Steven graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors of Arts in International Affairsand Chinese. He received special honors from the Elliott School and departmental honors from the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. His project title is “Taiwan’s Defense Strategy and Artificial Intelligence.” In the fall of 2021, Steven traveled to Taiwan as a Fulbright Scholar to pursue a master’s degree in Ethnic Relations and Cultures at National Dong Hwa University’s College of Indigenous Studies.
Tamara graduated in the fall of 2020 with a Bachelors of Arts in International Affairs and a concentration in Security Policy and a minor in Psychology. Her research focused on the analysis of Russian state priorities through a critical evaluation of how the Russian government messages its military interventions in Eastern Ukraine and Syria to its domestic population by state sponsored media. Since graduation, she has been working for a contracting company called Zenetex and supporting the Navy International Programs Office.
Maisa graduated in Spring 2021 with a Bachelors of Arts in International Affairs and a minor in Psychology while concentrating in Conflict Resolution. Her research focused on the sociocultural adaptations implemented in mental health and psychosocial services for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and its impact on facilitating critical mental health care in a humanitarian emergency. Since graduation, she has interned at Mercy Corps and will be starting her MA in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at Queen’s University Belfast in the fall.
McKenna graduated Spring 2021 with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and International Affairs. McKenna’s research in the Dean’s Scholars Program focused on the social and economic implications of improved road connectivity, provided by the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) project, in rural India. After graduation, McKenna will begin work at an economic consulting company in Washington, DC that specializes in the aerospace industry.
John graduated from the Elliott School at the end of Fall 2021 with a concentration in International Politics and a minor in History. His Dean’s Scholars research focused on political decision making and accountability in internet governance, specifically in the allocation of top level domain names. In the fall, he will begin his M.A. in International Relations at the University of Chicago, specializing in international security and social science research methods.
Alexander Erdman is a recent graduate with a Bachelors of the Arts in International Affairs and Geography. Alexander’s research focused on the intersection of language policy and national identity. As a Dean’s Scholar, he has conducted interviews and analyzed local publications to describe the politics, educational system, and international relations of Greenland. These themes provide context for the political development of Greenland, and Greenland’s movement for self-determination. He plans to use this research to study political development as a social process. Alexander has presented his findings at the George Washington University and the University of Pittsburgh.
During his junior year at the George Washington University, Nicolas Reeves studied abroad in Jordan as a Boren Scholar. As friends and family came to visit him, he found himself giving multiple tours of Petra, Jordan’s most popular tourist destination. The site, exalted by 19th-century poet Dean Burgon as “a rose-red city half as old as time,” was listed in brochures as being a quiet and solitary destination. However, what Nicolas found was a lively community surrounding Petra. As he interacted with members of the city’s local Bdoul and Layathna tribes, who sell souvenirs or offer tours on their horses, donkeys, and camels to tourists, it became apparent to him that many of the individuals working in Petra were impoverished.
This puzzled Nicolas: clearly, the work the Jordanian state had put into making Petra an ideal destination for international tourists had not translated into widespread economic well-being for members of the city’s local community. As he dove deeper into the matter, he was able to see how inter- and intratribal power dynamics played a role in the impact of these tourism development efforts on different portions of Petra’s local community. From this observation, his research question was formed: How has state-led tourism development impacted the lives of members of Petra’s local Bdoul and Layathna tribespeople?
In August 2018 and March 2019, Nicolas returned to Petra for the data collection aspect of his research. Over four weeks, he conducted 56 interviews with members of Petra’s local community and gained skills that would prove beneficial in his academic and professional endeavors, both during his time at GWU and beyond.
After graduating from GWU in 2019, Nicolas participated in the Center for Arabic Study Abroad Program (CASA) at the American University in Cairo. Nicolas’s Dean’s Scholars experience illuminated for him how he could use his love for languages to combine his interests in politics, economics, and anthropology. His research, coupled with his passion for learning Arabic, allowed him to immerse himself in different cultures, conduct fieldwork in Jordan, and apply his language skills in a tangible and truly powerful way.
“My love for language could be translated into something that was going to be very tangible, perhaps something that I would like to do for the rest of my life, in terms of academic research.” – Nicolas Reeves
The Dean’s Scholars Program was able to instill in Nicolas the value of peers and mentors in research, which has allowed him to excel in his career and his continued research efforts.
“Research is never an individual endeavor, but always a collective one. ” – Nicolas Reeves
When asked what advice he had for college students pursuing research opportunities, he stated:
“I think when we’re in college and especially in a town like D.C., there’s always this idea that you have to always be moving forward and that you can never really take a step back and look at what you’ve been doing. I think in research, it’s really important to have that time to take a step back and also not be afraid to fail.”- Nicolas Reeves
“I also think that no piece of research is ever finished.”- Nicolas Reeves
Note from the interviewer: As I interviewed Nicolas Reeves, I found myself inspired by the growth he experienced conducting research and by his words of wisdom. He reminded me of the importance of enjoying the research process. Most importantly, he reminded me to not be afraid to fail and take a chance as I dive into a topic I love and create work that can make a difference. – Payton Beaumier
Nicolas Reeves
Nicolas Reeves graduated from George Washington University in 2019 with a B.A. in international affairs and economics, and a minor in Arabic. As a member of the 2018-2019 cohort of the Elliott School Dean’s Scholars Program, he researched the impact of state-led tourism development on tribal communities in Petra, Jordan.
