Zack Frailey Escobar is a first year PhD student in government, with a bachelor’s degree from UC San Diego in sociology and a master’s degree from San Francisco State in political science. His primary research focuses on the politics of constitutional reform in Latin America. At San Francisco State, he was recognized for work in both political theory and empirical political science, reflecting an approach that brings together theoretical investigation and empirical analysis. Outside of his academic work, he has published extensively on politics in Latin America and the United States in outlets like Punto Rojo, Left Voice, and Socialist Worker.

Siyona Nayampally is a second-year undergraduate student at UT Austin, majoring in Economics and Plan II Honors and pursuing certificates in Applied Statistical Modeling and Business Spanish. Her interests include public and foreign policy, democracy building and constitutional reform, particularly as they relate to environmental and gender issues. She is involved in the UT community as the co-chair of the Plan II Student Association Advocacy department, a fellow within the Walker Fellowship, a co-founder of Plan II Good Society and a member of the Texas Women in Business Association.

Olivia Drew is a sophomore majoring in International Relations and Global Studies with a concentration in Latin America and Spanish language studies. She is particularly interested in the intersection between national security and human rights in the Latin American region. She has served as an intern with the City of Austin Development Services Department, sparking her interest in public policy and regional development. Additionally, she is actively engaged with her community through her volunteer experience with Little Mavs Movement Academy at the University of Texas at Arlington and through her involvement in Texas Lassos, a spirit and service organization at UT. Her professional experience, community service, and international background have been a driving force for her interest in international affairs.

Leah Tharakan is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, triple majoring in government, economics, and sociology from Dallas, TX. Leah is a director for the Governmental Relations Agency and a staff writer for the Texas Undergraduate Law Journal. This semester, Leah will be participating in the Bill Archer Fellowship, where she will be interning with the United Nations Foundation with Girl Up to further her passion for international gender equality and reproductive justice. 

Allyson Dean is a first-year graduate student at the LBJ School for Public Affairs. Originally from Portland Oregon, she received her bachelor’s degrees in international relations and Latin American and Iberian Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she also competed in NCAA volleyball. She currently works as a policy analyst at the Texas House of Representatives. Ally is looking forward to the spring semester and preparing for her 2025 summer internship with International IDEA.

Mitchel McCormick is a first-year Master of Global Policy Studies student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs with a concentration in international development. He has an interest in the intersection of democratic governance and climate change. He worked for a year as a Fulbright Grantee in Mexico City at an investment bank, researching public infrastructure development in Latin America and the US while taking courses at ITAM. For the last five years, he has been working at the North American Development Bank, contributing to sustainable infrastructure development in the US-Mexico border region.