BOLOGNA
Maame Ekua Ampem, Research Assistant
Maame is a Political Science and Chinese language graduate from the University of Ghana, currently enrolled in the Master of Arts International Relations program at SAIS, interested in Chinese Politics and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
She graduated from the University of Ghana in 2018 with a double major in Political Science and Chinese. She also studied Chinese Language and Culture at the Zhejiang University of Technology in China for an academic year. After graduating from the University of Ghana in 2018, Maame worked as a Teaching and Administrative Assistant at the University’s Department of Political Science for one year. She worked with two Chinese companies in Ghana as a bilingual Assistant.
Maame aspires to be a Policy Analyst and Advisor, and she is currently assisting at the CCSDD with Research on Ghana and other African countries by extension.
Blake Arnold, Research Assistant
Blake is a Research Assistant and second-year MAIA student at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). Blake has an academic interest in international and comparative law, and has a degree in labor relations from the ILR school at Cornell University. Blake speaks Spanish, and is studying German at SAIS.
Claire D’Alessio, Research Assistant
Claire is a Research Assistant and first-year student at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA. Claire graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 2021 with a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Islamic Studies. She also studied abroad in Jerusalem and Jordan. She is particularly interested in the MENA region and post-conflict scenarios.
She has previously contributed to research projects about armed groups participating in the Syrian conflict, internal dynamics of the Palestinian government, and the effects of the rise of China on the Middle East and Europe. Claire is fluent in Spanish, has a good command of Italian, and is currently studying Arabic at an intermediate level. Outside her academics, Claire enjoys backpacking and rock-climbing and is looking forward to exploring the Dolomites during her time in Italy.
Nick Kalams, Research Assistant
Nick is a Research Assistant and first year student at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA. He is a graduate of American University’s School of Public Affairs, focusing on government and national security. He also studied in Dublin, Ireland, where he became interested in democratization, transatlantic relations, and the rule of law.
Nick’s research primarily focuses on the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, and he assists in planning the Sarajevo Study Trip. He has been independently learning Bosnian for about two years, and is currently studying Russian. In his free time, Nick enjoys traveling off the beaten path, hiking, and cooking.
Elyssa Koepp, Research Assistant
Elyssa is a Tunisian, German, and American Research Assistant, and second year MAIR student at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). Her focus lies mostly in the relationship between the EU and North Africa and the political developments in Tunisia since the Arab Spring. Elyssa graduated with a B.A. from McGill University with a double major in political science and international development, and has worked with refugees at different steps of the integration process in Germany, Canada, France and the US. Fluent in French, English and German, she is now studying Arabic at an advanced level. Elyssa is currently conducting research on Tunisia’s new constitution.
Audrey Lodes, Research Assistant
Audrey is a Research Assistant and first year MAIR student at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) from St. Louis, Missouri, USA. Audrey graduated from Marquette University with a B.A. in international affairs with minors in Arabic and Peace Studies. She spent a semester in Amman with the School for International Training (SIT). Audrey is passionate about international development and gender studies in the Middle East. She spent three years in Cairo, Egypt working in social development, practicing Arabic, and eating molokhia. Audrey is currently studying Arabic at an advanced level.
Carolina Oliviero, Resesarch Assistant
Carolina is a Research Assistant and first-year MAIR student at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). She graduated from the University of Cologne in 2021 with a specialization in Political Economy. In her current studies, Carolina focuses on democratization in developed countries. She is interested in monetary and educational inequality and economic development. Previously she worked as an assistant in economic and political economic research and in Public Sector Consulting. In her free time, Carolina dedicates herself to Italian cuisine and weightlifting.
Manuel de la Puerta, Research Assistant
Manuel is a Research Assistant and first-year student at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS), from Gainesville, Florida, USA. He graduated from Eckerd College in 2019 and received a B.A. in French Language as well as a second major in Biochemistry. Upon graduating from Eckerd, Manuel worked for two years as an English teaching assistant in Les Mureaux, France through the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). Manuel is fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Italian, and has reached intermediate-level fluency in Arabic. Manuel is an avid soccer player and violinist.
Marley Taylor, Communications Intern
Marley is a first year MAIA student at Johns Hopkins University (SAIS) from Tijeras, New Mexico, USA. Marley graduated from American University in 2016 with a B.A. in International Relations and a minor in Japanese Language studies. Marley also studied abroad at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan. She worked for the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC before moving to Fukushima, Japan where she spent five years working as an English teaching Assistant through the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET). Marley is fluent in Japanese and is studying German at an intermediate level.
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