Executive Board
Current Members
Wendy Lam, President of SURGE 2025-2026
Wendy is a senior at Tufts studying International Relations and Political Science, originally from Hong Kong and California. She is interested in one of the world’s most significant bilateral relationships and is passionate about fostering greater understanding between the two countries. Outside of SURGE, Wendy works at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and served as a legal interpreter for Greater Boston Legal Services. She also plays the double bass with the Tufts Symphony Orchestra.
Theo Sullivan, Event Chair of SURGE 2026
Theo is an undergraduate student at Tufts, class of 2028, triple-majoring in Chinese, History, and International Relations with a concentration in East and Southeast Asia. Before arriving at Tufts, he lived and grew up between London, Singapore, and New York City. Outside of SURGE, he is a research assistant at Harvard’s Fung Library, treasurer of WMFO 91.5, and Chief Editor at the Boston Risk Group. During his free time, Theo loves to read, watch movies, and play the drums.
Sam Liu, Event Chair of SURGE 2026
Sam is a junior triple majoring in International Relations, Economics, and Political Science with concentrations in Sino-American-Taiwanese relations, security studies, and international economics. Sam interned at the Kaohsiung City Government Information Center as an IR researcher. Outside of SURGE, he is currently a research analyst at the Boston Risk Group and enjoys reading, cycling, and writing.
Roger Tan, Associate Event Chair of SURGE 2026
Rogers Tan is junior from Nanjing and Xinjiang, China. He is studying International Relations, Economics, and Finance, with a strong interest in U.S.–China relations, particularly as an intersection of political and cultural systems. Outside of his academic work, Rogers enjoys playing tennis, flying drones, and training local AI models.
Fiona Hinrichsen, Publicity & External Relations Chair of SURGE 2026
Fiona is a sophomore studying International Relations and Peace and Justice Studies, with a concentration in East/Southeast Asia. She grew up abroad in Shanghai, China, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and attended high school in Ithaca, New York. Fiona has interests in the intersection of immigration, human rights, and global business. She is also an Executive Arts & Pop Culture Editor at the Tufts Daily and is involved with the Tufts Prison Initiative.
Shakira Zheng, Marketing & Social Media Director of SURGE 2026
Shakira is a sophomore majoring in Political Science and Fine Arts from New Jersey. She is deeply interested because of her family background and likes observing the changing social and cultural factors that result from the exchanges between these two global powers. She is currently interning at the Massachusetts State House and is an illustrator for the Tufts Breakthrough Research Journal. Outside of SURGE, she enjoys taking care of her 40-inch hair, hiking, and knitting.
Henry Cai, Logistics Chair of SURGE 2026
Henry is a junior from Guangzhou, studying Economics and Political Science at Tufts. He is interested in US-China relations because he is curious about how domestic political dynamics could translate into foreign policies. He really loves Italian cuisine and hopes to try all the Italian restaurants in Boston before graduation.
Will Miller, Treasurer of SURGE 2026
Will is a junior from Wilmington, Delaware, studying International Relations and Economics. He is deeply interested in examining the security and economic interests of the US and China and how increasing competition affects their interactions with other Asian nations. Outside of SURGE, he can be found playing spikeball or participating in the Tufts Korean Students’ Association.
Anna Liu, Freshman Chair of SURGE 2026
Anna is a freshman from Beijing, China, who is majoring in International Relations. As an IR student from Beijing studying in the United States, she is naturally drawn to U.S.–China relations and the structural tensions and interdependencies that define the bilateral relationship between the two. Outside of SURGE, Anna is an active member of the choir and opera and enjoys oil painting and photography.
Selected SURGE Alumni
Yilan Batista
Yilan studied International Relations and History at Tufts, concentrating on East/Southeast Asia and Latin America in each respective major. She grew up in Shanghai, China, and attended high school in New York City. Yilan has a personal and academic interest in China’s position on the global stage, especially in relation to Latin America. Outside of SURGE, she was also a writer for the Tufts Daily.
Justin Perez
Justin is from Miami, Florida, majoring in International Relations and Chinese. He is interested in law, linguistics, and migration, and is planning to attend law school following graduation from Tufts. Outside of SURGE, he is the secretary for the Latin American Committee and a research assistant for a project regarding gang violence and government responses to it in El Salvador and Honduras.
Kevin Du
Kevin is from Hangzhou, China majoring in Economics and International Relations. He is inquisitive about how the increasingly complicated Sino-U.S. relationship affects the international business dynamics. He is in New York doing investment banking and is deeply interested in Entrepreneurship through Acquisition (EtA). During his free time, you will likely find him watching artsy movies or jamming with his electric guitar.
Jerry Zhang
Jerry is from Shanghai, China. He majored in History and International Relations at Tufts. He is interested in East Asian and Middle Eastern geopolitics and maritime security. He is currently a graduate student at Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. In his leisure time, he enjoys traveling, cooking, and assembling miniatures.
Dash Wedergren
Dash is a senior from Omaha, Nebraska. He majored in Economics and Computer Science. His on-campus engagements included involvement in Blacklight—a privacy-based tech product, the Philosophy of Economics Group, and the Protestant Students Association. He is currently an associate at EY-Parthenon Software Strategy Group (SSG). On Saturdays, you can find Dash aggressively bidding at the bridge table.
Jiaxun (Leila) Li
Leila is from China and majored in International Relations with a minor in Economics. At Tufts, she studied the topic of globalization from the angles of trade, migration, technology and ethics. On campus, Leila was involved in the Tufts Entrepreneurship Center and Wuzee, the Chinese fusion dance team at Tufts. She currently is a consultant at Gartner.
Haruka Noishiki
Haruka Noishiki is from Japan. She majored in International Relations (International Security) and Psychology to understand how human psychology shapes decision making in IR. Out of SURGE, she served as a Writing Fellow, led Women in IR and Tufts International Club, researched for the Foreign Brief and writes for the Tufts Daily. She is currently a reporter at Nikkei.
Connor Akiyama
Connor Akiyama is from the California Bay Area. He double majored in International Relations and Economics. In addition to SURGE, he was also involved with Tufts ALLIES and the Tufts Debate Society. He is currently a researcher for the US government. In his free time, Connorenjoys creating Lego stop motions and reading about the world around him.
Noah Smith
Noah Smith is from Edina, MN. He majored in International Relations with a concentration in Security at Tufts. Before Tufts, he spent a year studying with the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship at Beijing No. 80 High School. He is fluent in Mandarin and French. He is currently a trainee at German Marshall Fund of the United States. He also played frisbee and sang in an a cappella group on campus.
Liam Thomas
Liam Thomas is from New York City. He majored in mathematics at Tufts. Outside of SURGE, he was also involved in the creation of the fledgling Philosophy of Economics Group at Tufts. He currently is an analyst at JobGet. In his free time, he absorbs himself in urban planning, the history of capitalism, and British sitcoms.
Lionel Oh
Lionel Oh is from Singapore, and he studied International Relations and Computer Science at Tufts. At Tufts, he was the Co-President of the Singapore Students Association, and was actively involved in both ALLIES and 180 Degrees Consulting. He currently serves as a military officer in the Republic of Singapore Air Force, and takes a strong interest in furthering his understanding in field of defense and cybersecurity. In his free time, he likes to run and look for good food haunts.
Patrick Milewski
Patrick Milewski is from Hanson, Massachusetts. He studied Applied Mathematics with a minor in Economics at Tufts. In addition to participating in SURGE, he was also a member in Tufts’ ALLIES. He is currently a business data reporting analyst at Point32Health. He enjoys numismatics, reading about classical liberalism, and studying language (currently Russian).
Haitong Du
Haitong majored in International Relations at Tufts, and he considers the escalation of Sino-US relations as the defining challenge of our time. In addition to tour guiding, coffee brewing, and planning events for the French House, Haitong enjoys discussions on historical materialism and, more frequently than he’d like to admit, debates on anything remotely political. He currently is a MPhill student at University of Oxford.
Jack Dunkelman
Jack Dunkelman is a from Goshen, NY, and he majored in International Relations with a concentration in East and Southeast Asia and minored in Chinese at Tufts. He spent a semester abroad at the Harbin Institute of Technology studying Mandarin and China-Russia Relations. He spent the summer of 2016 in Beijing working at the American Chamber of Commerce. He currently works for the Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement and Compliance.
Jennifer Wang
Jennifer Wang is from Taiwan and she double majored in International Relations and Economics at Tufts. On campus, she was also involved in the Taiwanese Association of Students at Tufts, the Tufts Mountain Club and served as a First Year Advisor. She currently is a Business Planning Specialist in Dassault Systems.
Peter de Guzman
Peter de Guzman is a graduate from Baltimore, MD. He is double majored in International Relations with a concentration in East and Southeast Asia and in Chinese at Tufts. Peter spent two semesters studying abroad in Hangzhou (Tufts-in-China) and Beijing (Princeton in Bejing). Outside of SURGE, Peter was involved with Tufts Men’s Rugby, Tufts Dance Collective and Tufts Mountain Club. He is currently a researcher at CIRCLE.
Somya Banwari
Somya Banwari is a recent graduate from Arizona, the Philippines. She majored in International Relations with minors in Economics and Science, Technology and Society. She is fluent in Arabic and Hindi/Urdu. On campus, she was the Managing Editor of Hemispheres, the Tufts Journal of International Affairs. She currently works for USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)
Yuan Jun Chee
Yuan Jun (YJ) Chee majored in History and International Relations with an East Asian concentration. On campus, YJ served as President of Tufts Sigma Iota Rho, Beta Chi Chapter, and was also involved in the Tufts Daily and the Tufts Singapore Students Association, and has major interests in Korean pop culture and sporting tactics. He now serves as an education officer for Ministry of Education, Singapore.
Shirley Xiaohan Wang
Shirley Wang is from China and New Jersey. She double majored in International Relations and Art History to explore the intersection of public policy and art. Aside from SURGE, she served as a gallery attendant at the Aidekman art gallery, the fundraising coordinator for Strong Women Strong Girls, publicity chair for Women in IR. Shirley currently serves as a product manager at TikTok in Shanghai.
Tufts SURGE 