Elena is a second-year student in the MSFS program concentrating in Global Politics and Security and currently serves as co-chair of Georgetown’s MENA Forum. She is from Claremont, California and earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. There, she conducted research on Islamic activism and how rentier states’ economic activity can impact women’s socio-political mobility. While an undergraduate, Elena studied abroad in Rabat, Morocco and at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London.

Prior to MSFS, Elena worked with the NGO Committee on the Status of Women and the Wilson Center’s Middle East Program before joining AMIDEAST, where she held several positions on the Fulbright Foreign Student Program team. During MSFS Elena has interned with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), and the United States Department of State.

She is passionate about advancing the rights of women and has trained and volunteered with the DC Rape Crisis Center. Following graduation, she will continue working with the Department of State. She speaks Arabic and Spanish and enjoys practicing yoga.

“I chose MSFS for the impressive faculty, small class sizes, and opportunity to learn in an interdisciplinary environment. From speaking with current students and alums, it was obvious to me that MSFS produces global citizens dedicated to public service."