Women in International Relations E-board

Emma Christman

Institute for Global Leadership Liaison

Emma Christman (A’23) is from Sudbury, Massachusetts and intends to major in International Relations with a concentration in security. She currently serves as the IGL Liaison for WIIR. She hopes to expand the community of women pursuing international relations and create space for female-identifying people in the field, and she is looking forward to getting to know all of this year’s new members. In addition to WIIR, Emma works as a Managing Editor for Hemispheres: Tufts University Journal of International Affairs. She also loves playing violin, hiking, taking photos and being outside in her spare time.


Selomi Dayaprema

Institute for Global Leadership Liasion Deputy

Selomi Dayaprema is a sophomore from North Carolina. She is planning on majoring in International Relations with a focus on globalization. At Tufts, she is involved with Women in International Relations and is looking forward to working with Tufts Food Rescue Collaborative. She hopes to be able to study abroad in France. Selomi is especially interested in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals across developed nations and the Global South. She is also curious about the effectiveness of global institutions in addressing issues from pandemics to the climate crisis. She is excited to be part of EPIIC this year because the themes and topics align well with her interests.


April Gao

Treasurer Deputy

April Gao is a sophomore from Austin, Texas majoring in Quantitative Economics and History with a minor in German. She is interested in international politics, cultural identity, and economic development. Outside of WIIR, she is a managing editor for Tufts Hemispheres, a staff editor for Tufts Historical Review, a peer leader in the Asian American Center, and volunteers with the Leonard Carmichael Society. In her free time, she enjoys learning about art history, visiting museums, and volunteering in local historical archives.


Ashley Jones-Flores

Co-President

Ashley is a sophomore majoring in Civic Studies and International Relations with a concentration in Latin America. She is originally from Bolivia but, has roots in Maryland and New Hampshire. Through Women in IR, Ashley hopes to make a safe space for femme-identifying individuals to explore International Relations and voice their ideas. When she is not working with Women in IR, you can find Ashley interning at the Latinx Center on campus, teaching ESL for teach-in-CORES, or debating at Model UN. In the future, Ashley hopes to go to law school and focus her efforts on Human Rights in Latin America.


Danyoung Kim

Publicity Chair

Danyoung (A’23) is a student from Bergen County, NJ majoring in International Relations and Psychology. When she isn't creating graphics or posting for Women in IR as publicity chair, she's likely to be working on campus with The Tufts Daily, Women’s Higher Education Now (WHEN) Alliance, the Korean Student Association, or Tufts Symphony Orchestra. In her free time, she’s always up to something musical, whether it be playing her viola in Symphony Hall or searching for the newest addition to her playlists on Spotify.


Izzy Martinez Merlos

Publicity Chair

Izzy Martinez-Merlos is a sophomore majoring in International Relations from Chicago, Illinois. She spent a semester abroad in Beijing during high school where she studied Chinese politics, history, and language. She studied French all four years of high school and participated in an exchange program to Paris in high school. Izzy is also a Spanish heritage speaker. Currently, in her fourth year of Chinese language study, she plans to be fluent and return to China for a semester abroad next year. Due to her love for languages, she also plans on studying Arabic, Hindi, and Korean in the future. Izzy is interested in sustainable development and has participated in volunteer programs in the Dominican Republic and Yunnan, China through Global Leadership Adventures. On-campus, Izzy is involved with the Association of Latin American Students, SURGE—the Tufts Sino-US Relation engagement group, and is the publicity deputy for Women In International Relations. She is also a member of CORES, a club that works with a local organization to teach ESL and preparation for the US citizenship exam to local immigrants and refugees in the Somerville area. She combined her love for cultures and dancing by joining three cultural dance clubs on campus: Wuzee (Chinese fusion), Tufts Middle Eastern Dance, and Encendido (Latin dance).


Sejal Meyers-Patel

Events Chair Deputy

Sejal is a sophomore studying International Relations from Durham, North Carolina. She currently is the event's deputy for WIIR. In addition to WIIR, she is involved in the Association of Mixed People at Tufts and is a research assistant in the Racial Equity & Diversity lab. Sejal is interested in international refugee law and hopes to work within the field in the future.


Brie McGowan

Treasurer

Brie McGowan is a senior double majoring in International Relations and Economics with a concentration on Globalization and minoring in Arabic. She is from Fanwood, New Jersey and is passionate about studying global issues such as forced migration, international law, economic development, and human rights. She spent her junior year interning for Refugees Welcome!, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening and connecting migrant service providers in the Boston area. This past summer, she worked as a Tisch Summer Fellow at Refugee Dream Center which is a post-resettlement refugee agency in Providence, Rhode Island. In addition to serving as the Treasurer of Women in International Relations, she also is on the Executive Boards of Tufts Economics Society and Tufts Culinary Society, she is an ESL teacher through English At Large, and is a leader through Tufts Wilderness Orientation. In her free time, Brie plays frisbee as the Captain of the ultimate team here at Tufts!


Emily McMullen

Institute for Global Leadership Liasion

Emily McMullen is a junior at Tufts University studying International Relations with minors in English and Spanish. She serves as one of the co-presidents of the club. She chose to major in International Relations because she someday hopes to work in the Latin world and is interested in the intersection between journalism and international politics.


Amelia Miller

Co-President 

Amelia Miller is a sophomore from Howard, Pennsylvania. She intends to double major in Arabic and International Relations, with a concentration in Security. She is currently serving as the Events Chair for WIIR. She hopes to help spread the word about the importance of the femme-identifying voice in International Relations, as well as advertise a variety of educational and engaging events through her position. In addition to WIIR, Amelia is the acting Treasurer of ECOM, Assistant Curriculum Director for MERG, and a TWO Pre-Orientation Leader. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, singing poorly, reading, and raising chickens at her home in PA.


Ellie Murphy

Senior Advisors

Ellie Murphy is a junior studying International Relations with a concentration in Globalization with a double major in Sociology. She enjoys International Relations at Tufts because of the variety of courses she has been able to take because it is an interdisciplinary major. Ellie joined Women in International Relations to meet other students interested in IR and support other women in and outside of the classroom. Outside of Women in International Relations, she is a member of the Tufts branch of Amnesty International.


Alyssa Pak

Senior Advisors

Alyssa Pak (A’23) is from Chicago, Illinois. She is currently the publicity chair of Women in IR and plans on majoring in International Relations and Economics. Her favorite part of working with the WIIR team is the opportunity to be involved in a femme-identifying community that cares not just about foreign affairs, but also about lifting up and supporting one another. Outside of WIIR, Alyssa is the managing editor for Hemispheres, the undergraduate IR journal, and is a Democracy Rep for JumboVote. She also works as a research assistant for Digital Planet at the Fletcher Institute for Business in the Global Context. In her free time, she loves taking walks to Davis Square, playing the piano and viola, horseback riding, reading, traveling, and biking to the Chicago Botanic Gardens when she's at home.


Emily Witherell

Publicity Chair

Emily Witherell is a junior majoring in Psychology and International Relations with a concentration in Global Health and the Environment. She is from Flemington, NJ. Her main interests include international health policy and environmental issues. She serves as the Events Chair for Women in IR and is also involved in Tufts Climate Action. She joined Women in IR to promote an inclusive community and build a space for femme-identifying individuals interested in IR to come together and find solidarity in a traditionally male-dominated field. In her free time, she enjoys playing cello, listening to music, running, hiking, and skiing. Other passions include reading, road trips, and eating ice cream.