The 2016 Albright Institute Wintersession Is Underway; Meet This Year's Fellows Class
The Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs 2016 Wintersession is underway. Over the next several weeks, 40 students will begin a transformative process that will take them from Wellesley classrooms to internship placements at leading organizations around the world and back again. The Institute is designed to train the next generation of global leaders to think broadly about complex international issues such as war, famine, and climate change.
As a living laboratory of the value and real-world application of the liberal arts disciplines, the Albright Institute fosters an innovative approach to problem solving. The Albright Fellows learn from prominent speakers, including Wellesley faculty, alumnae practitioners, and thought leaders from outside organizations, and work together in interdisciplinary groups on a variety of pressing international issues. The session culminates in presentations to the Institute’s Distinguished Visiting Professor who, this year, is Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Korbel Albright ’59 herself.
This year’s Albright Fellows class comprises 20 juniors and 20 seniors, including one Davis Scholar. They represent 28 different majors at the College and 13 different countries: Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Ireland, Japan, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam. There are 33 U.S. citizens (including five with dual citizenship) and six international students.
The Institute faculty includes Wellesley College professors, policy makers, business executives, and journalists, many of whom are Wellesley alumnae. Included among this year’s faculty are: Admiral Michelle Howard, the first African-American Navy commander and first four-star woman admiral in naval history; Dr. Ana Revenga ’85, senior director, poverty and equity global practice, for the World Bank; and Bob Kitchen, director of Emergency Preparedness and Response for the International Rescue Committee. Lectures will address topics like the international refugee crisis; global leadership in science, engineering, and the liberal arts; and understanding poverty in the world, among others.
The Albright Institute Wintersession concludes on January 21, but two special engagements will follow this year. On January 31, the Albright Institute will host a public dialogue entitled “Addressing Global Inequality” and, on January 30 and 31, the Institute will host past years’ fellows, now Wellesley alumnae, for a reunion.
The Fellows are listed below; please visit the Albright Institute website for more information on each student, including a short bio.
2016 Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs Fellows
Crystal Adu-Poku ’16 – Political Science
Ayotimoni Akindolie ’16 – Economics
Kim Asenbeck ’17 – Computer Science; Economics
Amal Cheema ‘17 – Biochemistry; Political Science
Saraphin Dhanani ’16 – Economics; Political Science
Olivia Duggan ’17 – Sociology
Leila Elabbady ’16 – Neuroscience
Ilhan Esse ’16 – Biological Sciences; Spanish
Sophie Gibert ’16 – Individual Major: Biology & Society; Philosophy
Hannah Harris ’16 – Astrophysics
Mackenzie Hempe ’16 – Peace & Justice Studies
Isabelle Herde ’17 – Geosciences
Jalena Keane-Lee ’17 – Cinema & Media; Political Science
Tessa Kellner ’17 – Middle Eastern Studies; Classical Civilization
Stephanie Kim ’17 – Biochemistry
Nhung (Michelle) Le ’16 – Mathematics; Economics
Shan Lee ’16 – Economics; English
Vivien Lee ’17 – Economics; Psychology
Alice Liang ’16 – Economics; Political Science
Simone Liano ’17 – Neuroscience
Lilian Ma ’17 – Computer Science; Economics
Katharine Mallary ’17 – Political Science; American Studies
Cathleen McGovern ’16 – Music; Mathematics
Brianne O'Donoghue ’17 – Peace & Justice Studies
Elizabeth Olson ’16 – Neuroscience; French
Lucia Ortega ’17 – Biochemistry; Spanish
Rose Owen ’16 – Political Science
Savitri Restrepo Alvarez ’16 – IR: Political Science
Gloria Sanchez ’17 – Political Science
Rebecca Selch ’17 – Sociology; Art History
Sanam Shetty ’17 – IR: Economics
Sophia Sokolowski ’16 – Biological Sciences
Cali Stenson ’17 – Computer Science
Sartu Taha ’16 – Biological Sciences; Spanish
Bhavana Vadrevu ’17 – Neuroscience
Sierra Weingartner ’17 – Biological Sciences
Carine Wete ’16 (Davis Scholar) – Economics
Amy Wickett ’16 – Economics
Hanae Yaskawa ’17 – Physics; Italian Studies
Claudia Yau ’16 – Philosophy