Executive Board
Current Members
Kevin Du, Director of SURGE 2023-2024
Kevin is a Senior 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 will be going to 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.
Yilan Batista, Co-Director of SURGE 2023-2024
Yilan is a junior studying International Relations and History, 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 is also a writer for the Tufts Daily.
Linda Huang, Alumni Chair of SURGE 2023-2024
Linda is a sophomore studying Economics and International Relations, interested in the intersection of law, ethics, and the political economy. She is from Beijing, China, and is particularly interested in how different schools of thought view US-China relations, especially against a changing geopolitical backdrop. Outside of SURGE, Linda is also an opinion writer and editor for the Tufts Daily and a writing fellow at the STAAR center.
Sharon Li, Treasurer of SURGE 2023-2024
Sharon is a sophomore from Long Island, New York majoring in Political Science and Quantitative Economics. She is deeply interested in China’s political economy, focusing on how its policies and economic strategies influence global markets and Sino-U.S. relations. Beyond SURGE she is engaged in the Hemisphere, Just Lawyered Podcast, and Jumbos For Non-Profits.
Miles Bondi, Freshman Advisor of SURGE 2023-2024
Miles is a freshman studying History, interested in the relationship between the United States and China from an economic, cultural, and ideological perspective. He is from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and finds a deep interest on how to better manage relations between two powerful nations with many times opposing views. Outside of SURGE, Miles is a marathon runner who enjoys being outside and exploring nature.
Theo Ng, Freshman Co-Advisor of SURGE 2023-2024
Theo is a freshman from Singapore studying International Relations and Computer Science. He is keen on exploring his country’s role in Sino-U.S. relations as well as the emerging promises and perils of AI. In his free time, you will often find him watching the latest psychothriller or trying out new types of coffee.
Justin Perez, Publicity Chair of SURGE 2023-2024
Justin is a junior 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.
Elli Ng, Assistant Publicity Chair of SURGE 2023-2024
Elli is a freshman studying International Relations. Growing up in Hong Kong, she developed a keen interest in China’s growing economic power and its impact on global relations. Elli’s focus is on understanding the dynamics of China’s international influence, particularly in economic terms. Outside of her academic pursuits, she enjoys trying new cuisines and listening to a variety of podcasts.
Wendy Lam, Event Chair of SURGE 2023-2024
Wendy is a sophomore who grew up in Hong Kong and California, majoring in International Relations. She has a particular interest in Sino-US relations, with a focus on the intersection of human rights, the legal system, and gender equality. Outside of SURGE, she is also engaged in the Just Lawyered Podcast and Women in IR. During her free time, she loves to travel around and meet new friends along the way!
Samara (Sami) Haynes, Communication Chair of SURGE 2023-2024
Samara Haynes is a sophomore from Montclair, NJ majoring in International Relations and Environmental Studies and minoring in Chinese. She is interested in international negotiations and cooperation surrounding climate change and public policy, particularly between the US and China. Outside of SURGE, Samara is on the Women’s Rowing Team, writes for The Observer, and leads hiking and outdoor trips.
Chloe Yau, Network Chair of SURGE 2023-2024
Chloe is a Freshman studying International Relations and Environmental Studies. She grew up in Hong Kong but attended high school in Costa Rica. Chloe is interested in China’s relation and involvement in the human rights and immigration sector in the global scape. Outside of SURGE, she volunteers with numerous refugee agencies and continues her advocacy journey with her now-published project “The Displaced Cookbook”. In her free time, she enjoys backpacking, surfing, and martial arts.
Erin Tang, Logistics Chair of SURGE 2023-2024
Eric is a sophomore studying Economics and International Relations. He grew up in Shanghai and practiced studio arts for more than 10 years. He has a strong interest in exploring the impacts of dynamic Sino-US relations on the global financial system and various industries. In addition to SURGE, he serves as an analyst at Tufts Alpha Fund and Tufts Investment Club. During his free time, he enjoys street photography and skiing.
Erin Zhu, Secretary of SURGE 2023-2024
Erin is a junior studying international relations and English. She is interested in the intersection between international security, law, and environmental policy, particularly involving U.S.-Sino relations. Outside of SURGE, she is a writer and editor for the Tufts Daily and the Observer, and works as a Writing Fellow for the StAAR center.
Megan Starses, Senior Advisor of SURGE 2023-2024
Megan Starses was the director of 2022-2023. She studies international relations and economics. She joined SURGE in her freshman year. Outside of SURGE, she is also involved in Tufts China Care, which is an organization that fundraises money for orphanages in China and holds culture and educational sessions for Chinese adoptees in the greater Boston area. In her free time she enjoys writing, baking, and scrolling for hours through Pinterest.
Selected SURGE Alumni
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.
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