I am a second year undergraduate at Durham University studying sociology. Through my Laidlaw Scholarship, I worked with Dr Michelle Addison and three other students in order to complete the research project 'Imposter Syndrome in the Classroom: What are the impacts on students' learning experiences and how can academic practice be improved?'. For my second summer as a Laidlaw Scholar, I was selected by MakeSense to complete a Leadership in Action project in Marseille, France.

I'm a rising sophomore at Georgetown University majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs (STIA) with minors in Economics and Film & Media Studies.

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!

Hi! My name is Annabelle Kim and I'm a rising second-year at Georgetown University. I am majoring in Public Policy, planning on minoring in Economics and Education, Inquiry, and Justice. I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area–Pleasanton, CA to be specific. Throughout my studies and my career, I hope to contribute to improving educational equity in the U.S. K-12 system, with a special focus on marginalized students within high-performing districts.  This summer, I am researching within-district disparities between continuation high schools and comprehensive high schools in California. Continuation schools (alternative high schools for students at risk of not graduating) have higher per-pupil funding than their traditional brick-and-mortar counterparts. Despite this, facilities and services provided to these students often fall far behind--I hope to clarify why that might be. My research builds on my experience researching school funding decisions nationwide with a faculty member of Georgetown's McCourt School of Public Policy.  A fun fact about me is that I've technically flown a plane before I got my driver's license...and that even now I'd far prefer flying a plane to driving on a California freeway. 

Hi! I am a rising third-year in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in neurobiology and minoring in science, technology, and international affairs. During my research summer, I will be using metagenomics to study the diversity and ecological role of viruses in Antarctic soil microbial communities with the Johnson Biosignatures Lab at Georgetown. To give some context, metagenomics is a powerful bioinformatics sub-discipline that leverages genetic sequencing and data processing technologies to study microbial communities in their natural environments. Not only does this research allow us to better understand the ecological structure of environmental microbial ecosystems and how they play critical roles in cycling nutrients at a planetary scale, but studying microbial life can help us understand how life evolved on Earth in the first place. As we continue to overshoot planetary boundaries on Earth while simultaneously exploring deeper into outer space, these questions of how does our planetary system really work and what could such a living system look like on other planets become more and more important.  If you're interested in reaching out to talk about biology, any of my "hobbies," your research, or anything else, feel free!!

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.

Hello! My name is Claire Auslander and I'm a rising third-year at Georgetown University. I am studying nursing with the goal of earning my doctorate in midwifery/obstetrics & gynecology. I hope to dedicate my career to advancing reproductive freedom through healthcare delivery, research, and advocacy!  This summer, I worked as a student nurse intern at the Alaska Native Medical Center's Family Birthing Services unit. I delivered culturally responsive nursing care under preceptor supervision on a high-risk, tertiary referral labor and delivery unit within the largest tribally managed health system in the US. My goal was to further elucidate my understanding of how sociocultural and religious influences shape patient decision-making, provider-patient communication, and access to reproductive services. Last summer, I researched the relationship between U.S. contraceptive policy and religiosity. More specifically, I looked at state legislation relating to insurance coverage of contraceptives and the relationship, if any, between religious service attendance. My research builds upon my experience as a research assistant in health policy and maternal health and I'm thrilled to explore the intersection of my interests!  A fun fact about me is that I'm from the San Francisco Bay Area but my family moved around a lot when I was younger. I've lived in Northern and Southern California, Texas, Massachusetts, Switzerland, and Washington, DC! Please don't hesitate to reach out, especially if it's to talk about policy/medical research or share your favorite music! 

I am an incoming Junior double-majoring in Biology and Chinese. My research project for this summer focuses on the galectin-3 binding protein (G3BP). According to the Center for Disease Control, in 2020, over 1.6 million new cancer cases were reported and 600 thousand people died of cancer. While cancer cases are decreasing, for every 100,000 people, there are still 403 new cancer cases. My research this summer focuses on G3BP, a protein that was identified as an interacting partner for extracellular 6-O-endosulfatase Sulf2. Interaction with G3BP inhibits Sulf2 activity leading to changes of heparan sulfation that is involved in numerous biological processes including cancer cell proliferation, migration and/or invasion. Generation of Gal3BP F357W mutant is recommended by C. Barinka for interaction analyses; we will generate the F357W mutant and test the impact of the mutation on Sulf2-G3BP interactions and the effects on Sulf2 activity. This research entails the generation of F357W G3BP mutant by site-directed mutagenesis, subcloning wild-type and mutant sequence into lentiviral transfer vector, generation of lentiviral particles in HEK293T cells, transduction of target production cell line, purification by His/Twin-Strep affinity, impact on interaction, impact on enzymatic activity by HPLC-UV-based assay using heparan sulfate mimetic. Through this research, I hope to characterize the interaction between G3BP and Sulf-2 and generate resources (recombinant proteins) for further studies including migration/invasion assays, and utilize the above resources and data. I am also interested in researching health disparities concerning cancer treatment; unlike other racial groups, cancer is the leading cause of death for Asian Americans. Due to language and cultural barriers, Asian Americans often have lower rates of cancer screening and a lack of proper treatment. Beyond my research in the lab, I am also interested in healthcare access regarding cancer diagnosis and treatment.

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. 

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. 

My name is Fiona and I'm a member of the Class of 2026 at Georgetown University in the US. I'm majoring in Culture and Politics with a concentration in International Labor Policy and minoring in English and French. My research focuses on the intersection between artificial intelligence and labor exploitation. I aim to chronicle the ways that the tech industry would not function without the contract labor performed by millions of workers in the Global South, and to analyze new models of tech worker organizing to strengthen their power and autonomy. I also hope to situate this "last mile" of digital automation within historical trends of piecework, mechanization, and labor displacement under capitalism. For my summer 2025 Leadership in Action project, I'm interning at a labor union in the capital of Tunisia.

Colleen manages the Laidlaw Scholars Leadership and Research Programme at Georgetown University. Through her work, Colleen aims to increase accessibility in fellowships advising for all Georgetown students with a special focus on reflective practices intended to help students identify and develop personal and career goals. Prior to joining Georgetown University, Colleen served as the Assistant Director for Early Career Initiatives with NASPA- Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, where she managed professional development programs for undergraduate student, graduate student, and new professional members. Colleen holds a master’s degree in Student Development in Higher Education from the University of Maine and bachelor’s degrees in Women and Gender Studies and Anthropology from the University of Delaware.