Hi, I’m Isabella! I am a rising third year student at Georgetown University studying American Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies with a research focus on sexual violence, Christian nationalism, and gender policy. I am an educator and advocate for sexual violence prevention at both a cultural and legislative level.
This summer, I will be working with Dr. Nadia Brown and a fellow scholar to understand the occurrence and effects of violence against local-level women politicians. I am particularly interested in the influence of digital abuse involving AI and the effect that sexual harassment has on women’s political participation.
Please feel free to reach out!
Email: ibw9@georgetown.edu
Hello! My name is Mara, and I'm a junior at Georgetown University studying Psychology with a minor in Education, Inquiry, and Justice. I'm passionate about understanding how support systems, community structures, and institutions shape outcomes, particularly for those involved in the criminal legal system. Outside of academics, I enjoy playing ultimate frisbee, exploring vintage/thrift stores, and crafting!
This summer, my research project examines cross-filed Civil Protection Orders (CPOs) filed in the District of Columbia. I hope my project will highlight the nuanced nature of intimate partner violence (IPV) and domestic violence (DV), while uncovering areas of the filing process that can be improved to increase access to justice in CPO hearings.
Feel free to reach out and connect!
Email: maralewis1017@gmail.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/mara-lew
Hi, everyone! I'm Martin. I'm a third-year student at Georgetown majoring in Biology (with a concentration in Molecular Bio), and I'm planning to minor in Japanese. My focus has always been on cancer biology; so many people I've known have been affected by it, and my life's goal is to contribute to a cure. I'm half-American, half-Bulgarian, the child of two diplomats; I speak English fluently, and intermediate Bulgarian, Japanese, and Spanish. I have a lot of different interests outside of science: basketball and baseball, chess, politics, music, literature, and a whole list of other things that's way too long for this blurb. Here's a random fact about me which I think is kinda cool: I once saw the tallest manmade thing on Earth (the Burj Khalifa) and the tallest thing on Earth, period (Mt. Everest) from the window of the same flight!
Hello! I am a junior in Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service studying Science, Technology, and international affairs with a minor in Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Studies.
As a Laidlaw scholar, I am working under the Atmos Jones Lab guided by Dr. Taylor Jones. My research utilizes ECOSTRESS data from the international space station and the Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS) software to map average evapotranspiration rates and land surface temperatures in Washington, DC neighborhoods. The objective of this research is to understand how local DC communities can utilize ECOSTRESS data to combat extreme heat days.
Outside of Laidlaw, I am an implementation team member for the Global Governance Strategy for Planetary Health under the Helm Lab at Georgetown University. My research is focused on the role of the Commission of Small Island States on Climate change and International Law (COSIS) in reducing international law fragmentation.
In my free time I love spending time at the beach and exploring new places. I am an avid scuba diver and have had the opportunity to dive in 7 countries all over the Caribbean.
Please feel free to reach out to me here or at fc689@georgetown.edu !
I'm a current undergrad student at Barnard College pursuing a double-major in Theatre & Human Rights, with a minor in East Asian Studies. I'm often asked why I’m studying such seemingly divergent fields. For me, these subjects go hand in hand: my diplomacy and human rights practice are informed by an empathy uniquely cultivated from my experience in the arts; my acting on theatrical stages is enriched by my understanding of what is happening on the "world stage." Mastering both mediums is my answer to the seemingly unsolveable divisions we face today. My work bridges these fields in an innovative, urgent and radical effort to highlight our shared humanity at a time we need it most.
Hey, I'm Krithik! I'm a final-year student at Georgetown University and incoming medical student at Georgetown School of Medicine. I'm currently based in Marseille with make_sense and Les Jardins d'Haiti to understand how to foster intergenerational spaces and feel a little less alone together:)
Ciao! I'm Leonardo, a Laidlaw Scholar passionate about entrepreneurship, leadership, and creating meaningful change in this world. I come from Italy, and at 17, I took an uncomfortable step by moving alone to the UK to pursue my studies, determined to gain access to an English university, networks, and growth opportunities.
My research title is: "Using Points of Interest Data to Understand Retail Change in Great Britain, 2015 – 2025", which deeply connects with my entrepreneurial objectives. Through Laidlaw, I'm excited to expand my leadership capabilities, refine essential entrepreneurial skills and find new people within this amazing network! I'm passionate about engaging with Laidlaw's diverse global community, exchanging perspectives, and fostering long-lasting connections. I look forward to contributing my experiences, collaborating with fellow scholars, and continuously growing as both a leader and an individual.
Please feel free to connect; I’m genuinely excited to share ideas, collaborate, and explore innovative solutions together!
Leonardo Linkedin leonardogareri05@gmail.com
Colleen Dougherty
Assistant Director, Center for Research & Fellowships, Georgetown University
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.
Trisha Bhujle
Laidlaw Scholar Alumna & Former Laidlaw Scholars Advisory Board Member, Laidlaw Foundation
Hello! I’m Trisha, a graduate of Cornell University from Texas, USA. I majored in Environment and Sustainability with a dual focus on food systems and wildlife conservation, and minored in International Relations. My interests in combining my enduring passions for writing and wildlife conservation have driven me to explore multiple perspectives on highly-controversial issues such as trophy hunting, retaliatory animal killings, and illegal wildlife crime. Thus, during my first summer as a Laidlaw Scholar and as a member of the Morally Contested Conservation team, I wrote a literature review on the interconnectedness of climate change and human-wildlife conflicts in East and southern Africa. In June and July 2024, I furthered this research by traveling to the University of Oxford and to the Burunge Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania, and returned to Oxford and Burunge in June and July 2025 to report my results.
As an aspiring conservationist, I am passionate about making technical scientific information more accessible to the general public. I speak Marathi, Spanish, and Swahili at varying levels of fluency and plan to continue to grow my language skills to communicate conservation challenges across continents and cultures.
The Laidlaw Scholars Program was an invaluable component of my undergraduate experience. The friendships I made, as well as the research and language skills I began to develop, encouraged me to continue to ask and seek answers to complicated questions about global affairs and environmental science. If anyone has questions about the Laidlaw Program, is interested in collaborating, or just wants to say hello, please feel free to email me at trisha.bhujle@gmail.com!
Youness Robert-Tahiri
Founder, HaHaHelps & MSocSci Psychology Candidate, University of Cape Town
Hello! I’m a psychology researcher and the founder of HaHaHelps, a comedy-based psychosocial programme designed to support young people in residential care.
I am currently completing an MSocSci in Psychology at the University of Cape Town, where my dissertation examines the feasibility of HaHaHelps with adolescents in South African child and youth care centres. My broader interests include youth mental health, psychosocial intervention development, implementation, participatory approaches, and the use of humour and play to support connection, emotional expression, self-efficacy, and coping with uncertainty.
HaHaHelps grew out of my Laidlaw Leadership-in-Action project at SOS Children’s Villages in Cape Town, where I designed and facilitated an improv-comedy programme for adolescents. Since then, I have continued developing and delivering the programme with young people in residential care and am now studying how it can be refined, evaluated, and ultimately adapted for use in other communities and settings.
Before this, my Laidlaw research at the University of Toronto examined relationships between childhood adversity, aggression, and self-regulation.
I’d love to connect with other Laidlaw Scholars and alumni interested in youth mental health, social impact, intervention development, social entrepreneurship, or simply finding creative ways to turn research into something useful in the world.