Ryan Anderson

I am a third-year Honors student from Arlington, VA, and in addition to the Honors Program I am working to complete his pre-medical requirements. My main interest lies in the intersection of politics and medicine, I am currently pursuing a newly created minor in Global Public Health. I hope to go to medical school and become involved in health policy work in the future. This summer, I will be working with the Virginia Department of Health in Richmond in the Office of Health Policy and Planning thanks to the support of UVA's Institute for Practical Ethics. Apart from my academic pursuits, I am also a counselor for the University Judiciary Committee, involved in One in Four sexual assault peer education, and I am a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity.

Laura Carlisle

I am from Mobile, Alabama, pursuing a major in Politics Honors and a minor in Economics or History. My interests within the study of politics include constitutional law, environmental policy, and the political dynamics of the American South. Outside of the classroom, I am a member of Chi Omega Sorority, an Educator for the University Judiciary committee, and a course assistant within the Commerce School. I am also involved with Inter-Sorority Council Judiciary Committee and the student fellowship group Canterbury. Aside from politics, my interests include photography, historical architecture, and southern literature; and in my spare time I enjoy running and spending time at the beach.

Noah Deich

I hail from Arlington, Virginia. My interests within the program include the politics of education, scientific development, global development, and global poverty. My responsibilities in the program include Third-Year Snack Coordinator, and member of the Speaker Committee. Outside of the Honors Politics program, I am pursuing a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. My interests outside of class include the study of music with a focus on the guitar, competing in basketball and tennis, and traveling.

Aman T. George

I am from Falls Church, VA, and I have also lived in Arlington and in New York City. I am currently double-majoring in Economics at the University. My main interests lie in areas in which Politics and Economics overlap, such as development, economic reform, and energy issues. I am also very interested in Chinese political and economic issues, and I spent last summer in Shanghai with U.Va's intensive language study program. Outside of my academic commitments, I am President of the International Relations Organization, a member of a fraternity, as well as a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society.

Michael Miller

I am a third year student from Saint Davids, Pennsylvania. My political science interests include democratic peace theory and the role social elites play in the Democratic Party, a topic on which I may eventually base my honors thesis. I am also minoring in religious studies. Over the past three years, I have competed on the University's varsity swimming and diving team. I have also served as a summer intern for former Philadelphia City Councilman Michael Nutter.

Sarah Begeman

I am from Oak Hill, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. My primary academic interests are feminist theory and gender politics, but I am also deeply interested in constitutional law and civil rights, as well as the intersections between religion and politics both in the United States and abroad. Outside the classroom, I am a
member of the managing board of the Virginia Women's Chorus, the Vice President of Hoos Open to Preventing Eating Disorders, and serve an intern for the U.Va. Coalition on Eating Disorders and Exercise Concerns. Far outside my academic interests, I am passionate about animals, particularly in helping my family train assistance dogs for the disabled.

My name is Adom Getachew. I often have a hard time answering the question of where I am from because while I am originally from Ethiopia, I lived in Botswana for 7 years and have lived in Arlington, VA for 6 years now. Along with the Politics Honors program, I am an African-American and African studies major. My primary academic interest is in post-colonial and Africana/black political thought. I am specifically interested in the transnational dialogues between African American, African and Caribbean intellectuals and the ways in which they respond and re-imagine international as well as domestic political/economic situations. Outside of my academic pursuits, I am a member of Resident Staff as a Resident Advisor in First Year dorms and I also serve as a Peer Advisor for the Office of African-American Affairs. I also attempt to engage the community outside of the University. I run a tutoring/mentoring program at Jack Jouett Middle School and serve as a volunteer at Buford Middle School.

Wm. Grayson Lambert

I am from Columbia, SC. My focus is on American politics, with specific interests in federalism, constitutional law, and the presidency, although I enjoy most facets of government and elective politics. Additionally, I am an avid reader of American political history as well as the Civil War. Outside of the classroom, I am actively involved with the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society, as well as with Reformed University Fellowship and the University Judiciary Committee, on which I serve as counselor and chair of the Issues Subcommittee. I also am a member of the Club Golf team as golf is one of my favorite activities. My current plan is to attend law school after finishing at the University.

Rohan Pai

I am from Nashville, Tennessee. In addition to my enrollment in the Politics Honors program, I am majoring in Economics. My academic interests span the humanities and social sciences, and am specifically interested in International Political Economy and Trade politics. Outside the classroom, I work at the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service as a research assistant in the Business and Economics Section and serve as moderator for Sustained Dialogue. I am also proud to be a member of the Public Service Fellows program, a student-run organization (housed in the Miller Center for Public Affairs) that seeks to promote interest in public service and public policy among undergraduate students. In addition, I serve as a counsel for the Honor Committee and am a member of the Washington Literary Society and Debating Union.

Matthew Waring

I am a fiercely proud native of Northern Virginia. In addition to politics, I enjoy studying literature and the Arabic language. In the realm of politics, my primary interests are civil rights, especially the voting rights struggle, democratic consolidation, constitutional law, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. In my spare time, I play the trombone in the Cavalier Marching Band, write a life column for the Cavalier Daily, serve as a facilitator for First Year Seminar, and run a Lutheran student group. Down the road, I hope to find myself on the federal bench.

Hey everybody! I'm Davis Zaunbrecher, a third year from Covington, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. My main academic interest is Latin America--languages, comparative politics, international relations, history, economics. I've been fortunate enough to travel through Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Panama, and Mexico, but still have a lot more exploring to do. At the University, I give tours as a member of the University Guide Service and help direct a student-organized lecture series offered as a one credit class. I also enjoy playing basketball, squash, and golf.