Meet Our Current Dean's Scholars

Leah Berkman

Leah is a junior in the Elliott School of International Affairs concentrating in International Development and minoring in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is involved in several organizations at GW including the Model U.N. team and GW's chapter of She's the First. Leah will be researching how feminist movements in Cape Town have altered the South African Police Services' implementation of gender-based violence policy. While her question is still evolving, she is extremely passionate about women's rights and feminism. Leah is excited to study abroad in Cape Town, South Africa (spring 2020) where she will be conducting her research project. 

Steven Bernstein

Steven is majoring in International Affairs and Chinese. In addition to Dean's Scholars, he was in the Politics and Values Program and is currently in the Global Bachelor's Program. He has spent extended time studying abroad in mainland China and Taiwan. His research areas of interest are Taiwan's defense strategy and artificial intelligence.

McKenna Burelle

McKenna is a double major in International Affairs and Economics, and her specific academic interests lie in development economics. McKenna’s research in the Dean’s Scholars Program will focus on the social and economic implications of improved road connectivity throughout rural India under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) project. This summer McKenna lived in DC and interned at the Ethiopian Community Development Center (ECDC), where she built resumes, searched and applied for jobs, and conducted employment-plan interviews with immigrants and refugees from around the world. Currently, she works as a Learning Assistant for Professor Foster’s Principles of Mathematics for Economics class, where she holds weekly study sessions. Additionally, McKenna enjoys being a member of GW College Democrats and GW Women in Economics, and serving as the Director of Finance for her sorority and captain of the GW Women’s Club Soccer team. 

Alexander Erdman

Alexander Erdman is a student International Affairs and Geography. He participates in the executive board of the Orchestra and GW Polyglots. He works with student organizations at the Office of Student Affairs. 

Alexander is researching the impacts of governmental language policy. He studies the politics, educational system and administration of Greenland 

Tamara Fazylova

Tamara Fazylova is a junior at the Elliott School concentrating in Security Policy. She immigrated to the US from Uzbekistan and is a fluent Russian speaker. She has interned at OFAC and the DoD and hopes to continue her work in defense and security. She is currently researching how the U.S.S.R.'s defense policies against NATO differ from today's Russian Federation because of Russia's growing international influence. Her project focuses on the various strategies both states have used to counter NATO and strengthen their spheres of influence in Eastern Europe.

Zoe Garbis

Zoe is studying International Affairs with a concentration in Conflict Resolution and a minor in Sustainability, with primary academic interests in women in conflict, environmental peacebuilding, and climate security. She is also involved in GW European Horizons, a student-run policy incubator focused on European and transatlantic affairs and is an active member of Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Sorority. 

Her research focuses on the reintegration of women combatants in the FARC in Colombia. She aims to learn more about the role of women and their gendered experiences in violent insurgency, as well as the barriers in their transition to civilian life. Ultimately, she will explore the role that former combatant women play in the peace process and their impact on a sustainable peace in a country ravaged by decades of armed conflict.

Maisa Munawara 

At the Elliott School, Maisa is currently concentrating in Conflict and Conflict Resolution and minoring in Psychology. On campus, she is actively involved with Sigma Iota Rho as the Vice President of Academics and as the co-Vice President of the Muslim Students' Association. She is deeply passionate about South Asian history and politics and is excited to incorporate her love for the region as a part of her research. Maisa’s project will be examining the inclusion of culturally grounded constructions of mental health in Mental Health and Psychosocial Services (MHPSS) for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and its impact on facilitating access to stigmatized populations. She hopes to be able to connect this project to a broader discussion on sustainable humanitarian aid, further developing the link between MHPSS services and sustainable peacebuilding.

Eleni Pappas

Eleni is a junior in the Elliott School from Swarthmore Pennsylvania. She is studying International Affairs with a concentration in Comparative Political, Economic, and Social systems and a minor in economics. Her research will explore the economic disenfranchisement of Russian women following the collapse of the Soviet Union in order to better understand the relationship between economic policies, the role of women in the workforce, and national identity.

John Salchak

John Salchak is a Junior at the Elliott School with a double major in International Affairs with a concentration in International Politics and Political Science. Additionally, he serves as the Vice Chair for the George Washington University International Affairs Society. His research interests include Global Governance and International Organizations with an emphasis on non-state actors. His current research focuses on the relationship between states, international regulators, and industry in developing cryptocurrency regulations.

Jacob Winn

Jacob is pursuing an International Affairs major with a concentration in International Politics, and is double majoring in Political Science. His home state is Massachusetts, and he is passionate about state, national, and global politics. He has interned with the Massachusetts Democratic Party, the Democratic Staff of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Democratic Governors Association. 

As a Dean's Scholar, Jacob is researching far-right politics in Europe. He is particularly interested in nationalism and the ways in which nationalist sentiments influence voters and political parties. His research will examine the relationship between voters and parties in an effort to better explain the recent far-right successes across Europe.