Fall 2019 Scholars

Riley is a junior originally from Roswell, Georgia and she is majoring in Government. On campus, Riley is heavily involved in the International Relations Club; she was the Under-Secretary General of Specialized Agencies for the William and Mary High School Model United Nations Conference (WMHSMUN). It has also allowed her to travel across the world to places such as Spain and Panama to compete in Model United Nations conferences. Riley is also a freshman RA and loves the opportunity it gives her to welcome the newest group of students to William & Mary. She is currently working with the US State Department through their Diplomacy Lab to research the effect of social media on conflict in Ethiopia. Outside of classwork and extracurriculars, Riley likes to spend her free time hanging in her hammock by the Sunken Garden, walking in Colonial Williamsburg, or playing pool with friends.

Haojun is a senior from Taiyuan, China, majoring in Economics. He is former President of Poker Club in W&M. He previously interned at the China Merchants Bank New York Branch, affiliating clients with multiple institutions including Geller & Company, Cushman & Wakefield and Christie's etc. His interests include travel, basketball, and all poker games.

Lan is a junior from Beijing, China. Majoring in International Relations and Economics, she is particularly interested in international political economy, business, cultural promotion and global development, especially the developments of China, US and Japan. Therefore, she decided to study abroad in the US. Last semester, she exchanged to a university in Japan. She believes that studying and living in those countries would promote her understanding about politics and business of US and Japan.

Lan is also very open and willing to try new and different things. She can speak 3 language pretty well and has traveled to over 6 countries which cultivated her interests in international society. In high school, she produced and published a novel to support LGBT group. Although only a sophomore, Lan has done 4 different internships in varied industries, including audit, think tank, publisher and education. She thinks that students should try their best to experience as much as possible in their youth.

Although having many varied and colorful life experiences, she thinks that they are not enough. She has not found a thing that is interesting and meaningful enough for her to devote her life. In the future, she plans to work as a consultant before pursuing a higher level of education. She believes that real work would promote her understanding about her life goals. And consulting, in which she would have chances to learn many new industries and knowledge, is a good starting point.

Olivia is a senior from Richmond, Virginia majoring in Public Policy with a minor in Business Analytics. On campus, Olivia is a research assistant at the Social Networks and Political Psychology (SNaPP) Lab, where she implements a variety of research methods for analyzing political rhetoric. Additionally, she is part of a student research group at the Global Research Institute working on a project concerning Chinese media for the US Department of State. Olivia is a member of Asian American Student Initiative, which is a student organization dedicated to intersectional APIA activism and solidarity with marginalized communities. Before this study-away experience, she studied abroad at Charles University in Prague and currently retains her conversational Czech language skills.