Harper Strahan

2026 Recipient

Harper Strahan is a student at Indiana University, double-majoring in International Studies and Economics. A committed leader and public servant, Harper has served as a resident assistant, research assistant, orientation leader, and lead project manager for global development initiatives. Her professional experience spans five continents, including consulting for U.S. embassies, NGOs, and government agencies on projects in public health, renewable energy, and governance. She has represented the U.S. at the NATO Youth Summit and attended the Public Policy Leadership Conference at Harvard, pursuing a career at the intersection of service and global policy.

Colin Beam

2026 Honorable Mention

Colin Beam is from Southern Indiana and is a senior at Indiana University, double-majoring in Political Science and Middle Eastern Languages ​​and Cultures. As an active Hoosier, he has served as a Peer Assistant, Residential Assistant, and Outreach Coordinator for the Hamilton Lugar student government, alongside his involvement in several other campus clubs and organizations. Beyond Bloomington, Colin has worked with an exchange program for Algerian women through FIU International, served as a counselor for children with cancer through Camp Quality, worked as an instructional assistant for inner-city students at a local elementary school, and interned at a pro bono law firm in South Africa. Colin is deeply passionate about community service and continues to pursue it in tangible ways. He dreams of combining his two majors to advance humanitarian collaboration and deepen international understanding across cultures.

Zoe Catlin

2025 Recipient

Zoe Catlin is a senior at the Hamilton Lugar School from Franklin, Indiana. She is presently pursuing a degree in International Law with focuses on comparative international law and human rights, alongside minors in philosophy and Spanish and the Political And Civic Engagement (PACE) certificate. Over her time at IU, Zoe has been granted numerous opportunities to explore leadership and advocacy. As a Democracy Fellow for the PACE program, intern with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy SNP office, and Peer Mentor for the HLS community, Zoe has been exposed to many leaders to hold in high regard. She is flexible to what the future may hold and is interested in a legal career through the human rights field. Although this can take many forms, Zoe is passionate about strengthening the International Legal system and ensuring it acts unbiased and justly. Zoe hopes to be an effective advocate and invoke global change by being a positive force in the lives of those she serves.

Zuzanna Kukawska

2025 Honorable Mention

Zuzanna Kukawska is a junior double-majoring in International Studies and Spanish. She is passionate about human rights, education, and sustainable development. Her recent work with Fuego del Sol Haiti and the Creative Action Institute centers around the implementation of innovative systems mitigating impacts of climate conflict and advocating for higher education for students of various ages. Last year she studied abroad in Spain at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. During that time, she honed her Spanish-speaking skills through immersive coursework and cultivated personal relationships working with elementary school students as an English teacher. In the future, she would like to use the communications and community-building skills she gained during her time at HLS to promote impactful non-profit organizations and grassroots development programs abroad.

Julianna Cantrell

2025 Honorable Mention

Sabine Thomas

2024 Recipient

Sabine Thomas is double majoring in International Studies and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (Arabic), as well as minoring in Creative Writing and pursuing a TESOL certification. She is dedicated to using education as a tool of empowerment for Arabic-speaking immigrant and refugee women living in the United States. Through study abroad opportunities in Jordan, India, and Bangladesh, she has realized the power of education and the ways in which the English language opens opportunities and furthers independence for women across the globe. Currently, Sabine is the president of the student organization Fair Trade at IU, where she advocates for female worker rights. She is also a committed member of the Arabic Flagship and an English tutor for the IU English Language Instruction Program.

Declan Gallagher

2024 Honorable Mention

Declan Gallagher is a senior majoring in International Studies and Spanish, with a minor in Russian. His fascination with global dynamics and cross-cultural interactions has driven his academic and professional pursuits. Declan's recent internship in Santiago, Chile, has provided him with firsthand experience in international relations and deepened his understanding of Latin American political and cultural contexts. His linguistic skills in Spanish and Russian further enhance his ability to engage with different communities. With aspirations to work at the State Department or a similar organization, Declan aims to leverage his knowledge of foreign policy and his international experience to foster diplomacy and cooperation on the global stage. His dedication to lifelong learning and making a positive impact underscores his commitment to a career in global affairs.

Emma Dabelko

2023 Recipient

Emma Dabelko is an International Studies major, minoring in Environmental and Sustainability Studies and African Languages (Swahili). A member of HLS Global Consulting’s Steering Committee, she led a team as Project Manager working with the Hijabi Mentorship Program in fall 2022. Her studies have led her to participate in a Diplomacy Lab investigating local agricultural strategies for greening central Kazakhstan. In summer 2022, Emma interned at the International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya, supporting the Mazingira Centre’s environmental research on livestock systems. She continues to explore these topics through a comparative food systems study abroad experience in Ecuador, Malawi, and Spain. Emma is an HLS Student Ambassador and plans to pursue a career in sustainable development, climate change, food systems, and human rights.

Isabelle deCastro

2023 Honorable Mention

Isabelle deCastro is a junior at Indiana University pursuing degrees in International Law and Spanish with a minor in Global Cybersecurity and a certificate in Political and Civic Engagement. With experience and interest in international relations, immigration policy, leadership, and public policy, her plans for the future include going to law school and working with governmental or multilateral institutions such as the United Nations or the US Department of State. In the past, she has worked with organizations such as Exodus Refugee Immigration, refugee resettlement; Fulkerson Kennedy & Co., campaign consulting firm; Monroe County Democrats as Precinct Committee Person BL07; and the US Agency for International Development. 

Russ Hensley

2022 Recipient

Russ Hensley is studying International Law and Institutions and Chinese Language and Culture. As a gay man, Russ' commitment to studying the 'International' is rooted in his passion for creating welcoming spaces for queer people across the world. At IU, Russ worked alongside Dr. Nicole Kousaleos in creating an intercession course titled "Queer Perspectives in International Relations." Additionally, Russ traveled to Glasgow, Scotland as a member of the IU Student Delegation to COP26, where he conducted research on the intersections of the queer and climate justice movements. After graduation, Russ plans to attend law school. Here, he will utilize the language skills/cultural knowledge gained at HLS with the hope to fight for queer rights globally.

Peyton Crnjak

2022 Honorable Mention

Peyton Crnjak is majoring in Cybersecurity and Global Policy with a minor in Central Eurasian Studies with an Estonian Language Certification. She is working alongside Luddy faculty observing the ways in which cyber policy has been conducted in the past and the drivers of change in the field. In 2022, she participated in IU Diplomacy Lab, researching how the U.S. should conduct diplomatic relations on the topic of A.I. and Human Rights. In Summer 2021, she worked in Washington, D.C. with an international consulting firm with their Cybersecurity group. She hopes to work for the U.S. government or the United Nations looking to play a leading role in furthering cyber policy globally.

Elliot Gross

2021 Recipient

Elliot Gross is a junior majoring in East Asian Languages and Cultures (Chinese) with minors in International Studies and Central Eurasian Studies. In addition to studying Mandarin through the Chinese Flagship program, he has also began studying the Uyghur language. Elliot hopes to combine his language skills and area expertise in a job that relates to US national security, diplomacy, or human rights. At IU, Elliot has taught Q199: Introduction to Global Citizenship for two semesters at the Global Living Learning Community and is the Founding International Service Committee Chair for Rotaract Club at IU. He is also currently a Communications Intern at the Uyghur Human Rights Project.

Veronica Coffey

2021 Honorable mention

Veronica Coffey’s ambition to improve women’s rights in Italy and Korea has been the driving force behind nearly everything she has done during her tenure at Indiana University. Veronica has had four unique human rights-related research experiences focusing on women's reproductive rights in Ireland and South Korea, along with studying the rise of Korean feminist literature and Italy's domestic violence activism during Covid-19. After graduation, she wants to utilize her language and research skills to continue to be an advocate for women's rights globally. Veronica’s interest in women's rights spans multiple cultures and regions, and is an inspiration to her to advocate for women's rights on an international level.

Shems Al-Ubaidi

2021 Honorable mention

Shems Al-Ubaidi is majoring in International Studies and Arabic with minors in Political Science and History. She works at IU's Center for the Study of the Middle East as an undergraduate assistant. As a founding member of the Eleanor Roosevelt Society, Shems helps create a space on campus centered on the empowerment, inclusion, and promotion of women in the international studies field. She also is an IU Student Government congressional representative and sits on the Environmental Affairs Committee. In the past, she has helped organize movements for a carbon neutral campus and incarcerated people on federal death row. After graduation, Shems intends to work closely with Middle Eastern refugee communities and later pursue a joint JD and MA degree concentrated in international law.

Mesa Sebree

2020 Recipient

Mesa Sebree is majoring in International Studies and Political Science with a minor in French. She is actively involved with the Hamilton Lugar School as a member of the Global Leaders and Professional Program and the HLS Communications Intern. In 2019, Mesa studied abroad in Brazil as part of the History of Race in the Americas program. Mesa holds leadership positions with campus organizations including Oxfam at IU and Students for a New Green world and volunteers with several others. On multiple occasions, she has personally initiated and coordinated coalition events between clubs, not only bolstering student engagement but also addressing intersectionality.

Stuart Sones

2020 Recipient

Stuart Sones is majoring in Anthropology and Near Eastern Languages & Cultures with a certificate in Islamic Studies and a minor in Spanish. He is a student of the Arabic Flagship Program where he leads the Arabic Music Club. As a research fellow for Platform Global Popular Music, his primary interests center around performance, intertextuality, and music in social movements in North Africa. Stuart serves as the co-president of Students for Peace in the Middle East and treasurer of the Oxfam Club and is active in several world music ensembles, including the Samulnori Korean Percussion Ensemble and Mariachi Perla del Medio Oeste. After graduation, Stuart looks forward to pursuing graduate studies in Anthropology and Middle Eastern Studies.

Zahra Bhoy

2019 Recipient

Zahra Bhoy is a student in HLS studying International Studies and Arabic. Zahra was born and raised in Northwest Indiana to immigrant parents from Pakistan. Her time at IU and HLS has been filled with taking various classes and participating in organizations and internships that center on her different interests like food insecurity, climate change, Middle Eastern affairs, and graphic design. Throughout her undergraduate career, she has been amazed by all the similarities between various events and issues taking place all over the world and how domestic and international issues are closely related. Zahra hopes to take what she has learned and apply it to a career that helps bridge gaps between cultures and alleviates misconceptions about immigrants and others living around the world.

Mariama Bah

2019 Honorable Mention

Mariama Bah’s family came from the country of Guinea, West Africa. Her mother came to the United States in the late 90’s and later in 2007, Mariama (at the age of nine) and her older brother joined her in Indianapolis. Mariama is a senior majoring in International Studies and a thematic concentration in Global Health and the environment with a regional concentration in North Africa and the Middle East and a minor in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. She is also a part of the IU Arabic Flagship Program, and is a student ambassador both for the program and for the Hamilton and Lugar School of Global and International Studies. In the future, she plans to pursue a career in humanitarian aid and development.

Moira Corcoran

2018 Recipient

Moira Corcoran (Indianapolis, IN) is majoring in International Studies, minoring in Spanish and Central Eurasian Studies, and pursuing a certificate in the Liberal Arts and Management Program and the Turkish Flagship Program. Moira has travelled to Nicaragua and Ghana as a volunteer consultant, to Azerbaijan to study Turkish, and to the UN Climate Conference in Bonn, Germany to conduct research on the role of transparency in the Paris Agreement. After graduation, she hopes to use her proficiency in Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Spanish to work with climate adaptation projects and policy. In her free time, Moira enjoys taking road trips, reading good books, and listening to Spanish pop music.

Nicholas Petry

2018 Honorable Mention

 Nicholas Petry is pursuing a B.A. degree in French and a B.A degree in International Studies, with a concentration in human rights and international law. In tandem with my minors, Gender Studies and International and Comparative Education, I am interested in investigating how gender, secularist policy, and the residual effects of colonization inform the identities of Maghrebian women in France. I am further interested in examining the relationship between France and its previously-colonized countries, and hope to work with humanitarian nonprofits that advocate for the social and economic equality of disenfranchised groups in these countries.

Andrea Vega Yudico

2018 Honorable Mention

Andrea Vega is studying International studies and Journalism with a minor in Chinese. The world is becoming increasingly globalized, and her upbringing is a testament to this globalization. Born in Mexico, raised in China, and now studying in Indiana, the 'International' has always been a part of her life. Having interned for publications in Uganda and China, she has developed an interest for international reporting. However, after an internship with the National Endowment for Democracy's initiative for media assistance, she realized the pressing need for media freedom and development work. As the president of IU's chapter of Reporters Without Borders, she continues to defend press freedom.

Hope Marshall

2017 Recipient

Hope Marshall (Sabillasville, MD) is a Belgium born, China raised, language loving, world traveling, German-American Hoosier majoring in International Studies with a focus on East Asia and Global Health. As you can see, her home is all over the map. The international isn’t just her passion or her life commitment; it’s who she is. This past summer, she researched the local perceptions of health and environment throughout China while participating in intensive Mandarin training courses in Shanghai. She is still searching for a career that will complete her need for the “international” and will allow her to pursue her goal of making the unfamiliar familiar and the global local.

Kate Bushong

2016 Recipient

Kate Bushong (Jacksonville, FL) is a Chinese major at Indiana University in her junior year. She began studying East Asian Languages as a freshman in high school. She studied in Nanjing, China for one semester in her sophomore year and completed a full four years of Chinese at IU. During her senior year, Kate studied in Nagoya, Japan, with the aim of becoming conversational in Japanese. After graduation, she hopes to work in the field of diplomacy to strengthen the relationship between the United States and East Asian countries.

Grace Burris

2015 Recipient

Grace Burris came to Indiana University knowing that she wanted to pursue a degree in International Studies. After her first semester, she joined the Turkish Flagship Program and began taking Turkish language classes. Grace also majored in Central Eurasian Studies. She spent a year studying abroad in Ankara, Turkey, taking classes at Ankara University. Grace was the Vice-President/Founder of the School of Global and International Studies Honors Society, Sigma Iota Rho; President/Founder of the International Studies Undergraduate Association; Treasurer of the Student Alliance for National Security; and Founder of the Student Flagship Association.

MaCie’ Moore

2015 Recipient

MaCie' Moore (Indianapolis, Indiana) was a student in SGIS who planned to incorporate international studies and educational policy into her future career. She spent a summer in East Africa, teaching at an English camp in Rwanda. She has volunteered with the Banneker After School Program; Middle Way House; and IU's Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief Organization (Y'ALL). She was a member of several campus organizations including Books & Beyond, the IU Chapter of the NAACP, and the student organization E.M.P.O.W.E.R.

Catherine Krege

2014 Recipient

Catherine Krege (Carmel, IN) majored in International Studies and Spanish, while earning a certificate in Political and Civic Engagement and minoring in Political Science. While at IU, Krege studied abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, and interned at a nonprofit in Melbourne, Australia; a foreign policy think tank in Washington, D.C.; and an American company in Kobe, Japan. She served as Indiana University’s fourth Presidential Intern on a project for the School of Global and International Studies and as the student representative on the College of Arts and Science’s Committee on Undergraduate Education. Krege helped found IU’s chapter of Sigma Iota Rho, an international affairs honor society. She plans to work in strategic consulting.

Elizabeth Nixon

2014 Recipient

Elizabeth Nixon (Bloomington, IN) is an alumna of the School of Global and International Studies. During her time at IU, Nixon co-founded Tunaweza Kimuziki, an ongoing set of music workshops at Moi University in Eldoret and Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2013, she served as a research intern at the Akiba Uhaki Foundation in Nairobi. She spent a semester studying and conducting research in Kigali, Rwanda. She completed her capstone honors thesis, a comparative study of the legal relationship between international non-governmental organizations and developing governments in East Africa.