Hello! I recently graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology Research from the University of Toronto. I’m passionate about youth mental health and how humour can be used to support resilience after adversity. My Summer 1 research project explored the relationship between childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation — deepening my understanding of the psychological impacts of early trauma. In Summer 2, I led a Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, where I designed and facilitated a comedy-based mental health program for teens. That experience led me to found HaHaHelps — an organization that uses improv comedy to support youth mental health through accessible, community-led workshops. I'm currently piloting the full program in South Africa, with plans to expand to more communities globally. Please feel free to connect :) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/younessrobert-tahiri Email: youness@hahahelps.org

Hello! I’m Jiyon, a rising third-year student at Georgetown University from New York City. I will be studying at the University of Oxford for the 2025-26 school year. I’m majoring in Economics and minoring in Mathematics, with my academic interests lying in public economics, governance, climate policy, and labor economics. In my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar, I am assisting a research project in Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy on identifying causes of heterogeneity in U.S. state tax systems and associating variations in tax progressivity with different infant health outcomes. Separately, I am looking at how different types of public spending across U.S. states can improve social capital for the elderly. I am passionate about finding public policy solutions that improve quality of life, promote effective governance, and create durable socioeconomic institutions.

I’m a sophomore at Georgetown University’s College of Arts and Sciences majoring in Biology of Global Health on the pre-med track. My interests lie at the intersection of medicine, bioethics, and global health, particularly in understanding how cultural barriers shape access to care. I’m especially passionate about migrant health and clinical ethics, and hope to one day integrate these values into my work as a physician and health advocate. This summer, I’m working in collaboration with the Pathogen Data Network and the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. My research explores the ethical challenges of wastewater surveillance (WWS), a public health tool used to monitor infectious disease transmission through community wastewater. While WWS offers important benefits as an early warning system, it also raises concerns about privacy, data governance, and the equitable treatment of communities under surveillance. My research draws on ethical guidance from the World Health Organization, European Union, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Canadian federal agencies. Through comparative analysis, this work aims to propose a unified ethical framework that embeds privacy protections, fosters community trust, and ensures fair, transparent governance in the use of pathogen data. In my free time, I enjoy creative writing, strolling through D.C.’s historic neighborhoods, and curling up in bed with a good horror movie.

Hi! Having previously been a Laidlaw Undergraduate Scholar studying English Literature at UCL, I am now the Marketing Manager of the Laidlaw Foundation.  My research looked at collaborative and innovative practices in academic publishing, and community building is something I built a passion for during my Leadership in Action. Feel free to reach out or connect with me!

Hi everyone! I am a rising junior at Georgetown University majoring in International Politics and minoring in Justice and Peace Studies. A fun fact about myself is that I always wanted to be a commercial pilot, and I still do. The research I will be delving into this summer will focus on analyzing educational textbooks in the Dominican Republic and how they perpetuate anti-Haitian sentiments. For context, the Dominican Republic and Haiti have strained relations, which has fostered concern within the Caribbean community and has prevented critical collaboration in times of need. The Dominican Republic recently announced a plan to nationalize educational books, closing educators’ access to independently published textbooks. I’ll analyze the historical context within public school textbooks and how they differ, weighing one’s socioeconomic status and the source of the textbooks. I’ll gauge the findings with real-life impacts on Haitian residents within the country and draw connections on the effects of education on exacerbating anti-Haitian sentiments in the country. I’m excited to embark on this journey to research and push beyond the conventional. I hope to plant a seed of knowledge that could transform the social landscape in the Dominican Republic and foster a culture of acceptance.

Hi, my name is Murphy Bonner and I am a rising third-year student at Georgetown University majoring in economics and government. I am passionate about the social sciences and their practical applications, specifically in areas of justice. My research focuses on the intersection of economics and sociology to understand the way in which individuals and governments place value on human lives. Writing is a personal passion of mine and I am motivated by a curiosity for the world around me. I love talking to people and learning their stories to help me better understand how I want to impact the world so feel free to send me a message or email me at @ mrb345@georgetown.edu.

Hi! My name is Isha and I am a rising junior in the College of Arts & Sciences majoring in Biology of Global Health. While I grew up in the suburbs of NYC for most of my life, I lived in Singapore for 4 of those years. This summer, I will be researching failed single-stranded annealing events in drosophila under the guidance of Dr. Jan LaRocque. 

Amy is the Programme Director of the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme. She works with universities, NGO’s, government departments, businesses and charity partners to manage and develop programmes which further the Laidlaw Foundation’s purpose – to reduce poverty and inequality by investing in the education of the underprivileged and underrepresented and to develop a new generation of diverse and ethical leaders.   Prior to joining the Laidlaw Foundation, Amy spent 9 years leading the US-UK Fulbright Scholarship Programme, working with students, academics, professionals, and teachers across every discipline. She has gained 15+ years working within Higher Education and is passionate about cultural exchange and the benefits it can bring to impactful research and solving global challenges. Prior to this, she led faculty-led programmes hosting US students in the UK and managed a busy student services. She studied American Studies at Sheffield University and University of Pittsburgh.  

Hello people!!! I'm Delaney. I am a rising Junior at Georgetown University studying International History in the School of Foreign Service- I am planning to minor in Spanish and Math. My major concentration is Colonial Legacies and Social Structures, intending to promote Decoloniality, the deconstruction of colonial logic and the perceived naturalness of racial capitalism.  I graduated from Waconia High School in Minnesota (about 30 minutes west of the Twin Cities).  My research project for this Summer (2024) focuses on Black Resiliency in the British Caribbean, plus how foodways contribute to cultural transmission. With a research team, I traveled to Cat Island in the Bahamas and interviewed local farmers, historians, herbologists, and artisans to collect their primary perspectives and oral histories. Moving forward, I want to synthesize the lingering effects of British occupation on Cat Island, as well as promote the sustainable lifestyle that many Bahamians have inherited through generations. 

Laidlaw Scholar Alumna at Oxford University's Saïd Business School, I'm often found at the piano🎹, mesmerized in a theatre🎭, or painting away the night with friends🎨.  If our paths align in interests or work, why not connect? Ping me, and let's connect on LinkedIn.

Hello! My name is Talia Zamir and I'm a rising third-year at Georgetown University. I am studying Biology of Global Health intending to pursue a master's in Genetic Counseling following graduation. I hope to help expecting parents or adults with familial histories of hereditary cancer syndromes understand their risk and make informed health decisions for themselves and their families! I aim to contribute to policy regarding genetic safety and laws protecting individuals from genetic discrimination in the US. This summer, I am researching community resources for mothers surviving breast cancer or ovarian cancer in the Ashkenazi Jewish community, intending to expand my research to how community-based organizations can help other high-risk minority groups. My research builds upon my experience as a research assistant at a health behavior and cancer prevention lab at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center's Division of Population Science. A fun fact about me is that I'm from Salt Lake City, Utah which is the same place that all the high school musical movies were filmed!  Please don't hesitate to reach out, especially if it's to talk about policy/medical research or to connect over some of our shared interests :) !

Hi everyone, my name is Kaity and I’m a rising sophomore in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. I plan to major in International Economics and minor in Statistics. In my spare time, I love calligraphy, street photography, biking, and I recently got into cooking. I’m also learning French, and would love to talk to French learner/speakers!

My name is Tuqa Alibadi and I am an undergraduate student at Georgetown University, majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs. As a Laidlaw Scholar, I am passionate about researching the effects of digital suppression on civil rights in America, with a specific focus on the pro-Palestine movement. My work aims to uncover how digital censorship impacts free speech and advocacy in today's digital landscape. On a pre-law track, I aspire to use my academic background and research findings to advocate for justice and develop equitable policy solutions in the realm of international human rights.

Hello everyone. My name is Samantha and I am junior in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. I am pursuing a major in International Politics and a minor in Cognitive Science. I am originally from Connecticut. In my free time, I enjoy reading realistic fiction novels and going on walks. For my research summer, my faculty mentored project was titled African American Resiliency in the British Caribbean and I conducted research under Professor Anita Gonzalez of the American American Studies Department at Georgetown. The project focused on Cat Island, one of the out islands in The Bahamas, and explored the culture of Cat Island by mapping the island’s foodways, music traditions, and histories. Research methods included conducting oral interviews with local residents of Cat Island and participating in cultural practices. Ultimately, the project examined how Bahamian culture reflects the resiliency of Black populations that have survived forced migration and enslavement in the Caribbean. For my Leadership-in-Action project, I worked at Yahad - in Unum in Paris, France. The nonprofit is dedicated to investigating mass atrocities through interviewing witnesses and examining the sites of mass graves. Currently, Yahad has ongoing investigations in Eastern Europe, Guatemala, Iraq, and Ukraine. Additionally, the organization prioritizes genocide education. My independent project is dedicated to creating a Holocaust education workshop in collaboration with a museum in South Africa.