europe as well. Jessie also went to Australia with the People to People Student Ambassador Program and now looks to travel outside the sphere of western society. She is currently learning Mandarin Chinese and plans to major in IR, focusing on human rights issues. A Seattle native, Jessie loves being on the ocean or in the mountains. Jessie enjoys British comedy, Jon Stewart, singing along to Sgt Pepper, Der Schuh des Manitu and many other things. Her joys include good music, good friends, good food, a good book and a good challenge. She looks forward to a phenomenal year with EPIIC.

Jake Berliner
Jake Berliner is a sophomore who is majoring in political science. Raised just North of San Francisco in Marin County, California, he brings personal experience to EPIIC this year. Jake spent last summer in Washington, D.C. working for Senator Dianne Feinstein and for an energy lobbyist and is extremely interested in working energy and water policies into the mainstream of American political debate. Aside from politics, Jake's other main interest is baseball. He is an avid San Francisco Giants fan and has adopted the Red Sox as his second team. Jake also enjoys sailing and SCUBA diving, interests that he can hopefully mate with this year's EPIIC topic of Oil and Water.

Kathyrn Brooks
Although she goes to school only 20 minutes from her hometown of Bedford, MA, Kathryn is a worldly Francophile at heart, recently returning from a year of study in Paris. An International Relations major, her academic interests are broad and include languages, women's studies, and international politics, particularly in the Middle East. It is this last topic that drew Kathryn to EPIIC this year, along with her desire to integrate environmental studies into her program. Kathryn has led two Wilderness Orientation excursions, tutored with the Tufts Literacy Corps, and been involved in numerous on-campus groups such as the Tufts Mountain Club, Tufts Dance Collective, and Environmental Consciousness Outreach. She holds American and Irish passports and enjoys figuring out which one will get her into the shortest customs line. Other passions include hiking, the Paris Metro system, long walks on the beach (seriously), and a good cup of tea.

Catherine Caicedo
Catherine is a junior majoring in International Relations with a focus on international trade. She is from Ecuador and moved to New York at the age of fifteen, where she has been living ever since. Last year, she studied in the University College of London where she gained valuable knowledge of transition economies, especially Russia and Eastern Europe. Her academic interests include public and private corruption and the process of institution building in transition economies. Last summer, she had the great pleasure to be part of the Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspective (TILIP) group in Hong Kong, where she interned at the Education and Manpower Bureau. At Tufts, she is active in the Leonard Carmichael Society and in the Catholic Center. For her future academic endeavors, she would like to pursue a combined degree in law and international business. Upon graduation, she would like to work for a consulting firm to gain more experience in international business in a range of projects with a global focus.

Lauren Clark
Lauren was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and moved to Washington D.C. where she attended Walt Whitman High School. In her free time she enjoys riding horses and competing in hunter/jumper shows. After graduating, she delayed starting college in order to expand her horizons. She spent the fall teaching English to middle school children in a rural village outside Kumasi, Ghana and then studied art history in Venice, Italy during the spring. She is currently a junior at Tufts University, majoring in International Relations and Economics with a focus in African development. She plans to study abroad next semester in Cameroon with the School for International Training. Considering 50 percent of Ghanaians do not have access to clean drinking water and the World Bank is building a multi-million dollar pipeline from oil fields in Chad through Cameroon, she is looking forward to taking advantage of EPIIC's topic this year.

Katherine Conway
Katherine was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. She was raised loving the outdoors, camping, backpacking, and mountain climbing. She is a sophomore here at Tufts and is majoring in Community Health and International Relations. At Tufts, she directs National Student Partnerships, which is a new volunteering organization that works with homeless and jobless clients in the Medford and Somerville communities. She is also participating in TIILES this semester, a service-learning class focused on Nicaragua. She spent her summer supervising for a program called Amigos de las Americas in Honduras, and through this she spent three months backpacking and checking on volunteers in the campo region of Intibuca. She supervised the volunteers in doing water sanitation work as well as other house hold improvement projects. When she grows up, she wants to participate in diplomatic work that focuses on international health issues.

Walter De Simoni
Walter is currently a freshman at Tufts University, possibly double majoring in International Relations and Economics and minoring in Mathematics. He was born and raised for most of his life in Brazil, most specifically in Minas Gerais. For 13 years he lived in Morro do Níquel. After that he lived in São Paulo for three and half years and in Venezuela for three more years. He graduated from Colegio Internacional de Caracas, in which he completed the International Baccalaureate program and learned English and Spanish. Throughout his life he has been involved in different activities, such as street hockey, photography and different Model United Nations conferences. He spent most of his summer
working for the Discovery Channel as a dubbing artist and translator for different shows. Walter looks forward to his new life at Tufts and believes that EPIIC will give him the chance to take full advantage of everything this University has to offer.

Kelly Douglas
Kelly is a senior from Waccabuc, New York. She is majoring in international relations and just returned from an amazing year in Santiago, Chile. Kelly has been interested in IR and languages since the years she spent in Holland as a child and has always wanted to be a spy. Currently, Kelly is working on accumulating foreign languages because she firmly believes there is no reason for not being able to communicate with as many people as possible. In her spare time, she also enjoys watching movies, playing tennis, rowing, painting, and traveling.

Michael Doyle
Originally from Poughkeepsie, NY, Mike is a senior majoring in International Relations. During his sophomore year, he was a member of Tufts BRIDGES to Nicaragua program in its inaugural year. He and sixteen other Tufts students traveled to Siuna, Nicaragua, where they worked on both the construction of a maternity clinic and alongside campesinos in a sustainable agriculture project. He considers this trip to be a significant personal and academic incitement toward more global awareness, which led him to spend the fall semester of his junior year in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Through the SIT Culture and Society program, he studied the national response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic under President Ravalomanana. He was then able to compliment this experience with the Tufts in Paris program the following spring, where he worked at the French non-profit Sidaction on the project «Acces-Commun,» an effort promoting community-based access to antiretroviral therapy to both donors and political actors. In his spare time he enjoys travel, running and playing guitar. He looks forward to working with many of Tufts' finest this year in EPIIC and exploring the implications of oil and water issues in public health policy.

Alexander Duncan
Alex is a senior majoring in International Relations with a concentration in Europe and the former Soviet Union. He is originally from Bethesda, MD. Alex just returned from his junior year abroad in Moscow and is now proficient in Russian and Russian drinking traditions. The past two summers he has interned in both the Senate and the House, where he researched renewable energy, foreign affairs, homeland security, and public diplomacy. He enjoys all sorts of foreign travel, learning about foreign cultures, the winter sport of curling, which he has played since he was 12, ultimate Frisbee, juggling, baseball, listening to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, and following major league baseball. In the future, he hopes to pursue a degree in International Law and potentially go into politics. He is very excited about this year and the opportunities to examine global affairs that EPIIC will provide.

Emily Estrada
Emily was born in 1983, the oldest child of a Catholic Mexican and a Jewish, die-hard Mets fan from New York. She, however, has lived almost her entire life in the white-bread suburbia of Connecticut. Emily is currently a senior, double-majoring in international relations and environmental studies, and her secret life ambitions include - in no particular order - running a marathon, singing karaoke, and founding an NGO. Emily has been playing the clarinet for 12 years, and also enjoys occasionally rockin' out on the piano. She has participated in such on-campus organizations as Water Watch and ECO. On the Tufts women's ultimate Frisbee team, she is a force to be reckoned with. Emily spent the previous semester in Spain, learning how to speak Spanish like the kings and cooking on a stove-top. During her summers, she has had such odd jobs as interning for Senator Joe Lieberman, conducting research for Connecticut's Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and working at a summer camp for inner-city children.

Chelsea Feerer
Chelsea is proudly from Columbus, Ohio. She is a senior, majoring in architectural studies, which she hopes will lead her to a career in urban planning. Last summer in Maine, she pursued her dream of being a whitewater rafting guide. Chelsea spends her time rock climbing, swimming, and working at the Global Development & Environment Institute at Tufts (GDAE). In 2002, she was a member of the Tufts delegation to the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg and has wanted to participate in EPIIC ever since.

Amanda Fencl
Amanda was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago. She is a sophomore, majoring in Environmental Studies and International Relations. A musician since birth, she satisfies her musical craving as a double bassist in the Tufts Symphony Orchestra. An avid environmentalist, she works to raise awareness of environmental issues as an officer in Tufts' Environmental Consciousness Outreach (ECO) and as an intern at Tufts' Institute of the Environment. In the rare occasion of free time, she loves exploring photography, cooking, and knitting endless yards of scarves. As part of EPIIC this year, Amanda looks forward to discovering new ways to combine her creative and ecological energies and to challenging her existing notions of environmental problems.

Katharine Ferguson
Katharine is from Denver, Colorado and is now a senior at Tufts studying international relations and Russian. Her interest in global issues of all kinds arises from an early case of the travel bug, which has lead her on many adventures around the world and an uncanny determination to uncover common ground between all peoples. Specifically, she is interested in food security and agriculture as they pertain to sustainable development and public health. Often up with the sun, she is a member of the women's varsity swim team and enjoys triathlons, climbing mountains, and road races on those elusive free weekends.

Nicolas Gortzounian
Originally from Armenia, Nicky was born in upstate New York and raised in France. Growing up, he frequently travelled between Western Europe, the US and Africa, giving him exposure to the world and sparking his curiosity. He always inquires about other people's backgrounds, and he believes that working with people of different up-bringings generates a more tolerant, nurturing environment. Over the years, Nicky has developed a passion for languages. His other interests include aerospace, molecular biology, and swing dancing. When asked what he is majoring in, he invariably responds: 'everything.' Such are the luxuries bestowed upon Freshmen.

Rachael Hereford
Rachael is a senior majoring in Political Science and Spanish. She grew up in Newmarket, NH. She spent her junior year studying abroad in Havana, Cuba and in the Washington Semester program in DC, where she had an internship with Americans for Democratic Action. She is also involved with the Multi-Racial Organization of Students at Tufts (MOST), the Socialist Alternative, and the International Socialist Organization. After she graduates, she plans to enter the non-profit international development sector and concentrate on human rights.

Unaza Khan
Unaza Khan was born in the warm and historical city of Lahore, Pakistan. At the age of thirteen, she moved to East Islip, New York. Her interests today are informed by the compilation of her experiences in Pakistan and the United States. She is currently a sophomore majoring in International Relations. At Tufts, she is involved in the University College, National Students Partnerships, Tufts Literacy Corp., Tufts Association of South Asians, and the Muslim Students Association. Her interests include painting, drawing, reading, and writing poetry. Unaza is very excited about taking part in EPIIC: to learn about the world, challenge herself, and pursue research in issues that interest her.

Gabriel Koehler-Derrick
Gabriel is a senior and native son of the Hoosier State raised o0n tales of Larry "Legend" and years of Bobby Knight antics. At the age of 16 he went abroad with the American Field Service to Naples, Italy which is entirely responsible for his love of travel, SSC Napoli (unfortunately), and languages. Since arriving at Tufts he has managed to take trips to Argentina, Senegal, and most recently he spent a year studying in Egypt. He is a proud member of la iglesia de la mano de Dios and prays for the recovery of Diego (D10s). His future plans include exploring Argentina with his compañera, Sabrina.

Adam Koeppel
Adam Koeppel hails from San Francisco. Spending junior year abroad in London stoked his previous interest in international issues. Adam is a Mechanical Engineering and Political Science double major and hopes to use his two fields of study to bring a new perspective to the EPIIC course. In addition to academics, Adam is currently teaching a class at the Ex College entitled 'How Things Work.' After graduation, Adam hopes to combine his two interests, engineering and politics, in order to benefit international development.

Rachel Leven
Rachel Leven is a sophomore. She was born in New York City. At 13, she moved to Singapore and attended the Singapore American School. After ninth grade, she moved to Tokyo, Japan, and graduated from the American School in Japan. Among her pre-college activities are a five-week homestay in Tottori, Japan, where she attended a local high school; a teaching position at Tokyo's Jewish Community Center; and participation in Habitat for Humanity (Fiji). Along with EPIIC, she is also involved in the New Initiative for Middle East Peace, a student think tank and cultural advocacy initiative affiliated with the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts. Last year she was proud to participate with the group in a fact finding mission to Israel and the West Bank. This year she is also involved with the Tufts Ultimate Frisbee team and is treasurer of the Japanese Culture Club.

Dora Levinson
Dora Levinson is a sophomore currently planning to double major in Community Health and History. In addition to her academic studies, she has been actively involved in public health programs in India, among them an analysis of the nutritional and health well-being of young children in the state of Punjab, an evaluation of a UNICEF assisted maternal and child health project in Bihar, and a mobile health clinic for street children in Kolkata.

Daniel Mandell
Daniel is a senior hailing from the Land of the Dimpled Chad: West Palm Beach, Florida. Living in famous places is nothing new for Daniel, as he has also lived in Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania where, yes, George Washington crossed the Delaware River. In high school, his argumentative nature led him to a highly prosperous career in Lincoln-Douglas Debate, along with a reputation for activism with the faculty and administration. Since arriving at Tufts, he has restarted the Debate Society, been involved with various environmental and political groups, and learned the intricate art of projection from the Tufts Film Series Group. After being involved with the 02-03 EPIIC colloquium ('Sovereignty and Intervention'), Daniel spent his junior year in London interning with The Federal Trust for Education and Research, occasionally attending class at University College London, and studying British Parliamentary Debate with the UCL Debate Society. This year, with a declared political science major, Daniel hopes to use his time in EPIIC to find a place to go when Tufts finally tells him to go away.

Aaron May
Aaron May is a senior at Tufts, majoring in political science. He is focused on issues of foreign and security policy, as well as the political and policy implications of new technologies. Aaron has worked for a number of private and governmental organizations in the Washington DC area, including Booz | Allen | Hamilton, Jane's Information Group, and the Executive Office of the President. He enjoys sailing, power boating, power napping and other power-related activities. Aaron likes writing, but finds his sense of humor too dark for political speechwriting and yet insufficiently amusing for the likes of The Daily Show or The Onion . He also enjoys the looks of bafflement he occasionally induces in others.

Elexia McGovern
Lexie McGovern is a senior at Tufts University, where she is majoring in International Relations and Latin American studies. Born in Lubbock, Texas into a multicultural family, her academic and personal interests are inspired by her diverse background. Latin America, particularly Mexico, has always been an extremely important part of her life as her mother is Mexican-American. Through her father's side, she was introduced to the Irish culture and is a dual citizen of Ireland and the US. Lexie is involved in a number of organizations which reflect her passions and interests. Among these organizations are: MOST (Multicultural Organization of Students at Tufts), the Tufts Symphony Orchestra, LCS, and Concilio Hispano. During her spring semester, she studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico where she further explored grassroots movements. She is unsure of her future plans after graduation, but she is sure it will somehow encompass her joint passions of Latin America and social justice.

Lauren Miller
Lauren is currently a senior here at Tufts, majoring in International Relations and concentrating in European Studies. She transferred to Tufts for her sophomore year from American University's School of International Service in Washington, D.C. Although she lived most of her life on Cape Cod, in Dennis, MA, she attended Phillips Academy Andover for high school. During her senior year of high school, she had the opportunity to live in Burgos, Spain as an exchange student. It was during her time in Spain that Lauren really developed her passion for European culture and politics. She hopes to integrate this year's EPIIC's theme of Oil & Water with her interests in Europe, energy policy and security studies, not only into research for this year but for post-graduate research as well.

Odmaa Otgonbileg
Odmaa was born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia and moved to Erdenet when she was four. Her parents received their education in the former Soviet Union. Her mother is a doctor of pharmaceutical science and since 2001 has been a member of the Mongolian Parliament (Ikh Hural). Her father was a doctor of technical science, an honorary professor of Irkutsk mining institute, a general director of Erdenet Mining Corporation, the president of the Mongolian National Olympic Committee, and a member of the Mongolian Parliament. He was instrumental in bringing international attention to the almost unknown weather disaster called Zud, which is almost exclusive to Mongolian conditions. Odmaa studied in a Russian school in Erdenet from first to eighth grade, then spent one year at an American high school in Bethesda, MD, before completing her last three years of high school at Aiglon College in Switzerland. At Aiglon, she developed an interest in developmental and environmental issues, particularly concerning the allocation of natural resources. Initially undecided about her major at Tufts, Odmaa sampled a breadth of Tufts courses before settling on International Relations and Economics as her majors.

Dalia Palchik
Dalia was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina but has lived most of her life in Fairfax, Virginia. She is currently a senior majoring in Anthropology and French and spent last year studying abroad in Paris. She spent the year pursuing her disciplines from a slightly different perspective and studying the immigrant communities in France and Europe. Coming from a culinary family, her passion is cooking for friends while listening to good music. She is interested in issues regarding migrant communities and literature studies, mostly francophone, written by its members. Her future plans range from joining the Peace Corps and becoming a visual anthropologist specializing in West Africa to opening a tea room for discussion and music somewhere by the sea.

Everett Peachey
Everett graduated from The College of Wooster (Wooster, OH) in 2001 with a BA in International Relations. Upon graduation, he entered the U.S. Peace Corps, where he served as an university English teacher in both Russia and Kazakhstan. He enrolled at The Fletcher School when he returned to the U.S. in the fall of 2003, and he is currently in his second year here. Formally, his fields of study are Development Economics, Southwest Asia, and the United States. He has a particular interest in this year's EPIIC colloquium, especially as the issues of oil and water relate to Central Asia. He published an article in the Spring 2003 issue of the Journal of Public and International Affairs entitled "The Aral Sea Basin Crisis and Sustainable Water Resource Management in Central Asia," and he is currently circulating an article for publication on the potential for conflict in transboundary water and oil relations between Kazakhstan and the People's Republic of China. He spent this past summer as a Political/Economic Intern at the U.S. Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and he was able to continue researching these issues on the side while there. He hopes to continue studying these areas as he looks toward his master's thesis in the near-term and potentially a dissertation in the long-run.

Yissy Perez

Sajid Pothiawala
Sajid is a current Tufts senior who was born in Norwich, Connecticut, in May of 1984, to parents who immigrated from India a decade or so earlier. At a very young age, he found issues of social justice and globalization fascinating, two interests that do not exactly prevent a child from being beat up on the playground. At the age of 17, Sajid graduated from the Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, CT, where he spent three years on a student task force assembled by the administration that tackled issues of ethnic and socioeconomic diversity. At Tufts, Sajid has spent three years trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life, and along the way he has declared a major in Quantitative Economics and is actively pursuing a minor in Moral and Political Philosophy. His Tufts record is peppered with the numerous student groups he committed to and soon tired of, including but not limited to, the TCU Senate and numerous on-campus publications. He is also an avid tennis player and through his will and his will alone he has inexorably tied his fate to that of the Red Sox.

Christopher Quirk
Christopher Quirk is a senior at Tufts University, majoring in English. His extensive travels and the lessons he has gleaned while on the road have inspired in him a desire to communicate his experiences to others. While literature and journalism have long been a conduit for conveying information and intellectual discourse, Chris hopes that his creativity and passion for prose and the arts will culminate in innovations of fiction that incorporate serious discussion of moral conundrums with accessible, enjoyable narrative. He suspects that EPIIC will both broaden his understanding of those moral quandaries and link him with others who share similar goals.

Lisa Reitman
Lisa is a senior majoring in Internal Relations, concentrating on Nationalism, Culture and Identity. She is from Montreal and loves the city's sense of multiculturalism and sophistication. Fluent in French, she studied abroad in Paris during the fall semester of her junior year. She is an avid traveler, skier, and enjoys spending time with friends and family. She hopes to attend law school in the near future and intends to spend some part of her life in New York City and Paris. This fall, she is a co-leader of a Perspectives class for freshmen. She is also an active member of her sorority Alpha Phi. This summer, she interned for the Governor of Massachusetts in the Press Office. EPIIC appeals to her as it combines her international interests with political activism.

Diane Rish
Diane Rish is a senior at Tufts University, pursuing a major in International Relations and a minor in Economics. Diane was born in Toronto, Canada to a Mexican mother and an American father and is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States. At a young age, she moved to the United States where she lived for a few years before moving to Europe. While living in Europe, Diane attended the American International School in Nice, France and later attended an international boarding school in Geneva, Switzerland. Diane's multicultural background, experience growing up overseas, and her travels around the world, have all led to her profound interest in international relations. She is particularly interested in US-Mexico relations and has had several work experiences along the US-Mexico border, which include working with the Mexican Consulate, the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, and Las Americas Refugee and Asylum Project. Although Diane is eager to return to the US-Mexico border to work in the field of economic development following her graduation in May, she is equally excited to have the opportunity to learn more about other regions of the world through her participation in this year's EPIIC program.

Shanti Sattler
Shanti Sattler is a sophomore at Tufts University majoring in International Relations and Peace and Justice Studies. She was born and raised in Eureka, California. Her interests lie in international affairs, political science, social justice and the environment. She learned to love traveling and exploring other worlds at a young age and hopes to continue to do so throughout her life. While in high school, she studied in Quito, Ecuador. At Tufts, she is on the swim team and in the Tufts Mountain Club. She is also an active member and coordinator of several community service projects around campus. Fulfilling other loves of Spanish and Latin culture, she teaches English as a second language for El Salvadoran immigrants in the Somerville community. In her spare time, she likes to do anything and everything in the outdoors, especially mountain biking, backpacking and kayaking. She also likes to bake and do photography.

Laura Schenkein
Laura Schenkein, a New York native, is currently a senior at Tufts, majoring in international relations. She recently returned to Boston after spending her junior year studying in Spain and Chile, where she hiked, enjoyed the ocean, and conducted research on Chilean public opinion. Laura's academic interests include conflict resolution and security studies, and she hopes to work to prevent the widespread abuse of human rights. She interned at the National Security Archive, where she declassified government documents on human rights abuses in Peru and received the IR Research Scholars Grant to work on her senior thesis on cross-national variations in public opinion towards humanitarian intervention. She also interned at the Democratic National Convention and currently works as a Writing Fellow at Tufts. Laura spends as much time as she can outdoors, loves skiing, and occasionally plays ultimate frisbee. She is excited to be part of EPIIC and hopes the course challenges her to reexamine her perceptions of the world.

Kathrine Schmidt
Kat Schmidt is a sophomore from Princeton, NJ, majoring in English and International Relations, and she is thrilled to be part of EPIIC this year. She is a News Editor for the Tufts Daily , and in her spare time she enjoys being outside, reading an eclectic assortment of books and periodicals, cooking vegetables, taking silly digital pictures, writing, and dabbling in Capoeira, an Afro Brazilian Martial Art/Dance. This summer, she interned at Manhattan's Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, a small nonprofit leading a coalition of religious investors in shareholder activism. She also worked for an environmental camp near home, leading backpacking and canoeing trips and teaching about organic farming and water quality. She would like to pursue a career in journalism or teaching.

Margaret Senese
Margaret, a sophomore, is a recent transfer from the College of Engineering to the College of Liberal Arts. This illustrates her diverse and many interests, and she eagerly welcomes the chance to synthesize seemingly disparate issues in this year's colloquium. She is a very proud native of New Jersey. In her 19 years she has never left the United States and hopes to do so in the near future. Margaret talks with strangers in 24-hours diners, plays on the beach at night, and drives traffic circles with abandon. She has not yet declared a major.

Sinan Seyhun
Sinan is a first year graduate student in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy, where he plans to concentrate on energy policy. He was born in Ankara and grew up in Istanbul, Turkey where he got his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Bogazici University. He has interned at several factories in Turkey that manufacture power plant components. In addition to his technical background, Sinan has always been interested in political and social issues. These interests have fueled his travels to conflicted regions like Northern Cyprus, Southeastern Turkey and Bosnia-Herzegovina, where he worked for a volunteer project called 'Builders for Peace' during the summer of 2003 to help the reconstruction efforts in the historical city of Mostar. Sinan is a soccer player and a mountain climber. He loves watching films, traveling, camping out, skiing and listening to reggae music.

Rana Shabb
Rana is currently a junior majoring in quantitative economics. She was born in Houston, Texas and lived there for the first seven years of her life while her parents were completing their studies. At the age of seven, she moved with her family back to Lebanon where she attended a French school. She earned her French scientific baccalaureate there. She enjoys playing badminton, scuba diving and absorbing the sun. She spent many summers doing voluntary work in a camp which hosted refugee children from around the Middle East (mostly from Iraq). Dealing so closely and personally with "hot political issues" in the region made her realize the need for mutual understating and regional development. Growing up in Lebanon, a country where western and oriental values constantly mix or clash, has offered her many things: her fluency in three languages Arabic, English and French, and an appetite for broadening her understanding of the relationship between the west and the Muslim world.

Nia Stoykova
Nia Stoykova is a native of Bulgaria, but currently she is a senior at Tufts, working on her education in International Relations (while playing with Environmental Studies and Economics). She spent her junior year reading (and eating, and breathing) Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Pembroke College, Oxford University. Aside from this, she likes to exercise volleyball and power (as a Resident Assistant) and is a bit of a computer geek (as her long "career" at the GIS center would testify). So far the trade winds have taken her to the US, England, France, Latvia, Czech Republic, Spain and Germany, but she does like to stay in one place too.

Carol Strulovic
Carol left her hometown Caracas, Venezuela at age 16 to study French in Montreux, Switzerland for a year and travel around the world. She's currently a senior at Tufts majoring in Economics and Psychology. Last summer, Carol worked in the marketing department at a TV network company in Venezuela. She spent this summer in Hong Kong and Beijing with the TILIP program and had an internship at HSBC. This year Carol will be organizing the TILIP symposium, writing a thesis in the field of behavioral finance, and is very excited about participating in EPIIC and its anniversary theme, oil and water.

Ariela Summit
Ariela Summit is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies and History. She is particularly interested in questions of environmental justice and global inequality as they relate to issues of food and water. Ariela is a native of Medford, but recently spent a year in Southern India working on an organic farm and studying yoga (one of her main passions). She was a member of the Tufts River Institute, and has interned with Eagle Eye, an environmental education group targeting underserved youth. Ariela plans to write her senior honors thesis this year on water rights in Sri Lanka in conjunction with EPIIC. She is fascinated by Sri Lanka because of the intersections between Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity, as well as the complex environmental and political situation. Ariela loves tropical fruit, and gardens, and the morning-time.

Oleg Svet
Oleg was born in 1986 in Ukraine, part of the Soviet Union. He came to Herzliya, Israel in 1990. Eight years later, he moved to Massachusetts and studied at Westborough High School. Following September 11th, he founded a political club, the Westborough Chapter of the Junior State of America, which one won the 2001 Chapter of the Year Award. He worked for liberals and Congressmen and Senators, Gubernatorial and Presidential campaigns, and the National Convention. He is currently a freshman and is hoping to double major in International Relations and International Law. He is a moderate who never chooses sides based on what one political party says. His hobby is reading non-fiction (historical commentary) and fiction (classical). He is passionate about international relations and conflict resolution.

Zofia Sztykowski
Zofia is a sophomore at Tufts with a major in Political Science and a minor in English. She was born in Gdansk, Poland but has lived the majority of her life in the United States and currently calls Rehoboth, MA home. At Tufts, she is a member of the Varsity Women's Crew team and of the editorial board of the Daily . She has also participated in the Tufts Democrats and hopes to study abroad in England next year. This summer, she worked at a non-profit summer camp for children from inner-city Boston and considers this one of the most rewarding experiences she has had. She anticipates that EPIIC will soon be a part of this list as well. Like many young people, she intends to change the world, or at least a part of it, and believes that participation in EPIIC will open her eyes in ways that will help her to do so.

Katie Todd
Katie is extremely excited to be doing EPIIC this year. She is a senior studying Geology and Engineering Science and has been involved with numerous activities here at Tufts, including Tufts Mountain CLub, the Women´s Varsity Rowing team, and Water Watch. She spends her free time hiking all over the East coast and playing frisbee, soccer and volleyball. In the spring and summer season of 2003, she completed a 2,172 miles trek through 14 states and the forests of the East coast on the Appalachian Trail. It took her five and a half months and changed her life. Katie likes to contemplate environmental issues and policies and thinks she will feel very at home in EPIIC.

Dan Toga
Dan is a senior majoring in International Relations, with a focus on Eastern Europe and European integration, and minoring in Italian. The travel bug first bit him during a yearlong experience in Germany during high school as a Rotary International Youth Exchange Student, where he lived with a German host family and attended school at the Richard-Wagner-Gymnasium in Bayreuth. Since then he has spent an extended period living and working in Australia, and has traveled independently throughout much of Europe and Southeast Asia. Dan also just returned from a semester at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy where he focused on EU affairs. Consequently, he now speaks German and Italian with relative fluency and can order a beer in another dozen languages. Outside of the classroom, Dan is an active member of the Tufts E-men Ultimate Frisbee team and has participated in tournaments throughout the US and abroad. He is also interested in photography, especially travel photography as its gives him another excuse to travel. Seeing the 99.99 percent of the world that he has not yet experienced remains a goal for Dan and probably will figure heavily into his choice of career.

Julia Tong
Julia Tong is a sophomore majoring in International Relations. She is from Bala Cynwyd, PA and attended Lower Merion High School. She is fluent in Cantonese, speaks French, and is learning Mandarin. She is passionate about traveling, frisbee, Spanish music, craft projects, and exotic cuisine. Her most memorable trips include backpacking in Alaska, meeting her extended family in China, and most recently, six weeks in France. She is on the Tufts Ultimate Frisbee team and is an Asian American Peer Leader.

Valerie Wood
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Valerie has known that her future would include some sort of medicine ever since she was a little girl. The eldest of three girls, she spent her childhood days going to the hospital with her father and to the stable with her mother. A true horse lover, Valerie spent a good deal of her college career deciding whether she should go into human or veterinary medicine. After deciding that she would rather spend her life caring for mankind, as long as she can ride horses on the side, Valerie has started to tackle the next BIG question: What kind of doctor do you want to be? Her interest in history (her major) and man's ever present battle with disease has pushed her in the direction of infectious diseases, where she hopes to focus on one of history's newest killers: HIV. While she finds the health related aspects surrounding water especially intriguing, she looks forward to this year's EPIIC topic of Oil and Water with much excitement. As a senior, Valerie is excited about what's to come - whatever it may be. Besides all that, she loves cats and dogs (equally!), horses, and Skyline Chili.

Alex Wright
Alex is a freshman who was born and raised in San Diego, California, to a proud mother from Paris and father from New York. She has lived with her family in France for a few months every summer and has played the violin for 14 years. Her seventh grade science teacher, Mr. Otis, raised her interest in environmental and ecological issues, and she has been passionate about them ever since. She did internships at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography for two summers and organized a series young musician concerts to raise money for various environmental causes, mainly in the rainforests of Central and South America. One of these concerts raised money for the private endeavor of two ecologists in Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula. Their goal is to find ways to profit from the rainforest without destroying it. In her senior year, Alex founded the Environmental Club at her school and organized a (hopefully annual) community service trip to the Osa Peninsula for a dozen students. Alex's interest in environmental issues has led her to be curious about all aspects of the oil and water industries. Her work at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography led her to realize that, in order to change government policy on ecological issues as well as others, one must be in the political world. That is one of many reasons that she has decided to major in Political Science. She is looking forward to learning all that EPIIC has to offer.