Summer 2005 Interns

Sophie Besancenot is studying for her M.A. in International Relations at the Institute of Political Science in Paris (the Institut d'Etudes Politiques, also known as the Sciences-Po), expecting to graduate in 2007. During the academic year 2004 - 2005, Sophie participated in an exchange program at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and, also through Cornell, attended educational conferences at the United Nations. Sophie served on the student council at the Institute of Political Science, and earlier worked in the office of the Mayor of Dijon. While at Cornell, she has been active in Americans for Informed Democracy; in France she was involved in SOS Racisme. Sophie, a French national, traveled in Tunisia as a child and has also been to Sweden. She is interested in art history, world music, and film.

Merav Kweskin just grduated from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, and majored in International Relations. She has worked for Americans for Peace Now and has tutored in Worcester public schools. At Clark, Merav has been active in Hillel and in a recycling project for Habitat for Humanity. She has studied under Colman McCarthy at The Washington Center in D.C., and has traveled to El Salvador with American Jewish World Service's Alternative Spring Break. She has knowledge of Spanish and Hebrew, and has both lobbied, and campaigned for, Congressman Jim McGovern (the representative for Massachusetts' 3rd district.)

Kathryn Marshall is studying at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is pursuing a double major in History and Peace and Conflict Studies, specializing in the Civil Rights movement and nonviolence. She expects to graduate in 2007. As president of Bears for UNICEF, Kathryn has helped organize a benefit concert, a speakers forum, a 5k run/walk, and a petition campaign, for causes ranging from ending the war in Darfur to providing tsunami relief. She has worked as an undergraduate research apprentice helping to organize the Emma Goldman papers, and has served as the recruitment chair, and a member of the Standards Board, of her chapter of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. In Spring 2006, Kathryn is continuing her studies at the University of California at Berkeley, taking courses in peace and justice issues, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa. She continues to volunteer and organize for UNICEF, and plans to spend the summer of 2006 in San Sebastián, Spain.

Sanaz Meshkinpour graduated in May 2004 from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in political science with an emphasis in International Relations/Mid-East Politics. She studied abroad in the Fall of 2002 at the Anglo-American College in Prague, Czech Republic, and has worked as a research analyst at the Berkeley Roundtable on the International Economy, and as a campaign management intern with Global Exchange in San Francisco. Sanaz has also served as publicity director and board member of the Iranian Student Alliance in America (ISAA). She published a series of interviews with Iraqi immigrants in Prague, in The Prague Pill, an English-language newsmagazine, and has regularly contributed articles to other publications. Sanaz speaks some Spanish and is fluent in Persian. Sanaz Meshkinpour is working at Global Exchange, in San Francisco, as of July 2006. Sanaz's job is to coordinate educational and policy tours to Israel/Palestine, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria/Lebanon, Jordan and Libya.The position also entails outreach to introduce Americans of different backgrounds to the Middle East and give them a chance to learn what is happening in these countries, "on the ground." The outreach also aims to give the travelers an important chance to become involved in local and national campaigns and peace movements upon their return to the United States.