Strauss Center News

Updates from the Strauss Center and our affiliated distinguished scholars and fellows

Categories

Strauss Center Announces 2020 – 2021 Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows

Jun 10, 2020 |

The Robert Strauss Center is very pleased to announce the acceptance of eleven graduate students to its 2020 – 2021 class of the Brumley Next Generation Fellows program. Now entering its sixth year, the program’s new class comprises an impressive group of graduate students drawn from schools and departments across the UT campus. 

Involving graduate students in the Strauss Center’s research programs is an important part of the Center’s service mission, and the Next Generation Brumley Fellows program enables the Strauss Center to directly engage with students on enhancing their research and professional opportunities. The goal of the program is to provide a transformative experience for UT graduate students from an array of disciplines, accelerating their path towards career success. The Fellows program emphasizes building professional and scholarly skills and networks, as well as gaining exposure to perspectives and methods from outside the Fellows’ home departments. Towards that end, each year we select the Fellows for each of our research programs in a highly-competitive process involving applicants from varying fields of study. 

Meet the 2020 – 2021 Brumley Next Generation Graduate Fellows: 

Julia Bordelon is a second-year M.A. student in the Department of Geography and the Environment.  She received her B.A. in Geography and Spanish from Rutgers University, where she studied the geospatial dimensions of political violence in Argentina, and subsequently worked in urban planning before returning to academia.  Her current research explores the discursive construction of the U.S.-Mexico border.  This work analyzes how border security is framed, and what different border securities might look like, through representations of the border in social media and public communications by the U.S. Border Patrol and several immigrant activist groups.  As a Brumley Fellow, Julia will be working with Professor Stephanie Leutert, Director of our Central America and Mexico Policy Initiative (CAMPI). 

Caroline Elyse Burks is a third-year student with the University of Texas School of Law, pursuing her J.D., specializing in cybersecurity and national security-adjacent law and policy. Caroline has (soon to be released) publications in the American University National Security Law Brief and the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence.  Caroline has worked as an intern for the Department of Justice at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas and at a patent litigation firm. Prior to law school, Caroline worked in the roleplaying games industry as an event manager. Upon completion of her studies, Caroline intends to practice law and hopes to make a career in patent litigation, cybersecurity, and privacy law. As a Brumley Fellow, Caroline will work with Dr. Edwin Dorn, Professor of Public Affairs at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.  

Jaime Cabrera is a second-year Master of Global Policy student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs where he specializes in internet governance. He graduated with a BA in International Business from Tec de Monterrey in Mexico. He has worked for the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the World Trade Organization as an assistant to the Delegate on Trade Facilitation and at the Consulate General of Mexico in Laredo, Texas, as the Press and Legal Affairs Coordinator. He serves on the LBJ School’s Graduate Council of Public Affairs’ Executive Committee as the Financial Director for the 20–21 academic year. Jaime is particularly interested in the collaboration of private and public sector for the global public interest and how technology can lead to better forms of governance. As a Brumley Fellow, Jaime will work with Professor Bryan Jones, Adjunct Professor at The University of Texas School of Law.

Gabriel Cortez was born in California and grew up in different parts of the state and in central Arizona. He graduated from Northern Arizona University with a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration with Summa cum laude honors. As a Charles B. Rangel Fellow with the U.S. State Department, Gabriel will join the Foreign Service after completing his Master’s in Global Policy Studies at the LBJ School. Gabriel has an extensive work history with the U.S. federal government, working and interning with different offices and agencies like the U.S. Helsinki Commission, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Department of Health and U.S. Department of State at its General Consulate in Milan, Italy. He has lived abroad in several countries, including Japan and Italy, and served in the Peace Corps in Ukraine for three years as a Volunteer Leader. His policy areas include U.S. Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, National Security, the European Union, Eastern Europe, and Intelligence. As a Brumley Fellow, Gabriel will work with Professor Stephen Slick, Director of the Intelligence Studies Project.

Alyssa Goessler is a second-year graduate student pursuing a dual-degree in Global Policy and Middle Eastern Studies at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Center for Middle Eastern Studies. Prior to joining the UT community, Alyssa worked in foreign policy in New York City—first, at the Mission of Jordan to the United Nations, and thereafter in the Executive Office of the Council on Foreign Relations. Alyssa’s research aims to increase transparency, predictability, and accountability in space by employing natural language processing to better understand Arab state behaviors in space. This research will ideally help to decrease the likelihood of conflict resulting from a misunderstanding of state behaviors in space and will aid in the creation of international norms in space by providing further clarity on the intentions and motivations of MENA nation-states in space. As a Brumley Fellow, Alyssa will continue working with Dr. Moriba Jah, Program Lead of the Space Security and Safety Program at the Strauss Center.

Brianna Kablack is a Master of Global Policy Studies candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She specializes in Security, Law, and Diplomacy with interests in Middle East security and domestic terrorism. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs from The George Washington University, Brianna analyzed Russian and Chinese economic warfare strategies before spending a year teaching English in Thailand. Brianna is passionate about addressing emerging threats holistically and hopes to advance U.S. foreign policy that aligns immediate security interests with long-term international development. As a Brumley Fellow, Brianna will work with Dr. Samy Ayoub, Assistant Professor of Law and Middle Eastern Studies at The University of Texas School of Law.

Marigny Kirschke-Schwartz is a second-year Master of Global Policy Studies candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Peace, War, and Defense and a minor in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill. Her current research examines the efficacy of counterterrorism policy and reforms in the U.S. Intelligence Community, with broad interests in covert action and national security. She is spending the summer of 2020 working as a Research Associate for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, focusing on terrorism and nuclear nonproliferation policy. Upon completion of her degree, Marigny plans to pursue a career in public service. As a Brumley Fellow, Marigny will work with Professor Paul Pope, Senior Fellow at the Intelligence Studies Project.

Raven Langhorne is a second-year dual-degree master’s student at the LBJ School of Public Affairs and the Jackson School of Geosciences. She is interested in studying the food, water, and energy nexus as it pertains to international development and security. She is spending the summer of 2020 as a research intern for Glimmer of Hope, an international development organization. Her research will focus on improving irrigation structures and water access for communities in Ethiopia. Upon completion of her degree, Raven hopes to work for a non-profit outside the United States focused on international security and development. As a Brumley Fellow, Raven will work with Dr. Ashley Moran, Director of the State Fragility Initiative at the Strauss Center.

Matthew Orr is a third-year student pursuing dual master’s degrees in Global Policy Studies and Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his B.A. in Russian language and literature and lived in Russia for three years before graduate school, including a year teaching English through the Fulbright program. His interests include democratization in the former Soviet Union, US-Russian relations, energy geopolitics, and contemporary Russian literature. He is a co-host of the Slavic Connexion podcast. As a Brumley Fellow, Matthew will work with Dr. Jeremi Suri, a professor in the university’s Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Jonathan Roberts is a second-year Master of Global Policy Studies candidate at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Prior to LBJ, Jonathan worked in the Texas House of Representatives and earned his B.A. in Asian Studies, Government, and International Relations from UT Austin. His Brumley research will be at the intersection of human rights and U.S. strategy in East Asia. Upon graduation, Jonathan hopes to go into public service and continue in his immense curiosity of the world. As a Brumley Fellow, Jonathan will work with Dr. Rana Siu Inboden, a Distinguished Scholar with the Strauss Center and an adjunct professor at UT Austin.

Nimrah Siddiqui is a second-year student in the Master of Public Affairs program at the LBJ School. Her primary interests lie in finance and economic development with a particular interest in public healthcare systems and welfare programs. Her secondary interest lies in natural resource and agriculture policy. Nimrah received a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Wellesley College, as well as a previous Master’s degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies in the United Kingdom. Immediately prior to entering the LBJ School, she was actively involved in the non-profit sector in the Houston area, developing programming for non-profits in the education and public arts space. Nimrah speaks Urdu fluently, and she has also had extensive cultural exposure to Spanish, Arabic and Farsi. During the Brumley fellowship, she hopes to develop a comparative understanding of economic vulnerability, public healthcare systems, and welfare programs across various countries. As a Brumley Fellow, Nimrah will work with Dr. Joshua Busby, Associate Professor of Public Affairs at the LBJ School.

strausscenter_black