Perry World House Meet Our 2022-23 Perry World House Student Fellows

Perry World House has selected 34 students for the 2022-23 class of our World House Student Fellows Program! The Student Fellows, who come from a wide range of academic backgrounds, represent all four of Penn's undergraduate schools.

"The World House Student Fellows program has been a cornerstone of our work almost from the very beginning," said Perry World House Senior Executive Director LaShawn R. Jefferson. "It is incredible to be a part of our Student Fellows' evolving understanding of global policy issues, preparing them for contributions on the world stage."

Our Student Fellows will take part in weekly seminars with expert faculty and policymakers, and explore a global policy challenge of their choice through a year-long group project. While working toward the end-of-year presentation of their work at their annual conference, they also benefit from engagement with Perry World House visitors, faculty, and postdoctoral fellows.

The 2022-23 Perry World House Student Fellows are (A * star denotes a returning fellow):

Amber Afzali,* a rising senior from California, studies Political Science with a concentration in International Relations and Psychology with a minor in Arabic. She is interested in human rights efforts in the Middle East and South Asia, as well as how American foreign policy is influenced by regional events. Afzali serves as a board member for Penn International Impact Consulting and enjoys learning languages in her free time.

Srish Chenna is a rising junior studying Bioengineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is interested in the nexus of bioethics, global health, and biomedical engineering, especially concerning patient care in the developing world.

Tana Cuturela* is a rising junior from Romania, majoring in Cognitive Science and minoring in Consumer Psychology. She is passionate about the intersection of neuroscience and fields including business, politics and marketing. Cuturela is also part of clubs such as Penn Neuroscience Society and Wharton Alliance and enjoys doing research for the Neuroscience Community Education Lab.

Maya El-Sharif is a rising sophomore from Florida, majoring in Political Science, Criminology, and Psychology and minoring in Gender Studies and Economic Policy. She is interested in gender, education policy, the economy, and politics in the Middle East. She is currently involved in several student organizations, including Mock Trial and Penn Debate Society, and coaches and competes in policy debate.

Laura Eugene, a rising junior from Florida, studies Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a minor in Africana Studies at the College of Arts and Sciences. She is interested in human rights and how global policy can protect communities. Outside of class, Eugene is the Education Chair for CityStep, a youth mentorship program that works with West Philadelphia schools.

Victoria Fethke, a rising senior from Germany, is a Physics major with a minor in Data Science and an Accelerated Master student in Mechanical Engineering. She is interested in bridging the gap between technology and policy to accelerate space exploration and build sustainable practices in the space economy. She co-leads the Penn Rocket Team at Penn Aerospace Club and is involved in the Wharton Undergraduate Aerospace Club and Penn Climate Ventures.

Daniel Gurevitch, a rising junior from Pennsylvania, studies Political Science and Psychology with a minor in Computer Science at the College of Arts and Sciences. He is interested in Human Rights and Peace and Conflict Resolution. Outside of Perry World House, Gurevitch is a Benjamin Franklin Scholar. He is the Managing Editor of the Penn Political Review, an opinion writer for The Daily Pennsylvanian, and a member of Penn's competitive Model UN team.

Win Mya Thet Htwe is a rising junior from Myanmar studying Finance and Business Analytics at the Wharton School with a minor in international development. She is interested in the advancement of economic development in developing countries. Htwe received a $10,000 Davis Projects for Peace grant through Penn Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowship (CURF), traveling to Malaysia with her teammates to carry out an international development project with refugee populations.

Zarah Huo is a rising sophomore from California studying Nursing. She is interested in the global expansion of medical services and technology to fight healthcare inequality and disparities.

Akash Jain, a rising senior from North Carolina, studies Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Marketing and Operations Management at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Wharton School. He is interested in leveraging technological developments to promote global health and education access, while better understanding the causes of global inequity.

Aashna Kammila, a rising junior from Toronto, Canada, studies Politics, Philosophy and Economics with a minor in Legal Studies and History at the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research interests lie in the areas of human rights, trafficking and migration. She is also involved in research for Penn's political science department and Wharton Global Research and Consulting, and has previously interned for the Think Tank and Civil Societies program.

David Adam Kato,* a rising junior from Rwanda, intends to major in Political Science and is also on the PreMed track. He is interested in international politics and global affairs, specifically international conflict and conflict mediation. On campus, Kato serves as the Undergraduate Vice-chair on the International Student Advisory Board, and is involved with Christian Union and Renewal College Fellowship.

Leah Lerner,* a rising senior from Avon, Connecticut, studies PPE with a concentration in globalization. Her research interests include political oppression, Arab-Israeli relations, and U.S. intervention in conflicts abroad. Outside of Perry World House, she is co-President of the Shabbatones and a peer counselor for Penn Benjamins. 

Caroline Li,* a rising junior from Massachusetts, studies Finance and Statistics with a minor in Political Science and Computer Science. She is interested in international economic development and women's economic empowerment, specifically in the Asia-Pacific region. On campus, Li is involved with the Undergraduate Assembly and social entrepreneurship.

Helen Lortie* is a rising junior from Maryland. She is studying Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics and minoring in Mathematics. She is interested in technology policy as well as sustainability. She is involved with Penn Engineers without Borders and the Wharton Undergraduate Aerospace Club.

Madison McCullough, a rising senior from North Carolina, studies Nursing with a minor in Global Health and Bioethics in the School of Nursing. She is interested in caregiver burdens and burnout, the child welfare system, and health equity in the United States and abroad. She works as the special deliveries director at the Penn Student Agencies and is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated and Penn Benjamins on campus.

Henry McDaniel, a rising sophomore from Pennsylvania, studies History and Russian Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.  He is interested in researching new methods of cultural diplomacy, economic development in Eastern Europe, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and worldwide nuclear disarmament.

Tseion Mebratu, a rising senior from Nevada, studies Health and Societies with a concentration in Global Health and a minor in Chemistry. At Penn, Mebratu is a Johnson Scholar and works as a research assistant at the Perelman School of Medicine. She is also a recipient of the Ruth Marcus Kanter College Alumni Society Undergraduate Research Grant for her thesis, where she is studying how epidemics affect disability accommodations in U.S. education. 

Nisha Nalawade, a rising junior from Connecticut, studies International Relations with a minor in Environmental Studies. She is interested in the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN and the intersection between the environment and human rights.

Zuha Noor,* a rising senior from Pakistan, studies International Relations with minors in Economic Policy and Legal Studies and History at the College of Arts and Sciences. She is interested in international security, insurgency/counterinsurgency, asymmetric warfare, and economies of the developing/post-colonial world. She is a border security researcher with the Borders & Boundaries Project, Editor-in-Chief of the Penn Political Review, and Executive Team Lead at the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program.

Arina Paniukhina is a rising junior majoring in Cognitive Neuroscience and Philosophy, Politics, and Economics in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is interested in how emerging technologies influence international relations.

Chonnipha (Jing Jing) Piriyalertsak* is a rising senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, studying International Relations with a minor in History. A native of Thailand, she is Editor-In-Chief for The Pennsylvania Punch Bowl, Penn's first satire magazine, and a Benjamin Franklin Scholar. 

Gabriella Rabito,* a rising senior, studies Political Science: International Relations with a Graduate Certificate in Global Human Rights and a minor in Modern Middle Eastern Studies. She is interested in international human rights, specifically regarding mass atrocities, state-sponsored violence, and human rights law. She previously worked as a legal intern at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and an immigration law firm.

Vita Raskevicute* is a rising senior studying International Relations and Russian and Eastern European Studies in the College of Arts and Science. Born and raised in Lithuania, she is particularly interested in Eastern European social, political, and economic developments.

Ben Sailors, a rising sophomore from Ohio, studies Materials Science and Engineering with a concentration in Nanotechnology and a minor in Engineering Entrepreneurship at the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He is interested in the intersection between public policy, technology, and business. At Penn, Sailors is highly involved in student government as the Vice President of Finances for the 2025 Class Board and an Engineering Representative for the Undergraduate Assembly. 

Mahima Sangli* is a rising senior from California studying Finance and Statistics as well as International Studies and Russian. Through her research, Sangli seeks to understand the role global financial institutions play in facilitating illicit financial flows. 

Stacy Shimanuki, a rising junior from California, studies international studies and business through the Huntsman Program, concentrating in Japanese. She is interested in migration and migrant worker communities, and their intersection with labor policies, developing economies, and social issues. 

Oliver Stern is a rising senior studying Political Science and History. As an SNF Paideia Fellow, he is interested in the development and application of international law as it pertains to preventing human rights atrocities. He has previously interned with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL), as well as UN Watch, an NGO in Special Consultative Status to the UN Human Rights Council. 

Noah Sylvia,* a rising senior, studies International Relations and Russian and Eastern European Studies. He is interested in power dynamics in post-Soviet states and how violent non-state entities develop and operate over time. Sylvia researches Military Technology and Civilian Victimization, and is the co-editor-in-chief for the Sigma Iota Rho Journal of International Relations. 

Charles Conroy Tan is a rising sophomore from the Philippines studying Cognitive Science at the College of Arts and Sciences with a minor in Consumer Psychology at The Wharton School. He is interested in the intersection of economic and climate policy, particularly in emerging agrarian economies such as the Philippines. 

Megha Thomas, a rising junior from New Jersey, studies Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a minor in Biology. She is interested in global health and immigration issues, specifically in the Latin American region. Thomas also oversees member engagement for Penn for Refugee Empowerment and serves as an Associate Editor for the Penn Undergraduate Law Journal. 

Sriram Tolety,* from Massachusetts,is a senior pursuing a BSE in Computer Science; a BS in Economics concentrating in Finance, Management, and Statistics; and an MSE in Computer Science as part of the Jerome Fisher M&T Program. He is passionate about economic policy and global growth, and the use of technology in those disciplines. Aside from academics, he leads the M&T Innovation Fund.

Joshua Weiner,* a rising senior from Philadelphia, studies Political Science and Russian Studies with a minor in Economic Policy. He is interested in exploring how economic and cultural and social power translate into political influence in different types of regimes. Outside Perry World House, Weiner is a member of Penn's chess and boxing clubs, and works as a writing tutor. 

Joshua Yang,* a rising senior from Illinois, studies International Studies & Business through the Huntsman Program. He is interested in sustainable global development, human rights, and international institutions. Additionally, he is involved on campus as a Collegium Undergraduate Fellow, a member of the Korean Student Association, and a member of Penn International Impact Consulting.