Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues

Learn more about the 2017-2018 cohort for the Georgetown University Initiative for U.S.-China Dialogue on Global Issues Student Fellows Program.

Haile Chen

Haile is a junior at Tsinghua University majoring in construction management and minoring in finance. With the implementation of the “Belt and Road” policy, he hopes to contribute to global development and prosperity, and to offer a unique perspective in U.S.-China relations. Haile is a member of the Drama Club and the Model United Nations Club.  He also served as a secretary of his class and has been elected as the director of the Organization Department in the Student Association for Science and Technology. In 2015, he was recognized as one of the top freshman debaters. During the summer of 2016, Haile volunteered to teach a drama course at Niangre primary school in Tibet, and in summer 2017 he interned at Hongde fund management company in Beijing.

Jessie Dalman

Jessie is a senior at Stanford University majoring in history with a concentration in conflict studies. She is also completing a secondary major in international relations and minors in political science and Chinese. In addition to English, Jessie speaks fluent Chinese, proficient Spanish, and basic Arabic. In high school, Jessie spent a year living and studying in Beijing, and has since interned at Caixin Media, a leading financial and economic news outlet in China. Since spring 2017, Jessie has been a National Security Affairs Mentee at the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford. Jessie hopes to pursue graduate education in international policy studies, followed by a career in global development.

Ulysses ZhangYue McGuinness

Ulysses is a senior at the U.S. Military Academy. He has lived in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, China, and Taiwan. A double major in international history and Chinese, Ulysses hopes to join the U.S. Army following commissioning from West Point. During summer 2017, Ulysses worked with the Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, as well as the Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute. His goal is to work towards the creation of peaceful solutions for the challenging global issues facing the United States and its global neighbors, and to foster a better understanding of the problems facing East Asia and China within the U.S. military. Ulysses is excited to continue his research interests in geopolitics, peacekeeping, and global security in the United States Army.

Michael Mullaney

Originally from Boston, Michael is a junior at Georgetown University. He majors in government with minors in Spanish and Chinese. During high school, he served as a youth representative for Quincy Asian Resources Incorporated. Contributing to the non-profit’s mission of serving the local Asian American and Pacific Islander community, Michael assisted in running the state’s largest Lunar New Year Festival, a summer August Moon Festival, and taught basic computer skills to elderly Asian Americans. Before transferring to Georgetown as a sophomore, Michael studied at Fairfield University where he interned with Connecticut’s Refugee Resettlement Program. Interpreting for Latin American refugees and immigrants was his first encounter with translation work. As an Army ROTC Cadet, Michael is on track to commission as an Officer in the U.S. Army after graduation. Following his service in the military, he wishes to pursue a career in diplomacy.

Yamillet Payano

Yamillet is a senior at American University majoring in economics and mathematics with a minor in Chinese. Yamillet hopes to use her degrees to positively shape U.S., Chinese, and Latin American affairs by enhancing existing trade policies and strengthening ties among the three regions. She has volunteered with non-profit organizations in the Dominican Republic and performed bankruptcy research with a local business in Beijing while pursuing her Chinese studies at Peking University. She recently worked for the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center and attended the American Economic Association summer program. Born in New York, she was raised in a bilingual household with a strong Dominican culture. Yamillet plans to pursue a Ph.D. in economics and seeks to enter international public service in the field of international trade and development economics.

Cynthia Wang

Cynthia is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania pursuing a double major in political science and environmental studies. Last summer, she interned at the Environmental Engineering Innovation Center of the Southern University of Science and Technology in Beijing, where she also conducted cross-comparative electronic waste and soil remediation policy research. In 2015, she worked as a policy and communications intern at the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. She has served on the board of Penn Environmental Group and was recently elected co-president of Epsilon Eta, the university's first environmental interest fraternity. She wishes to pursue a graduate degree in international development. Cynthia is interested in the diplomatic process behind multilateral implementation of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals and, in particular, the potential for U.S.-China cooperation in this area.

Yunxin Wang

Yunxin Wang is a junior at Beijing Foreign Studies University majoring in English with a minor in economics. Her academic focus is on international relations. As an experienced English debater, her performances in local and national tournaments have won her several awards. She is currently an associate of the Harvard Association of U.S.-China Relations and has served as a teaching assistant at the Harvard Summit for Young Leaders in China and assisted in organizing the China Thinks Big Competition. She joined the American Chamber of Commerce in China and served as a summer intern at the U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Program, which gave her insights into sustainable development and cooperation models in both countries.

Chenyu Wu

Chenyu Wu is a junior at the University of International Relations in Beijing, majoring in international politics. Last year, Chenyu worked as operations and development intern at Carnegie-Tsinghua Center. In the summer of 2017, he participated in the “Asia Institute of Political Economics” program supported by the Fund for American Studies at Hong Kong University. Previously, he led a research project in Shandong on rural poverty alleviation through e-commerce models. Now, he is working with a team under the World Youth Development Forum, a Chinese educational NGO, to design a course teaching Chinese students how to share the real China with Americans. After graduation, Chenyu plans to work in Southeast Asia in search of first-hand regional knowledge and later pursue a master’s degree in the United States in international development or Asian affairs.

Hongjin Xu

Hongjin “Joy” Xu is a fifth-year major in psychiatry in the Xiangya School of Medicine at Central South University and currently interns at the Second Xiangya Hospital. Her former experiences include a five-week volunteer project in Tunisia, working in hospitals and charities with local NGOs, attendance at the General Assembly held by the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), and serving as one of IFMSA China’s Public Health Committee’s delegates. She has also taken training courses on infectious diseases, sociology, and brain science. Her hometown is Changsha, Hunan Province, a vigorous and growing city in southern China, where every guest is welcome.

Ruolin Zhao

Ruolin is a junior at Georgetown University majoring in in international political economy. Having lived in China, South Africa, and the United States, she has a keen interest in economic development and investment. She has worked with non-profits in different countries for causes including cultural communication and youth development. She is the co-founder of the Driftwood Seminar, which spread awareness of women’s leadership and rights by organizing academic sessions in Beijing and Shanghai. Ruolin interned with U.S. Congresswoman Karen Bass and engaged with policy scholars during the American Enterprise Institute honors program. This summer, Ruolin worked with the U.S. China Innovation Alliance to connect U.S. technology startups with resources in China. After graduation, Ruolin plans to pursue a master’s degree and a career in consulting and international affairs.