Testimonials from Our Next Generation Programs

Gorton Leaders Program

Hannah Reidel is pursuing an International Studies and Public Affairs dual degree at Seattle University with a concentration in International Development and Public Policy. She is currently the Chapter Leader for Seattle University’s chapter of the College Diabetes Network and a community organizing intern at We R Seattle, a local initiative working to increase community participation in local politics. Prior to this work, she has served as an intern at Days for Girls International and volunteered in the Dominican Republic, working in diabetes education camps for children living with type 1 diabetes. Her interests include international cooperation in public health initiatives and reducing global and domestic barriers to healthcare.


Brenton Riddle is an International Studies, Comparative History of Ideas, and an Environmental Science and Resource Management triple major at the University of Washington. He has served as an energy and environment policy intern for Pacific NorthWest Economic Region. While studying abroad in Rome, Italy, he served as the lead researcher on energy-related critical infrastructure for the Jackson School Rome Task Force, “European Defense: Strategic Choices for 2030.” His interests include combating climate change, mitigating environmental degradation, and improving community resilience.

Ellings-Korduba Research Program

Christine Liu is a BA candidate in International Relations and Economics at the University of Maryland, College Park. Her research analyzes the intersection of economics, technology, and national security as it pertains to US interests in East Asia. Prior to this fellowship, she examined China’s industrial policy and high-tech competitiveness as an intern at the U.S. Department of Commerce. She also conducted research at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and National Defense University. After graduation, she is interested in attending graduate school and pursuing a career in public service. She is fluent in Mandarin, Japanese, and English.

Chinese Language Fellowship Program

Bailey Marsheck will soon conclude his MA in Chinese Studies (politics and international relations) at the Yenching Academy of Peking University. He focuses on the intersection of political psychology and interstate competition, exploring how public opinion shapes, and is shaped by, the behaviors of national leadership within the U.S.-China relationship. He hopes to obtain a Mandarin capability in order to conduct empirical research via text mining and survey experiments. Mr. Marsheck earned a BA in international economics from UC San Diego.


Adam B. Lee is a PhD candidate in China studies at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. His current research interests include Chinese foreign policy, U.S.-China relations, cross-strait relations, and East Asian maritime security issues. His dissertation research focuses on China’s policy of deliberate ambiguity with regard to the substance and scope of its South China Sea claims. He received his BA in political science and Asian studies from Williams College and his MA in East Asian studies from Stanford University.

Undergraduate Diversity Fellowship Program

Kylie Del Rosario is working with the Energy and Environmental Affairs team at NBR. She is a rising sophomore at Dartmouth College and plans to major in government. She is interested in U.S. foreign policy in Asia and diplomacy and is studying Japanese and international relations, as well as conducting research on U.S.-China relations. Prior to this fellowship, she worked on strategic partnerships for the National Youth Council for Real History Education, was a committee chair for the Unified Student Council for Yonkers Public Schools, and founded We Are the Future, a nonpartisan space for students to discuss global political issues. She aspires to work in the Embassy of the United States in Tokyo. During her time at NBR she conducted an interview with Ieda Gomes titled Exploring the Future of Natural Gas in South Asia and contributed to the editing of the commentary In Defense of Strategic Ambiguity in the Taiwan Strait by Steven M. Goldstein.


Alura Winfrey is working with the Center for Innovation, Trade, and Strategy team at NBR. She is a rising sophomore at George Washington University, where she intends to major in international affairs, with a regional concentration in Asia, and minor in sociocultural anthropology. She studies Mandarin Chinese and is currently researching the religious conversion and politicization of migrant and indigenous populations in Chile, China, and Singapore. Before joining NBR, she contributed to the US-China Strategic Studies Organization newsletter and participated in Amnesty International and the Deans Council for Multicultural Recruitment at George Washington University. She plans to pursue a career as a foreign service officer or analyst with the Department of State under the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs or Bureau of Intelligence and Research. During her time at NBR she conducted an interview with Blaine Curcio titled Developments in China’s Commercial Space Sector.