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Yale International Relations Global Essay Competition 2025 - Student Registration Form
A prestigious competition for students to showcase their analytical and writing skills on global issues, guided by Yale University undergraduate mentors.
Trey Sullivan
Concentration: History & Literature |
Secondary: Philosophy
“Trey is a sophomore in Winthrop House planning to concentrate in
History & Literature with a secondary degree in Philosophy. In 2019, he
graduated from The Roxbury Latin School where he was the president of the
school’s debate program, as well as associate editor of the school’s
newspaper and captain of the junior varsity soccer team. After graduating,
Trey took a gap year in which he spent half of the year working on several
local and national political campaigns, before traveling to Paris to study
French language and literature at La Sorbonne. At Harvard, Trey is involved
in the Black Men’s Forum and the Politics of Race & Ethnicity program
within the Institute of Politics. Trey is a foodie at heart. He loves
cooking dishes from around the world, as well as exploring the world’s
greatest food cities (his current favorite is New Orleans). Trey also enjoys
writing. Amidst the Black Lives Matter protests of this past summer, he
published his first piece on Medium entitled “Respectability Politics Have
Got to Go.” When he isn’t cooking, eating, or writing, Trey loves to read,
play board games with his younger brother, and listen to 90s R&B.”
Rayo Daniel
Concentration: Psychology
Rayo is a sophomore at the college studying Psychology with a particular
focus on criminal behavior. She is originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota
and is very passionate about youth voice and social justice as a whole. She
has been very involved in her local and school communities, holding various
leadership positions and setting an example for rising teenagers in her
neighborhood. In her free time, Rayo is the lead singer in a band called
Gifted Hands, a talented group composed entirely of youth musicians. Rayo
hopes to combine her outgoing personality, her passion for leadership, and
her interest in crime to be a force for change in the criminal justice
system.
Jessica Austin
Concentration: Economics
Jess is a sophomore in Pforzheimer House from Cape Town, South Africa. She
is concentrating in Economics and hopes to explore the more behavioural side
of the field, with a possible secondary in Sociology, Education, or History.
Jess has been involved in various social impact projects in South Africa,
from skills development programmes for retrenched workers to the creation of
a fresh produce market to support emerging farmers. She is passionate about
educational empowerment and has been involved in History curriculum
development and conducted workshops for high school students in Cape Town.
In her free time, Jess loves hiking with her dog Charlie, reading both
fiction and non-fiction, from Ella Ferrante to Dan Ariely, as well as eating
copious amounts of chocolate ice cream. She is so excited to be involved
with YLC and meet students who are passionate about leadership and making a
difference in others’ lives.
Ishaan Prasad
Concentration: Computer Science (MBB)
| Secondary: Linguistics
Ishaan is a junior in Lowell House interested in exploring the intersection
between Computer Science and Linguistics. Having participated in YLC as both
a camper and a junior counselor, Ishaan is excited to now help lead the
program as a counselor and former director. At the College, Ishaan is a
research student at Harvard Business School, a case team leader for the
Harvard College Consulting Group, and a student ambassador with the Crimson
Key Society.
Ethan Taotafa
Concentration: Computer Science and
Philosophy
Ethan is a Junior from San Diego, California. He studies Computer Science
and Philosophy and is interested in pursuing business after Harvard. An avid
outdoorsman and Eagle Scout, Ethan enjoys backpacking, hammocking, and
camping. He is a member of Harvard’s Men’s Rugby Team and enjoys the
camaraderie of team sports. Ethan recently returned from a 2 year mission
trip in Vietnam. There, he participated in community outreach programs and
service projects that were aimed at improving the daily lifestyle of those
in the community. Ethan hopes to be a mentor to younger students and to help
influence others to make a change in their communities. He believes that
developing leadership skills early and often is the key to positively
affecting the political landscape in the world moving forward. A
self-proclaimed “”foodie””, Ethan enjoys trying out
unknown local eateries. He believes that the best forms of communication are
those in which good food is involved.
Ayah Al-Zubi
Concentration: Sociology
Ayah Al-Zubi is a junior in Leverett House born in Jordan and from
Cincinnati, Ohio. Ayah plans on studying the intersection of psychology,
sociology and education. She empowers youth to transcend their potential and
take on challenges. With sports being one of her most important motivators,
Ayah utilizes the sports platform to bring on this empowerment. This passion
for sports has allowed her to start her own organization, Impowera, that
builds youth sports curriculum in which she launched basketball camps in the
MENA in 2019. This also led Ayah to create the first ever sports and mental
health conference in the MENA. Ayah has taught a sports justice course
featuring professional athletes and given a Tedx Talk on diversity and youth
leadership. Ayah is committed to empowering youth to change the future
because they are the future. You can find Ayah outdoors, traveling, learning
about new cultures, and playing any sport in her free time!
Albie Giandomenico
Concentration: Economics | Secondary:
Astrophysics
Albie is a senior in Cabot House concentrating in Economics with a secondary
in Astrophysics. He grew up in Walpole, Massachusetts and before college
embraced many leadership roles, especially as Class President for six
straight years. Albie stays heavily involved at the school as the Co-Captain
of the club ice hockey team, as the former President of club lacrosse, and
with the rugby team. He also spreads his interests to other extracurriculars
including being in the undergraduate art club and acting in a small play.
During his gap year, Albie spent the majority of his time travelling in the
United States and Europe while developing what he sees as the key to
effective leadership: communication. Albie has served as chair of YLC and
looks forward to continuing his involvement while maintaining the
organization’s effectiveness and expanding the outreach. His family stays
involved with foster care in the Boston area, taking in babies in need of a
home. Albie enjoys listening to a wide variety of music, drawing on his
iPad, and being in nature.
Afiya Quryshi
Concentration: Molecular and Cellular Biology
Afiya is a sophomore in Eliot House concentrating in Molecular and Cellular
Biology, and planning for a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy
down the road. She is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she served
as Senior Prefect of her high school, captain of various team oriented
clubs, and founder of programs dedicated to mentor younger students in STEM
research and STEM learning. At Harvard, Afiya is involved with the Harvard
Science Review, MEDLife, and other service focused programs. Due to her
interest in advocacy, especially with regards to education, Afiya stands by
the Latin proverb, “By teaching, we learn”. She has been so grateful to have
received direction and guidance from mentors in her life, and through YLC,
hopes to give back to the community by providing mentorship in leadership to
build confidence and communication. In her free time Afiya loves
photography, sewing, playing tennis, and cooking from global cuisines.
Alexander Martin Aldrich
Battling undernutrition in a single meal
Alex Aldrich is a student at Harvard College, as well as National Debate
Champion and founder at Youth Initiative and AlexDebat. He is also involved
with research screening at SUNheart Cardiology.
Ibrahim Alkuraya
To Build a Lighthouse: Establishing Medical
Support Groups Among Underserved Communities
Ibrahim Alkuraya is a student at Harvard College and a founding member of
Rashd, a national medical awareness organization. He is looking forward to
sharing his knowledge on how to set up your organization – especially at the
high school level.
Jessica Chen
Taiwan’s Classroom Fight for Freedom
Jessica Chen is a student at Harvard College majoring in CS/neuroscience.
She just wrapped up her gap year abroad teaching English in rural
classrooms, doing research at NTUST, training for a freediving license, and
riding a motorcycle around the island of Formosa! Her interest in
educational policy stems from equity-in-excellence debates in both her
hometowns of northern Virginia and Taipei, Taiwan.
Hannah Chew
What Does It Mean for Education to “Return to
Normal”?
Hannah Chew is a student at Harvard College studying History of Art and
Architecture and Education. Hannah is involved with various arts
organizations, student clubs, the Harvard Art Museums, and Wave Learning
Festival. She is really excited to start working with TWF students on a
project exploring issues of educational inequity!
Vikhyat (Vik) Kethamukkala
Aequalitas: Creating Resources for Linguistic
Minorities in Healthcare
Vikhyat Kethamukkala is a student at Harvard College studying computer
science and linguistics. He loves exploring the intersections of technology
and culture through the ever-changing state of language and psychology.
Kevin Chen
Central Bank Digital Currencies and Financial
Inclusion
Kevin Chen is a student at Harvard who was born and raised in Shanghai,
China. He is passionate about economics, technology, and the intersection of
the two fields. Kevin is also an avid reader and likes to watch anime in his
spare time.
Grace Li
Loneliness: the Silent Assassin
Grace Li is a student at Harvard College, originally from the Richmond Hill,
Canada. She’s interested in computer science, economics, and
neuroscience, and loves spending her free time painting, biking, and baking.
She’s always down to meet new people and gush over media recs (The
Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green is phenomenal!), so feel free to reach
out anytime!
Jeremiah Curran
Improving STEM Education Access for Disadvantaged Students
Jeremiah Curran is a student at Harvard College and Teen Director of Project
Next Generation, an organization that offers free civic engagement workshops
to middle and high school students. In his free time, he enjoys reading and
programming using Python.
Malaika Zaidi
Concentration: History of Science
Malaika is a first-year student from the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. She
is currently on campus living in Currier House. Malaika is interested in
pursuing a career in the medical field, as she is passionate about tackling
the disparities present in the healthcare system. She is thrilled to be a
YLC counselor and looks forward to fostering a strong sense of community,
helping young individuals find their voice, and inspiring others to speak up
for social change. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends
and family, exploring new places, and listening to music!