Ashmitha Sivakumar

Undergraduate Student, Cornell University
  • People
  • United States of America
Neha Gupta

Student Researcher, University of Toronto

Hi there 👋 I'm Neha Gupta, an incoming fourth year student at the University of Toronto.  I'm interested in the law and human health, along with it's intersections. Believing strongly in health as a human right, I am particularly interested in preventing gender-based violence and preserving reproductive health services.  My Summer I project looked at how paediatric oncology patients in nations with universal healthcare plans access psychosocial support. In Summer II, I hope to work with an organization to give marginalized communities (particularly women) the institutional support they need to stand up to injustices they face.  My Summer II Project sees me working with United Women Singapore to promote their women in STEM and women's empowerment initiatives. I'll also be focusing on creative media production to bring out a youth perspective which aims to resonate directly with UWS' target audience. Living in the ethnic enclave of Little India, Singapore, I'll also be trying to make myself feel at home in a place similar to the one my parents have a deep connection to.  
Chia-Hsuan Chang

Undergraduate Student, Imperial College London

Hi, I am Claire. I am a biological sciences undergrad at Imperial College London and a 2024 Imperial cohort. I am particularly interested in immunology, but in general, interested in human biology.
Maja Anderson

Manager of Undergraduate Programs & International Experiences, Coordinator of the Laidlaw Program, Cornell University , Cornell University

William Banner

Economics Student, Durham University

Laidlaw Scholar Alumni (Durham University Cohort 6, 2022-24) Current Endeavours: I am studying MSc Environmental Economics and Climate Change at the LSE for 2024-25. From September 2025, I will be starting a PhD in Environmental Economics at the University of Basel, Switzerland. --- My time as a Laidlaw Scholar: I graduated with First Class Honours in BA Economics from Durham University. My foremost interests are Development Economics and Environmental Economics. This is reflected in my research project which explored Demographic Economics, titled "The Shifting Distribution of the Global Population in the Twenty-First Century: an Econometric Analysis of the Projected Fortunes of Nigeria and Japan, with Policy Recommendations for Sustainable Development". I have experience working in economic consulting, specialising in competition economics, and am also a Zumba instructor. During my time on the Laidlaw Programme I have also served as a Laidlaw Schools Trust Mentor for Excelsior Academy in Newcastle. In 2023, I completed a six-week international ‘Leadership in Action’ project in partnership with Think Pacific for my Laidlaw Scholarship. For this, I participated in a multi-faceted programme, comprising the building of a health centre, collaborations with Diabetes Fiji and Youth Champs 4 Mental Health, and a Fijian Culture Course. The project ended with a Think Tank where we planned how we would sustain progress. In my sub-group’s case, we are working on a new project to build a multi-purpose building to act as a kindergarten and evacuation centre, for which we are currently fundraising. We have had multiple meetings with the Laidlaw Foundation CEO and the Laidlaw Schools Trust, and we are presenting at the Conversations Conference in Dublin in October 2023. Our project took place in Vunimaqo and Waisava, Dreketi Settlement, Nalawa district, Ra province, Vita Levu island, Fiji. I attended the Impact 2022 conference at the LSE and (virtually, after flight cancellations) the Conversations 2023 conference at Trinity College Dublin.
Alessia Vlasceanu

Student, University of York

My name is Alessia and I am going into my 3rd Year of Psychology at the University of York. I am currently researching action perception and how autism can impact it. In my free time, I like to delve deeper into the human-computer interaction and the future of AI, as well as topics in marketing and global competitiveness.
Lissette Lorenz

Graduate Student Mentor, Cornell University

At Cornell University, students across disciplines are passionate about changing the world. Open to first- and second-year students, the Laidlaw Undergraduate Research and Leadership Program provides generous support for student research, offers hands-on leadership development and reflection, and encourages students to reinvest their knowledge to help others succeed. Laidlaw Scholars are part of an international network of like-minded leaders.
Brenda Umwali

Student , Cornell University

Magda Smith

Student, Cornell University

Hi! I'm a senior at Cornell University majoring in Government, Philosophy, and the College Scholar Program, a program in which students design their own majors around a research project. My project asks whether people on the political left and right mean different things when they use the same words.
Chloe-Anna Hunt

Student, University of St Andrews

Cici Zhou

Laidlaw Scholar, Cornell University

Kristin Ramsay

Former Laidlaw Scholars Program Manager, Cornell University

Kristin began the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Scholars program at Cornell University and was responsible for undergraduate engagement in the Einaudi Center for International Studies. She now provides remote support for Global Cornell. A Cornell alumna, Kristin majored in international agriculture and rural development then worked in agriculture and community development with an NGO in Kenya for six years. Her graduate work focused on community leadership development. Kristin enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family (and 3 dogs).