Hometown: Centreville, VA

Bio: Melissa Flores is a first-year M.A. student and a 2021 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow. She graduated from George Mason University in 2018 and holds a bachelor’s degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution and a double minor in Spanish and Latin American Studies. Some of Melissa's past work experience includes: interning at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) where she assisted the development team with their largest fundraising effort, the annual Human Rights Gala, and interning at the Woodrow Wilson Center’s Development Office, where she conducted outreach for potential corporate donors. More recently, Melissa worked at the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent government agency that supports grassroots development in Latin America and the Caribbean, where she served as a Grants Management Specialist covering Brazil, Guatemala, and Uruguay. Born and raised in Northern Virginia, she is Brazilian-American and speaks both Spanish and Portuguese fluently.

Concentration: Governance & Leadership

Research Area – Substantive: Community-led Development, Diplomacy, Conflict Resolution

Research Area – Geographic: Brazil, Northern Triangle, Southern Cone