Student profiles
Masters Degree Candidates, Academic Year 2006-2007
Michelle Alvarado received her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Puerto Rico. She has always been very active in community volunteering and was a congressional intern in fall 2004. Michelle is interested in human rights, cultural perspectives, and afro descendents in Latin America.
David Alvarez is from Santiago, Chile. He received a B.A. and M.A. in Political Science with a concentration in defense studies, both from Universidad Catolica de Chile. Prior to coming to Georgetown, he worked as a researcher at FLACSO Chile and as an editor of Revista Fuerzas Armadas y Sociedad. After completion of his degree, he hopes to return to Chile to work in the public sector.
J. Scott Bodger (jsb57@georgetown.edu)is a recent graduate from Boston College. Born and raised in the Los Angeles area, his interest in Latin America, especially Cuba and the Caribbean, comes from the year he spent studying at La Universidad de la Habana. Scott is interested in joining the Foreign Service or teaching at the university level, after pursuing a more advanced degree.
Fabian Borges (fab29@georgetown.edu) graduated with a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Costa Rica and has worked as a journalist covering politics and business in Costa Rica for four years. His concentration is Political Economy.
Hannah Brown (hcb8@georgetown.edu) graduated from Boston College in 2006 with a major in International Studies and a minor in Hispanic Studies. She spent the fall of 2004 studying in Quito, Ecuador and has recently returned from Santiago, Chile. At Georgetown, Hannah is a part of the 5-year program concentrating in Inter-American Relations.
Daniel Budny (dnb7@georgetown.edu) graduated from Columbia University with a degree in comparative politics with a regional focus on the Middle East. While from New York City, he frequently visits family in northeast Brazil. He plans to focus on human rights and social justice, to later pursue a career in sustainable development in Brazil.
Aldo F. Burelo Cacho (afb22@georgetown.edu) is from Mexico with studies in international relations and law at the University of the Americas - Puebla. He also studied public administration at the Institute of Public Administration of Tabasco and Anahual University. Aldo plans to concentrate in government to learn about successful policy practices in Latin America and apply them to the case of Mexico.
Born in Bogota and raised in Connecticut, Diana Caldas Lerman (dml47@georgetown.edu) graduated from Middlebury College with a degree in Spanish (Latin American Studies) and a minor in anthropology. She studied abroad in the SEK Segovia and Universidad de Valparaiso, Chile. Diana has taught environmental studies to children in Nosara, Costa Rica. After obtaining her undergraduate degree, she worked as the program director for the NGO Puente a la Salud Comunitaria in Oaxaca, Mexico. She is interested in government and democracy.
Originally from South Carolina, Joseph Cantey, Jr. (jmc242@georgetown.edu) graduated from Bucknell University in 2003. He then traveled to Ecuador with Harvard's WorldTeach program which piqued his interest in the Andean region. From there he traveled to Argentina where he lived until coming to Georgetown. At last count, Joseph had traveled to 37 countries. He hopes to work with government in the future.
Alex Cantor (ajc62@georgetown.edu) recently graduated from the University of Rochester with a major in Political Science, a minor in Spanish and a certificate in International Relations. He is from Buffalo, New York. At Georgetown, he wishes to concentrate in Political Economy.
Leticia Cantu graduated from St. Mary's University with a degree in political science/international relations in 2003. Originally from McAllen, Texas, Leticia has always been interested in U.S. border issues - particularly the Caribbean and Mexico - and the Latin American region. She has served as a Latin American political analyst in the Washington, DC area for two years. Leticia previously worked at the San Antonio City Hall and in leadership enhancement with the National Hispanic Institute and Leadership Center at St. Mary's University.
Flavia Carbonari (ffa3@georgetown.edu) graduated in 2003 from PUC University, Sao Paulo, with a degree in Journalism and International Relations. In that year, she spent a summer in Washington, DC, working at the IADB. Back in Brazil, she worked for two years as a professional journalist in the economics area and came to Georgetown to specialize in development in Latin America.
Tracy Lynn Casey (tec9@georgetown.edu) is originally from Williamsburg, Virginia and received her B.A. in Government from Georgetown University with a minor in Spanish language. After completing her Master's degree, she hopes to pursue doctoral work in Comparative Government and is especially interested in violence and the rule of law in the Andean region and Brazil.
Suzanne Casolaro (ssc32@georgetown.edu) is originally from Washington, DC and attended James Madison University where she obtained her bachelors degree in Spanish and Pre-Medical Studies. After graduation, Suzanne moved to Valparaiso, Chile and worked with the Taller de Accion Comunitaria through August 2005. She is interested in human rights and immigration issues.
Paola Castro (pjc75@georgetown.edu) moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the Organization of American States and United for Colombia, an organization that advocates and provides medical and psychological assistance to landmine victims. She hopes to gain the necessary tools to continue to advocate for the human rights of her fellow Latin Americans.
Maritza Chan (mc428@georgetown.edu), former speech writer for the President of Costa Rica, joined the Costa Rican Foreign Service in 2002 and was appointed to the Embassy of Costa Rica in Washington, DC. She studied political science at the University of Costa Rica and is interested in Latin American Literature and additionally, participatory democracy and economic integration.
Originally from Texas, Kenda Cunningham (kjc32@georgetown.edu) graduated in 2002 from the University of North Texas with a double-major in political science and Spanish. She studied abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina as a senior in high school and, after graduating from college, moved to work and study Portuguese in Brazil. She has coached policy debate teams in both Miami and Washington, D.C. She is currently the Georgetown University debate coach and plans to concentrate in development.
Antonio Delgado (ad83@georgetown.edu) is from Puerto Rico but completed his undergraduate studies at Swarthmore College. He majored in Political Science and minored in Latin American Studies. He has focused on issues related to political theory, international politics, and civil society. He hopes to explore questions of governability, social reform, inequality and the future of development for Latin America.
Don DeVault comes to CLAS from the CUNY Graduate Center and Brooklyn College. Trained in Comparative Literature and raised on a family farm in Pennsylvania, his primary interest is in appropriately contextualizing an examination of the effects within the U.S. agricultural sector of U.S. policy decisions regarding immigration across the Mexican border. He is working as a research assistant at the Institute for the Study of International Migration.
Erin Devlin is in the 5 year joint degree program. His undergraduate major is Culture and Politics, and he is currently undecided as to his graduate concentration. He is particularly interested in issues of poverty in South America after having spent time abroad in Peru and Argentina.
Having just graduated from Villanova University with a bachelor's degree in political science and a minor in Italian, Marta Maria Diaz (mdiaz-rod@sbcglobal.net) plans to pursue an MA at CLAS with a concentration in political economy. She is interested in the study of trade relations amongst the various countries of Latin America, as well as issues of sustainable development. She plans to pursue international comparative law in these particular matters in the future. A Puerto Rican who has been raised in Los Angeles, CA, Marta has experienced the benefits of acquiring an international comparative perspective in life which became evident in her interests and work. Marta has formerly interned with the Foreign Policy Research Institute conducting research on Mexican and Puerto Rican civil society.
Shantel Dobbins (sdobbins@gmail.com) recently graduated from Wellesley College where she majored in Spanish and philosophy. She studied much about Spain and lived in Cordoba for one semester. Now, Shantel would like to broaden her knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world to Latin America. She is interested in international relations, particularly the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America.
Nathan Doyel (ntd3@georgetown.edu) spent the last two years in Mexico teaching history, geography and computer literacy. He graduated from the University of Arizona with degrees in Latin American Studies and Political Science. He hopes to study government in Mexico and Central America as well as historical and current interaction with the United States. He would like to serve in the U.S. Foreign Service or work in policy analysis.
Gabriel Elias is from Ohio where, out of sheer boredom, he decided to explore the world. He fell in love with Brazil after a year in São Paulo as a Rotary Exchange Student. Other travels include Mexico, Spain, Venezuela, Argentina, and Israel. He hopes to reestablish a connection with Brazil at Georgetown and to befriend as many Latin Americans as possible.
Luis Esquivel (lfe3@georgetown.edu) studied business at CETYS University in Mexicali, Mexico. There he had the opportunity to be involved in several research projects for the Mexican government. His interests are currently focused on public security issues, rule of law, and the culture of lawlessness. Luis' concentration will be government.
Andrea Suarez Falken is a native Washingtonian of German-Cuban descent. As an undergraduate, she completed a double-major in Latin American Studies and Spanish Literature, with coursework in the Dominican Republic and Spain. She later returned to Europe and lived 2 years in Madrid and 2 years in Nice, France, teaching, translating and preparing a "concours." She repatriated in fall 2005, lured by her academic and professional goals, and is hoping to study U.S. foreign policy through a foreign language-learning lens.
Hector Faya Rodriguez was born and raised in Torreon, Mexico, where he earned his bachelor's degree in law at Iberoamericana University. He has always been interested in politics and, prior to coming to DC, worked for two years at the Federal Chamber of Deputies in Mexico City. Hector's concentration is in government due to his interests in democratic governability, constitutional law, and social development. He has a personal interest in returning to Mexico with a clearer idea of its history within the complex environment of Latin America.
Sonia Juliana Garcia-Vargas (sjg29@georgetown.edu), a Colombian economist, worked with the Colombian government for over three years at the National Planning Department. Sonia has a Master's degree in Economics and hopes to improve her political analysis skills by concentrating in Government while at Georgetown.
Sean Goforth (shg6@georgetown.edu) was born in Georgia and grew up in North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, where he majored in political science. Most recently, he has conducted research on U.S.-Latin American relations and the impact of international law in Argentina. His primary interests concern U.S.-Latin American relations and the politics of the Southern Cone.
Angel Gonzalez (ag432@georgetown.edu) was born in New York and graduated from James Madison University with a double major in political science and international affairs. He has studied in Spain, Portugal, Australia, and New Zealand. While at Georgetown, Angel plans to pursue a concentration in human rights.
Christopher Hale (cbh25@georgetown.edu) comes to Georgetown from Atlanta, where he worked for The Carter Center on a project to facilitate the passage, implementation and enforcement of access to information legislation in Bolivia, Nicaragua and Jamaica. He completed his undergraduate degree at Colby College in his home state of Maine. His current research interests include anti-corruption policy, participatory governance, government transparency, and public information laws.
Monica Hernandez (mh282@georgetown.edu) is an international student from San Jose, Costa Rica. She is completing the 5 year joint degree BSFS/MA at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. She has worked at the Embassy of Costa Rica and the Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Monica has also served as a Costa Rican Youth Delegate for numerous international conferences in Paris, India, the Czech Republic and Qatar. She has researched for FLACSO-Costa Rica and for specific Costa Rican indigenous communities. Monica is currently the Chair of the Student Working Group of Indigenous Peoples in Latin America at CLAS. She is interested in the history of development in Latin America and the intersection of culture, politics and social movements in the region.
Carolyn Hillebrand's (chillebr@gmail.com) travels took her early on to Costa Rica and Bolivia - stays that opened her eyes to the influence that the United States has on countries in Latin America. She went on to major in Spanish and International Studies at Indiana University and was fortunate to spend a semester abroad in Valparaiso, Chile. She plans on concentrating on development because she hopes to work for an NGO.
Maggie Hummel received her B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College in May 2005 with degrees in Government and Spanish. She spent a semester abroad in Madrid, Spain where she focused her studies on transatlantic relations and Spanish foreign policy. She spent the past year in Austin, Texas where she grew interested in Latin America and the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America. At Georgetown she is concentrating in inter-American affairs with particular research interests in political violence, good governance and anti-corruption. Her hometown is Fort Myers, Florida.
Heshima James a native of Amherst, Massachusetts, is a graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in Philosophy. Living and studying in São Paulo, Salvador, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, he developed an interest in the dynamics of culture, race, and power in Brazil. While at Georgetown, he plans to focus on the musical culture of southeastern Brazil's marginalized urban populations.
Marcelo Khair (mmk36@georgetown.edu) is originally from Rio de Janerio, Brazil, where he earned his degree from the Pontifico Catholic University. Because Marcelo has always been passionate about politics, for the past several years, he has concentrated on democracy, human rights, constitutional law and political reform. He came to DC to learn more about how his native country is integrated in the complex scenario of Latin America, to acquire useful skills to apply in Brazil, and to experience the cosmopolitan life that Washington offers.
Sabine Kienzl (sk44@georgetown.edu) is an international student from Austria. As an undergraduate, Sabine studied business at the University of Vienna where she also completed her masters in Information Management of Business. She later spent two years working and researching microcredit for women in urban Colombian slums. In Colombia, Sabine also worked with Internally Displaced Persons for a Latin American NGO. She plans to focus on countries experiencing conflict and how forced displacements affect ethnic minorities and indigenous tribes.
Gunther Kirschner (gk63@georgetown.edu) was born and raised in Germany (Bavaria). He studied Business and Finance at Munich Business School with exchange semsters in Spain and the UK. For the last three years, he worked in investment banking at Deutsche Bank's Financial Institution Group in London. Gunther plans to concentrate in Political Economy to better understand the background of trade, investment, and globalization.
Peter S. Knight (psk27@georgetown.edu) received his BA from Rutgers University in political science and Spanish. His CLAS concentration is government and his main interest is democratization. Peter works as a research assistant within the Colombia Program.
Heather Lent (heather_lent@hotmail.com) is interested in Cuban-American relations, specifically politics in the exile community and America's foreign policy toward Cuba, including the external forces that affect policy formation. She grew up in Miami, Florida and later received a bachelor's degree in English from Florida International University. She is looking forward to informed and not overly emotionally charged discussions of Latin American issues, especially those pertaining to her interests.
Leanne Lessard (lml42@georgetown.edu) majored in history and Hispanic studies at Illinois Wesleyan University and gained an appreciation for Latin America through these programs. She will pursue the International Migration Certificate through SFS. Leanne would like to focus on the Latin American population within the United States and eventually work to improve relations between Latin American communities and the U.S. people and government.
Sandra Maroska is in the 5 year program. She completed a triple major in History, International Relations and Spanish and Hispanic Studies at Hobart and William Smith. She studied abroad in the Dominican Republic as an undergraduate and spent a summer in Santiago, Chile.
Alinne Maze (abm35@georgetown.edu) is a UCF alumna with a BA in political science. She is originally from Brazil and has been living in the United States for five years. Her undergraduate honors thesis addressed the institutional structure of Mercosur in Latin America. For the MA, Alinne plans to concentrate in political economy and continue her studies toward a Ph.D. in Government at Georgetown.
Stephen McGraw (smm77@georgetown.edu) graduated in the spring of 2005 from St. Mary's College of Maryland where he received his B.A. in political science and English. His research interest lies primarily in Latin American literature as both a reflection of and impetus for social change in the region. Originally from Baltimore, Stephen has studied in Seville, Spain and traveled extensively throughout Europe. He plans to concentrate in literature at CLAS and perhaps move on to a Ph.D. program in political science or postcolonial literature.
Aaron Melaas (ajm38@georgetown.edu) is a senior in the Georgetown SFS and a candidate for the five-year joint degree BSFS/MA program. He is majoring in international politics with a concentration in trans-state actors and a particular interest in nationalism and nationalist movements. Aaron spent last year studying in la UBA and FLACSO and did coursework over the summer at PUC in Sao Paolo as well. He is interested in exploring further the relationship between Brazil and other states in Latin America, as well as prospects for economic integration (e.g. Mercosur.)
Andrea Metz graduated from Rice University with a degree in Piano Performance. Afterward, she spent a year in Madrid, Spain, where she obtained her M.A. in Spanish with Middlebury College. Her desire to study Latin America led her to Georgetown’s LASP program. Andrea’s current research interests include government transparency, corruption, and the building of healthy, democratic states.
Proud to be a native of Denver, CO, Shana Montrose (srm54@georgetown.edu) graduated from Smith College and studied abroad in Oaxaca, Mexico and at Oxford. She has worked to increase access in health care and education for Latinos living in Colorado. She also volunteered as a Spanish speaking legal assistant at Colorado Legal Services. She enjoys travel and foreign film and is looking forward to learning Portuguese.
Tyler Morell (tlm43@georgetown.edu) became interested in Latin America through an exchange program to Ecuador, but did not gain interest in government and comparative politics until he studied abroad in La Habana. At Georgetown, he hopes to expand his knowledge of international relations for application in study abroad programs and human rights advocacy.
David Perez was raised in Vista, California, a suburb of San Diego. Living close to the border fostered an interest in immigration and U.S.-Mexico border studies. He further explored this interest through an internship for Congressman Darrell Issa of California. Travel to Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, and studies in Costa Rica increased David's academia interests in those regions. He earned his B.A. in political science and Spanish from Biola University in the Los Angeles area. At Georgetown, he plans to concentrate in government.
While originally from the middle of Indiana, Emily Reinhart (err9@georgetown.edu) ventured deeper into the Midwest for her undergraduate degree. She received a B.S. in business administration with majors in international business, marketing, and Spanish from Washington University in St. Louis. After a stint with the Peace Corps in Ecuador, Emily plans to study political economy and Andean indigenous culture.
Emily Rindone (ejr28@georgetown.edu) grew up near Philadelphia and received her BA in Spanish at Ithaca College in December 2002. After graduation, she spent a year working with Campus Crusade for Christ in Madrid. Her interest in Latin America developed during trips to Mexico and the Dominican Republic in high school, as well as through her classes in college and meeting Latin American immigrants in Spain. While at Georgetown, she hopes to pursue the certificate in Refugees & Humanitarian Emergencies, and afterwards be a part of the inter-American effort toward improving the standard of living throughout Latin America.
Tony Rishchynski (ajr43@georgetown.edu) is originally from Canada but has lived there little due to his parents' work with the Canadian Foreign Service. He has lived in Brazil, the U.S., Jordan, Indonesia, Colombia, and Australia, with extensive travel in Latin America. Tony's areas of interest include Andean drug cultivation, the rise of market economics, Latin American cinema, security, and democratization.
Daniel Rizza (dhr6@georgetown.edu) received his B.A. from Colby College with a major in International Studies and a minor in Music. After some years working in San Francisco he spent a year volunteering and studying in Brazil before coming to study at Georgetown.
Keetah Salazar-Thompson (ks346@georgetown.edu) completed her undergraduate degree at Georgetown as part of the five-year program in Latin American Studies. She currently interns at the National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children. She is interested in migration issues.
Eila Sepulveda (ems55@georgetown.edu) received her undergraduate degree in history from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. She has traveled to Mexico and Costa Rica and interned on Capitol Hill. Currently, she interns at the Department of Defense. Eila's interests include security issues in Latin America, conflict resolution, peacekeeping, and human rights.
Anne Marie Smith (annemariewsmith@gmail.com) is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University, where she received her B.A. in Political Science and Spanish. She is especially interested in learning about the issue of poverty and studying the related politics that Latin American governments implement to address this issue. She spent the past summer in Santiago, Chile with the Georgetown program. She is originally from San Antonio, TX and is a student in the 5-year program.
Courtney Elizabeth Smith graduated in 2005 from William Smith College with a B.A. in Political Science and Latin American Studies. Originally from Windham, ME, Courtney is interested in indigenous rights, sustainable development and democratic governability of Latin America. As of the beginning of the program, she is undecided with regards to her goals for the future.
Kristin Smith (krs45@georgetown.edu) graduated from Boston College with a double major in secondary education and Hispanic studies. Before coming to Georgetown, she worked as a high school Spanish teacher and taught a variety of Spanish courses to native and non-native speakers in Chicago and New York. Kristin has studied and volunteered in Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, and Guatemala. She is interested in inter-American relations, especially as they relate to issues of migration.
Christina Stockamore (cms88@georgetown.edu) recently graduated from Wake Forest University where she pursued a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies. Christina is interested in social issues, art, culture, development and microfinance. She is a native of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and has spent a semester studying at the University of Salamanca.
Valeria de Souza Cruz (vs79@georgetown.edu) was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She graduated in economics from the Pontifica Universidade Catolica of Rio de Janeiro. Valeria has always been interested in diplomacy and international relations. After being an intern at the Brazilian Embassy in Washington, D.C., she decided to pursue graduate studies. She hopes to work for an international organization in the future.
Alessandra Tassara (alessandratb@hotmail.com) worked in corporate banking in Peru and chose to pursue a Master's at Georgetown to complement her experience as an economist. She is interested in the challenges Latin America faces with issues such as economic integration, development in a global environment and recurrent political and economic crises. Alessandra hopes to gain the necessary tools to enable her to handle the problems of the region and find practical applications for her acquired knowledge.
Nichole Torpey (nmt4@georgetown.edu) attended Georgetown as an undergraduate and is part of the 5-year program. She did a B.S. in the School of Foreign Service with concentrations in Africa and Latin America and studied abroad in Ecuador and Tanzania. Nichole is interested in studying issues of development, immigration and rights for indigenous peoples in Latin America. She is originally from Colorado.
Sandra X. van Vloten graduated in May 2005 from Randolph-Macon Woman's College with a double major in international studies and Spanish, with a concentration in dance. As an undergraduate, Sandra studied abroad in Spain and Santiago, Chile. She loves Latin American food, culture, and people, but is very interested in the political and economic aspects as well. Sandra is most interested in Mexico and Argentina.
Originally from Peru, Patricia Martina Wissar (pmw32@georgetown.edu) graduated from Brown University with a double major in Human Biology and Latin American Studies. She has always been passionate about politics and human rights. Before coming to Georgetown, she volunteered as a Spanish medical interpreter and served as president of the program serving as a communications liaison between the hospital's patients and staff and the faculty from the university. She further pursued her interests by conducting research on human rights and comparative health care. Patricia plans to concentrate her studies on democracy, human rights and political economy.
Patricio Zamorano (pez@georgetown.edu) is a journalist specialized in politics. He has ten years of experience as a reporter, interviewer, editor, columnist, radio host and political analyst for T.V., print publication, radio and internet. Patricio expects that the M.A. program will make him a stronger political analyst to review the region and the relationship between the so called "American Empire" and the Latin American area.
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