Tessa Talebi is an Assistant Director of POMEPS. She received her Master's degree in International Affairs from The George Washington University and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science with a minor in Global Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. During her time at Cal, Tessa created and taught an upper-division course on the intersection of hip hop and political activism - the first of its kind to be offered for academic credit at UC Berkeley. Tessa has lived and studied in Lebanon, earning a certificate in Arabic Language and Culture from the American University of Beirut. She also conducted field research in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, exploring the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Before joining POMEPS, Tessa has interned at various nonprofit organizations nationwide, including The Carter Center.