Student Profiles

Nathan Baylis, MIA

Career Tracks: International Economics
Region: Japan

Nathan Baylis graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan in 2020, where he studied public policy with a focus on East Asian economic policy. Afterward, he worked at Hyundai as a product strategist and policy analyst, developing new vehicle proposals and market entry strategies by examining trade and environmental policy in the United States. 

Baylis’ interest in international affairs stems from his experience studying abroad in Japan as a high school student. Since then, he has aspired toward global work that bridges cultures and provides widespread benefits. He chose to attend GPS because of its strong ties to the Asia-Pacific, combined with the rigorous training it provides in empirical methods. 

At GPS, his coursework and research interests include international trade, industrial policy and economic development. He also is the vice president of external affairs for Asameshikai, where he leads outreach efforts to connect students with professionals in the Japanese business community. Over the summer, he interned in the economics department at the Japan Research Institute, one of Japan’s leading think tanks.

Mallory Byrd, MIA

Career Tracks: International Environmental Governance
Region: Latin America

Mallory Byrd is originally from southwest Colorado and holds a bachelor of engineering in environmental engineering from Dartmouth College. At GPS, she is pursuing a master of international affairs, specializing in environmental management with a regional focus on Southeast Asia. Her work centers on climate adaptation and resilience, anticipatory action, risk financing, carbon markets and nature-based solutions.

Before GPS, Mallory spent five years at Dalberg Advisors as a project manager and Americas climate deputy, leading consulting teams that supported NGOs, multilaterals and foundations on long-term strategy. Mallory's fieldwork includes leading teams with Engineers Without Borders to build community water systems in Myanmar and working with the dZi Foundation to assess earthquake-resistant school designs in Nepal. At GPS, she has interned with the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre on climate resilience in Vietnam, worked as a research assistant focused on urban water security in India and completed a CARE Resilient Futures Fellowship on carbon finance.

Outside the classroom, Mallory is an avid surfer, freediver and runner.

Jiana Choi, MPP

Specializations: American and Comparative Business Regulation/Program Design and Evaluation

Jiana Choi holds a Bachelor of Science in sustainable agriculture and food systems from UC Davis. Her early career centered on direct outreach with small agricultural businesses in California, supporting market positioning, grant access and regulatory assistance for Korean- and Chinese-speaking producers. 

As a staff research associate at UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, she secured nearly $1 million in grants for farmers facing extreme weather conditions. She also guided farm owners through USDA organic certification and Food Safety Modernization Act compliance requirements, helping those facing language and digital literacy barriers navigate the process. Additionally, she conducted bilingual community research for the California Strategic Growth Council's Agricultural Land Equity Task Force by facilitating focus groups to shape programs serving small farmers.

At GPS, her academic interests lie in how regulatory frameworks and market structures influence small business competitiveness in global markets. She also serves as a board member of Mannam, a Korea-focused student organization.

Outside of GPS, she has led international business development efforts for a Korean environmental technology company specializing in wastewater diagnostics, representing the company at industry expos across the United States, Japan and Germany. In her free time, she enjoys gardening.

Fernando Domínguez Calderón, MPP

Specializations: Peace and Security

Fernando Domínguez Calderón grew up in the United States, South Africa and Mexico. He earned a B.A. in international relations from the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM).

He subsequently served as deputy director of strategy and public policy at Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE), where he was the principal aide to the chief of staff of the Undersecretariat for North America. His work focused on political, economic, migration, border and security affairs.

Fernando has collaborated with Mexico’s Coordinating Business Council (CCE) office in Washington, D.C., supporting the Mexican private sector’s advocacy efforts during the 2026 United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) review process. His broader experience includes social and behavioral change initiatives with MAGENTA and migration-focused projects with United Nations agencies. 

At GPS, he has collaborated with the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies (USMEX) and as a Teaching Assistant for the Foundations of Strategic Studies course. 

He previously collaborated with USMEX Director Rafael Fernández de Castro and former Mexican Ambassador Roberta Lajous on their book "Hanging by a Thread: Behind the Negotiations of the USMCA," contributing research and editorial support.

Fernando speaks Spanish, English and French. Beyond the classroom, he enjoys surfing, reading and playing music.

Jorge Espinoza, MIA

Career Tracks: International Politics / International Management
Region: Korea

A first-generation college student from California’s Central Valley, Jorge Espinoza began his higher education at San Joaquin Delta College before transferring to UCLA, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science with a concentration in international relations. His academic path has been shaped by a strong interest in international affairs and cross-cultural understanding.

His academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of international business, politics, global operations and emerging technologies, particularly as artificial intelligence and semiconductors reshape economies and international affairs. This past summer, he completed a 12-week internship with Apple’s Global Security organization, gaining experience across global security operations and technology teams, with exposure to crisis management, corporate security, global events and international security operations.

He studied abroad at Yonsei University in Seoul and continues to study Korean and Japanese as part of his broader interest in East Asia. At GPS, he serves as vice president of programming for GO GPS and is involved with Mannam, the school’s Korea-focused student organization. He hopes to pursue a career connecting global operations, international business, technology and the Asia-Pacific region.

Margaret Gach, MCEРА

Disciplinary Specialization: Chinese Foreign Relations and Security

Margaret Gach became interested in international relations and China when her school became the first public program in Massachusetts to offer Mandarin Chinese at the middle school level. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, where she also served as editor-in-chief of The Georgetown Voice. 

She spent three years at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington as research associate to the senior vice president, exploring the intersection of U.S. foreign policy and domestic politics. At the Carnegie Corporation of New York, she deepened her focus on China, working with the vice president to manage the Asia Security grants portfolio and funding projects on U.S.-China relations and the emerging generation of American China experts.

Margaret returned to graduate school to deepen her regional expertise and quantitative skills in pursuit of a career focused on U.S.-China policy. Outside class, she enjoys baking desserts, hiking in national parks and hosting trivia across San Diego.

Jennifer Garnett, MPP

Specializations: Environmental Policy/Peace and Security

Jennifer Garnett is a master of public policy candidate studying environmental policy and peace and security. A graduate of Harvard Law School, she previously practiced corporate law at Covington & Burling LLP in the technology transactions group, specializing in intellectual property, data security and privacy. She returned to graduate school to develop the analytical tools needed for effective policymaking and a career at the intersection of law and policy.

Her academic and professional interests span ocean governance, marine spatial planning, marine conservation and peace and conflict resolution. She also serves on the board of the Galápagos Whale Shark Project, a nonprofit organization that uses scientific research on whale shark populations to inform marine conservation policy.

In summer 2026, she interned with Mitsubishi Research Institute in Tokyo, working with its frontiers innovation and green energy transition teams on ocean governance-related issues, including the regulation of hydrographic data in emerging technologies and the importance of marine spatial planning for the coexistence of offshore wind development and fisheries management.

At GPS, she serves as a teaching assistant for microeconomics and is on the board of Net Impact. She is also an avid scuba diver and freediver.

Amy Hu, BA-MPP

Specializations: Inequality and Social Policy

Amy Hu graduated magna cum laude from UC San Diego with a bachelor's degree in economics. Through the BA-MPP program, she is pursuing a master's degree in public policy at GPS.

Her academic interests focus on how economic incentives shape decisions across individuals, businesses and institutions. At UC San Diego, she serves as a teaching assistant and resident assistant, and leads collaborative projects in student-run consulting organizations. She aims to help build institutions that meaningfully improve lives.

Outside of academics, Amy volunteers with the Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny. In her free time, she enjoys woodworking, rock climbing and outdoor activities in San Diego.

Lucas Iantorno Klotz, MPP

Specializations: Program Design and Evaluation

Lucas Iantorno Klotz is a Brazilian economist interested in development economics, political economy and impact evaluation. He holds a master’s degree in economics from Brazil and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public policy at GPS. In Brazil, he developed advanced quantitative skills and hands-on field experience working in areas like education and the environment. Lucas wishes to build a career in effective altruism, economic development and data-driven solutions.

Juan Leal Mendoza, MIA

Career Tracks: International Economics
Region: Southeast Asia/Latin America

Juan Leal Mendoza holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with honors from the University of Chicago, where he graduated in 2025, before coming to GPS. He brings an academic background in diplomacy and international trade, guided by personal experiences as an immigrant in the United States.

During his first year at GPS, he focused on developing the tools needed to foster political and economic links — chiefly through state and business diplomacy — throughout the Pacific Rim, focusing on Southeast Asia and Latin America. As such, he served on the boards of the Latin American Student Organization and Southeast Asia Link student organizations at GPS. He also worked part-time as an international trade trainee at Andersen Consulting, an international trade consulting firm, where he focused on market access and trade policy analysis in Latin America and the Pacific Rim. During the summer, he interned in the U.S. International Trade Administration’s Advocacy Center, focusing on public procurement advocacy cases in the Indo-Pacific region.

Juan is currently doing a year-long fellowship in Indonesia. In his free time, he enjoys playing soccer, running, hiking and playing board games.

Sarahi Lopez, MPP

Specializations: Program Design and Evaluation; Inequality and Social Policy

Sarahi Lopez earned a bachelor's degree in political science and gender studies from UCLA, graduating cum laude with College Honors. Her research focuses on environmental justice, public health equity and housing rights.

She is a resident fellow at The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy, leading efforts to mitigate public health impacts from the Tijuana River sewage crisis in San Diego’s South Bay. Over the summer, she interned as project manager for Legends Del Mar’s inaugural Groundwater & PFAS Policy Initiative.

Lopez founded First Generation GPS, a student organization supporting first-generation students at the school. She also serves as vice president of finance for Women Going Global.

Before GPS, she worked in the nonprofit sector helping low-income and unhoused individuals access medical care, mental health services, pro bono legal aid and harm reduction services. In her free time, she enjoys spin classes, mystery novels, baking and spending time with her dog, Oliver.

Phil Maligsa, MPP

Specializations: Inequality and Social Policy

At GPS, Phil Maligsa is pursuing a Master of Public Policy focusing on inequality and social policy. In 2026, he received the Doming Liu Award, presented to a first-year student for outstanding leadership and contributions to student life as voted by the Class of 2027.

Maligsa earned a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and served 11 years in the Navy. As a division officer and department head aboard four ships, he led teams of up to 60 sailors across the Western Pacific, Middle East and South America. As an inaugural fellow in the Secretary of the Navy's Tours with Industry program, he spent a year at LinkedIn leading the Veteran Recruiting Program and working on the Talent Solutions Marketing team. He later served as admiral's aide to the Navy's chief of legislative affairs, managing logistics for senior Navy officials in congressional meetings. 

After leaving the Navy in October 2023, Maligsa joined Upwage, a seed-stage AI hiring startup, as its ninth employee. He worked across sales, marketing, customer success and talent acquisition, leading recruiting efforts that expanded the team to 20 employees.

Raphael Myers, MPP

Specializations: Peace and Security

Raphael Myers is pursuing a Master of Public Policy at GPS, where he serves as a teaching assistant for the core course Policy Analysis and Public Welfare. As an intern with U.S. Central Command, he prepared daily press reports for senior leadership and collaborated on analytical reports examining deterrence strategy in the Middle East during an evolving conflict. 

Myers graduated from UC Davis in 2025 with a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science. There, he held several leadership roles in the Jewish student community and won the 2024 Kunitz Award for a research paper on Holocaust conspiracy theories. 

His academic and professional experiences have deepened his interest in international relations, Middle Eastern affairs and U.S. national security. He hopes to use rigorous research and clear writing to help decision-makers navigate complex security challenges.

My Nguyen, BA-ΜΙΑ

Career Tracks: International Politics/International Management
Region: Korea

My Nguyen was born and raised in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, before immigrating to the United States at 14. She earned my bachelor’s degree in international studies–political science from UC San Diego, and is currently pursuing a master of international affairs as a Dean’s Fellow at GPS.

My’s professional experience includes working with the International Rescue Committee in San Diego, where she supported immigrants and refugees navigating the U.S. immigration system, particularly through Vietnamese-language assistance and naturalization services. She also volunteered as a crisis hotline responder with REACH, providing trauma-informed support to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Her research interests center on international security, strategic competition and the political economy of East Asia. At GPS, she has conducted research on North Korea’s strategic alignment with China and Russia, as well as innovation and productivity in South Korea’s technology sector.

Beyond academics, My serves as vice president of events for GO GPS, organizing events that strengthen the graduate student community. She hopes to pursue a career in international security and policy research, combining my academic training with my commitment to public service.

Mateus Pires, MIA

Career Tracks: International Economics/International Development & Nonprofit Management
Region: Latin America

Mateus Zanini Pires is a Master of International Affairs candidate at GPS, concentrating in International Economics and Energy Policy. He works at the intersection of capital markets and development policy, with a focus on energy and infrastructure finance in Latin America.

Mateus recently worked as a consultant with the Institute of the Americas' Critical Minerals Program, co-authoring a strategic report on Brazil's critical minerals sector, and as a Graduate Research Assistant studying urban water scarcity in India at GPS.

Before graduate school, he spent six years in Brazilian corporate finance at Suzano's treasury desk, then moving into business intelligence covering banking and credit markets. He is building toward a career in development finance, working to connect capital markets with sustainable energy and infrastructure outcomes across Latin America.

Liane Pollard, MPP

Specializations: Peace and Security

Liane Pollard brings more than two decades of service in the U.S. Marine Corps to her policy work. She later served as an immigration services officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and worked as a consultant at Palantir Technologies. She holds a bachelor of science in political science from Arizona State University.

Her research began with the rapid growth of megacities and how nature could help them meet UN Sustainable Development Goals. She examines nature as multiple layers woven through the built environment rather than zones set apart from it, and as infrastructure critical to human health and well-being. She asks how integrating nature early can keep ordinary urban problems from becoming costly megacity problems, and how unequal access to nature shapes health and social cohesion.

As a graduate student researcher for Dr. Lawrence Frank, Liane contributed to a systematic literature review funded by the California Air Resources Board. She also conducted an original analysis of nearly 70,000 U.S. census tracts finding that tree canopy is associated with lower rates of frequent mental distress, a result she is developing for publication. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, online gaming, travel and soccer.

Rebecca Rogers, MIA

Career Tracks: International Environmental Governance
Region: Latin America

Rebecca Rogers’ academic and professional interests center on environmental policy, sustainable development and international relations. She earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental systems and policy from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, where her research focused on sustainable water management and microbial fuel cell technology. 

Her professional experience spans biotechnology, government and advocacy, including roles as a congressional intern for Rep. Scott Peters, laboratory technician and environmental intern at Aquacycl, grassroots intern with CALPIRG, and an Aaron Price Fellow. She has also gained international experience through her studies at the Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Bern in Switzerland and her participation in a Spanish immersion program in Peru. 

At GPS, she has served as a teaching assistant and completed a graduate fellowship with CARE International, where she evaluated development programs to identify opportunities in high-integrity carbon markets and climate finance. She currently serves as the president of Net Impact and vice president of marketing and communications for GO GPS. Rogers aspires to bridge science and policy through a career in environmental diplomacy. She aims to foster international collaboration on environmental challenges and advance equitable policies that balance climate action, community priorities and long-term resilience.

Alex Ross, BA-MIA

Career Tracks: International Politics
Region: Latin America

Alex Ross graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in political science and international affairs and a minor in Spanish literature. His research interests include governance, democratic backsliding, and 21st-century challenges facing democratic institutions, particularly in Latin America. Upon graduation, Ross hopes to pursue a career in public service.

Ross participated in the UCDC program and interned with the U.S. Agency for International Development's Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, where he analyzed foreign assistance programming in the region and supported diplomatic engagements. He has assisted in faculty and doctoral research on authoritarian regimes and political legitimacy using quantitative and qualitative methods.

He previously served as editor-in-chief of the Prospect Journal of International Affairs at UC San Diego and held a leadership position in undergraduate student government. Ross is a Robertson Foundation for Government Fellow, received Provost Honors throughout his undergraduate studies, and is an Eagle Scout.

Nomuna Surkhiisaikhan, MIA

Career Tracks: International Politics
Region: Southeast Asia

Born and raised in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Nomuna Surkhiisaikhan graduated cum laude from NYU Shanghai with a bachelor's degree in social science (international relations track). Prior to joining GPS, Nomuna worked at The Asia Foundation, supporting education and literacy programs in her home country. 

During the summer of 2026, she interned at the International Rescue Committee's Digital Inclusion department in San Diego, developing multilingual learning materials and supporting digital access programs such as low-cost internet to migrant communities. Her interest in digital governance is grounded in experience supporting access to education and technology.

At GPS, she serves as a teaching assistant for Microeconomics for Policy and Management and editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Policy Solutions (JIPS). She aspires to do work focusing on AI governance, technology policy, innovation and digital inclusion to ensure that the benefits of technological changes reach underserved communities.

Tara Wu, MIA

Career Tracks: International Environmental Governance
Region: China

Tara Wu’s professional interests lie at the intersection of science and public policy, with a focus on advancing science-informed decision-making. She is a graduate student researcher at UC San Diego’s Power Transformation Lab studying how protected areas impact power system modeling as well as China’s renewable energy siting. 

Her interdisciplinary background spans journalism and conservation, with a consistent emphasis on geospatial analysis and statistical methods. Most recently, she interned at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in Washington, D.C. as part of their physical infrastructure team. 

She received her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and journalism from Northwestern University. Following her undergraduate studies, she taught English in Taiwan for two years on a Fulbright grant and subsequently joined AmeriCorps to do water quality monitoring work in New Hampshire. In her free time, Tara enjoys hiking and listening to podcasts.

Renhao Ye, MCEРА

Disciplinary Specializations: Chinese Politics and Public Policy

Renhao Ye is a current student in the MCEPA program, specializing in Chinese politics and public policy. His primary research interests lie in state building, distributive politics, elite politics and state-business relations under authoritarian regimes, with a regional focus on China and Southeast Asia. 

At GPS, his research examines why and how states, particularly authoritarian regimes, address and coordinate the uneven distribution of infrastructure investment and public service provision across regions, as well as the institutional and developmental consequences of this distribution. 

He works as a graduate student researcher at the school’s 21st Century China Center and the UC Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation. He received his master's degree in political science and his bachelor's degree in political science, with a minor in economics, from Peking University in China.

Nathan Baylis, MIA '27

Nathan Baylis graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan in 2020, where he studied public policy with a focus on East Asian economic policy. Afterward, he worked at Hyundai as a product strategist and policy analyst, developing new vehicle proposals and market entry strategies by examining trade and environmental policy in the United States. 

Baylis’ interest in international affairs stems from his experience studying abroad in Japan as a high school student. Since then, he has aspired toward global work that bridges cultures and provides widespread benefits. He chose to attend GPS because of its strong ties to the Asia-Pacific, combined with the rigorous training it provides in empirical methods. 

At GPS, his coursework and research interests include international trade, industrial policy and economic development. He also is the vice president of external affairs for Asameshikai, where he leads outreach efforts to connect students with professionals in the Japanese business community. Over the summer, he interned in the economics department at the Japan Research Institute, one of Japan’s leading think tanks.

Daniel Hershfield, MIA '26

Career Track: International Politics
Region: Southeast Asia

Daniel Hershfield graduated from UC Berkeley in 2020 with a B.A. in political science and a minor in global poverty and practice, following his transfer from Glendale Community College. At UC Berkeley, he served as a research assistant with the Program on Security Institutions and Violent Instability. Hershfield also researched communal violence in India while interning abroad at the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism in Mumbai. Post-graduation, he contributed to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives within the Jewish community as a member of the nonprofit UpStart's inaugural Jews of Color Career Development Program. As a senior research assistant at ACLED, Hershfield led the analysis of political violence, civil unrest and domestic extremism in regions such as North America and Oceania. After graduation, Hershfield aims to help build a more peaceful and democratic world by shedding light on critical issues relating to good governance and security through a career in research.