About The Authors

understand and address the intersectionality of gender, race, and disability equality. Her goal is to help decrease disparities in health and health care and provide adequate access to care for minorities with disabilities through policies and programs.

Emily Peraza is from Santa Ana, California, currently a fourth-year undergraduate student at UC Berkeley working towards a Global Studies degree with a concentration in Peace and Conflict. I'm passionate about global issues, human rights, immigration, and foreign policy. Her identities as a 1st-generation, Latina student are all very important to me and relevant to the work and the learning she does. I am extremely honored to have been selected to participate as a WCAPS 2022 fellow alongside an empowering cohort of like-minded women from across the globe. In my free time, I like going to concerts and trying new cafe spots.

Haripriya Guduru is in the final year of her Master’s program in Development Studies and Economics at Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India. She’s passionate about analyzing the nexus between conflict, security and development discourses in post-conflict societies of Asia and Africa. She aims to contribute to the field through inclusive, sustainable and gendered approaches that focus on the lived experiences in the Global South to tackle developmental and governance issues in conflict and post-conflict regions.

Javeria is a young feminist peacebuilder. She is passionate about embracing anti-colonial lense for inclusive and intersectional peacebuilding. She holds an MA in Development Studies from the Graduate Institute, Geneva and a BA in International Relations and Geography from Mount Holyoke College, MA, USA. Beyond peacebuilding, she has prior experience in human rights and climate justice. Currently, she works at the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation under the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Javeria is a shape-shifter with a desire to work at the intersection of her many interests and passions.

Lalissie E. is a growing professional in the nonprofit sector with a Bachelor’s in International Relations. She enjoys analyzing how marginalized communities are affected by power dynamics between institutions and individuals. Outside of academics, Lalissie relies on hands-on experiences to enrich her understanding of community building, problem-solving practices, and current events. To that end, she’s previously taken up roles as her college’s Black Student Union president, a First Year Mentor to guide new college students, and a Hansard Society Scholar spending a semester at the London School of Economics and interning for a Labour MP. This past spring, Lalissie was a Pipeline Fellow. By attending topic-specific sessions and participating in group work, she gained familiarity with the peace and security field by brainstorming potential solutions to global issues with other fellows. Currently, Lalissie is the Events & Community Coordinator at The Communications Network. With the team, she works to

fulfill The Network’s goal of providing informational resources and opportunities to connect for communications professionals across the social sector.

Lauran Howard (pronouns: she/her) is an active member of the Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS) where she is Co-Chair of the Mental Health Sub-Working Group and a Pipeline Fellow. Graduated from Georgetown University SCS, she obtained her MA in Liberal Studies with a focus in International Relations and Religious Studies. She also obtained her BA, in International Studies concentrating in International Cultures from Mount St. Mary’s University. A Certified Foundational Positive Psychology Specialist, Adult Mental Health First Aider/Instructor and a member of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA), she has also spent the last 10 years as a Human Rights and Mental Health Advocate for organizations and initiatives that focus on marginalized communities such as POC, WOC and LGBTQIA+ on a global scale. Lauran has also dedicated herself in furthering her studies in Mindfulness, Religious & Contemplative Practices at the Won Institute of Graduate Studies. At the same time, she also aims to gain experience and knowledge surrounding Mind, Body & Spiritual Wellness while deciding to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology or Global Human Development. Currently, Lauran works as a Research Consultant at the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC) with the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation while completing her internship as a Research Assistant Intern at the Radiant Cardinal Project, a non-profit organization that centers around research on how to better support those affected by Substance Use Disorder (SUD). She enjoys going on nature walks, reading, playing and teaching the piano, art, journaling and spending time with friends and family.

Lizeth Flores currently serves as the Grants Manager at U.S.VETS, which is a veteran services organization headquartered in Los Angeles, California. In addition to being a WCAPS Pipeline Fellow, she is a graduate student at Cornell University, working toward her Master of Public Administration degree, with a concentration in International Policy. She is also a Board Fellow for School on Wheels (providing tutoring services for unhoused students in Southern California), and a member of Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy. Previously, she served with organizations such as the Hispanic Scholarship Fund and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice; and also worked at a startup called Pioneer Infotech. Prior to this work, she advocated for undocumented student rights during her time at the University of Califoria, Los Angeles, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in International Development Studies.

Lydia Johnson is a 2019 graduate of Howard University, holding degrees in Spanish and Political Science. Throughout her academic and professional careers she has committed herself to global servant leadership and empowerment through education, and has traveled, lived, and worked in seventeen different countries. Lydia is a current Fulbright ETA grantee to Panama, where she supports English coursework at the primary and university level. Prior to beginning her Fulbright, she worked as a Program Assistant for the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Program, as a Research Fellow for Her Term, a Political Organizing Fellow with The Working Families Party, and a Summer Fellow with The Peace and Security Funders Group. Along with being a 2022 Pipeline Fellow, she serves on the leadership board for the Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS) Georgia chapter. She is multilingual and has studied Spanish, Japanese, French, Portuguese, and Latin. She is also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She has a genuine passion for international affairs, most notably supporting students from underrepresented and minority backgrounds through academic spaces. Lydia plans to someday start her own nonprofit organization to create accessible international education opportunities for low-income Black and POC students focused on minority identities and Black culture throughout the African Diaspora. In her free time she loves to cook, binge horror movies, and play indie games on her Nintendo Switch.

Maywadee (May) Viriyapah is a graduate from the George Washington University, receiving a B.A in Political Science and Fine Arts. She is interested in international affairs and human rights advocacy. As an undergraduate, she worked at several institutions researching conflict resolution and terrorism. For the past year, she has been working in the U.S. House of Representatives as a Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies Racial Equity Fellow with a focus on foreign affairs legislation. Following her work at Congress, May will be working in Thailand with the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant program for the 2022-2023 year. Outside of work, she enjoys studying art and has participated in several local art exhibitions.

Meenu Bhooshanan was born and raised in Madison, Alabama. She is an interdisciplinary technologist, with industry experience in software engineering, cybersecurity, and data science. Currently, she serves as a US Digital Corps Software Engineering Fellow at the General Services Administration's technology innovation lab. Meenu aspires to utilize her technological background and domain knowledge to help redefine national security and make government more equitable. Meenu graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2022 as a John B. Ervin scholar, with a B.A. in Global Studies (International Affairs concentration), Second Major in Computer Science, and a minor in Arabic. During her undergraduate years, she was involved with a South Asian equality collective working to raise awareness about and combat caste discrimination. Outside of her professional life, Meenu loves to cook global cuisines and try

local restaurants. She is an avid reader, writer, crocheter, music lover, and explorer of new places.

Ngozi Elobuike is an international scholar, global health health practitioner and community organizer. She is a 2019 Honors graduate from Howard University with a Bachelors of Science in Biology. In December of 2020, she completed her Masters in Global Health and Development at University College London. In 2022, she wrapped up her Masters student in Race, Migration and Decolonial Studies at University College Dublin. While balancing full time, academically rigorous courses, she acquired 7 years of experience working with nonprofits. She managed over 75 people across different teams, handling over $50,000 in funding and structured the full life cycle of projects in Stockton, California, Washington, D.C., London, U.K., and Blantyre, Malawi. Overall, she has robust experience in organization design, communicating with stakeholders, and culturally competent strategic planning.

Raziya Hillery is 2022 Fulbright- Peru Scholar and recent graduate of Butler University, where she studied political science, international studies, and Spanish. As a committed public servant, she has worked with Catholic Charities Refugee and Immigrant Services, The Office of the Indianapolis Mayor, and with The Dominican Republic's Permanent Mission to the United Nations. She most recently interned with the United Nations Development Coordination Office to monitor the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Raziya currently works to protect human rights for marginalized populations as the Director of Community Engagement for Black Women in Charge, Inc. In the future, she hopes to work in government or international organizations to improve the lives of marginalized communities. Raziya proudly calls Indianapolis, Indiana her home.

EDITORS

Gabrielle Gueye is the Outreach, Stakeholder Engagement, and Training Manager at Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security (WCAPS). She is also the Global Business Director at Morganmatters LLC, an International Trade Firm. Gabrielle also leads the organization and implementation of WCAPS' pipeline programs. Before joining WCAPS full time, she worked in humanitarian aid and development, at Catholic Relief Services, for a number of years, where she led Knowledge Management activities and provided Technical Assistance as part of the Impact Investing and Private Sector Engagement team. Gabrielle is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer, AmeriCorps member, and Rotarian. She completed her Bachelor's degree at Kent State University in Ohio, with a concentration in Justice Studies and Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and completed her Master’s degree at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University in Global Affairs and Management.

Kynnedi Taylor-Henry is the Foreign Policy and Programs Lead for Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation (WCAPS). In her role, she works closely with WCAPS' working group and initiative leadership to support them in their membership engagement efforts. Prior to joining WCAPS Headquarters, she served on the Board of Directors for the League of Women Voters, Oxford/North Mississippi Chapter. During her time with the League, she spoke with Mississippi legislators to advocate for the League's top priorities, including voter engagement, redistricting, People Powered Fair Maps Campaign and secure elections. Kynnedi also worked with the League to educate the community of Oxford, Mississippi about the People Powered Fair Maps Campaign, which focused on redistricting and gerrymandering. Prior to her service to the League of Women Voters, she worked for the Friends Committee on National Legislation to organize community members and lobby members of Congress to support nation-wide gun safety legislation. As a burgeoning practitioner in the field of foreign affairs, she has participated in Orgs in Solidarity 's Media Spokesperson Training Series, Davis Center for Eurasian Study 's Negotiation Task Force, and Women in Government Relations' Direct Connect to Congress. Her proudest accomplishment is that she is the author of a motivational children's book titled, The Adventures of Jonathan and Mr. King.

Noura Hassouna is an international affairs scholar with a focus on Global Gender Policy and the Middle East. She earned a Masters of Art in International Affairs with a concentration on Global Gender Policy and the Middle East from George Washington University where she conducted a year-long policy research paper on Women-Led Activism in the MENA Region. She has also held positions at the Egyptian Embassy, the Center for Civilians in Conflict and the UN-ESCWA. Noura is currently the Program Assistant for Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security and Conflict Transformation’s Pipeline Fellowship program. In her spare time, Noura is an avid writer, a published photographer and enjoys activities such as hiking and rafting.