Current Students

Ryan studied at Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), concentrating on U.S.–China relations, China’s diplomatic engagements in the Caribbean, and Cross-Strait dynamics. After graduating in 2022, he began his SINSI fellowship, serving in a range of policy roles: first as a researcher at the United States Institute of Peace, then as an Advisor to the U.S. Executive Director at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and later with the State Department in Washington, D.C. and at the U.S. Embassy Lima, where he coordinated policy on external actors in the Western Hemisphere. A proud native of El Paso, Texas, Ryan draws on his Taiwanese-Mexican heritage and is fluent in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling the world, photographing landscapes and portraits, and dancing salsa, bachata, and merengue with Princeton’s Latin dance group, Más Flow.

Sujay is a graduate of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at Princeton University and a Scholars in the Nation's Service Initiative (SINSI) Graduate Fellow. He previously worked at the Federal Trade Commission's Division of Privacy and Identity Protection as a 2024 Siegel Public Interest Technology Summer Fellow working on tech policy issues including consumer privacy, information security, and the enforcement of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. He also worked as an electrical engineering intern at Gentex Corporation and a research intern at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics and has experience in optics and optical simulation and quantum systems. He has previously conducted research on a variety of topics, spanning tech policy issues such as the development of better systems for hardware innovation to electrical engineering topics including bandgap manipulation in 2D semiconductors and curved optics for better solar panel efficiency. Outside of academics, Sujay enjoys the outdoors, backpacking and climbing in his free time.

A proud St. Louisan, James began his public service career teaching Algebra in his home school district, St. Louis Public Schools, through Teach for America. Driven by a passion for educational equity, he became a John Lewis Fellow with Humanity in Action, joining a community of activists and organizers dedicated to championing social causes in the spirit of ‘Good Trouble.’ After teaching, James transitioned to systems change work as a policy advocacy fellow with Forward Through Ferguson, a racial justice organization founded in the aftermath of the Ferguson Uprisings. In this role, he advocated for a city-wide plan for education and supported the Racial Healing Justice Fund, a community-governed grant fund for regional BIPOC nonprofits and businesses. Before joining Princeton SPIA, James served as a Strategic Operations Manager at the St. Louis Treasurer’s Office for two years. During his time there, he oversaw financial empowerment efforts across the city, most notably leading the city's inaugural guaranteed basic income program, which distributed $6 million to support St. Louis families. Motivated by a commitment to social justice and community empowerment, he continues to seek impactful solutions to social issues. In his free time, James enjoys running, tackling overly ambitious DIY projects, and being mediocre at ping pong.

Born and raised in Japan, Shuri is a Japanese career diplomat. She studied law and politics at the University of Tokyo, and after graduating in 2023, she joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. There, she was involved in economic diplomacy, with a focus on trade. Her portfolio covered promoting supply chain resilience within the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and participating in trade agreement negotiations with Bangladesh and the UAE. This experience not only deepened her interest in international trade diplomacy but also strengthened her motivation to help reinforce a free, open, and rules-based economic order – a principle that is increasingly vital today. At SPIA, she hopes to better understand evolving dynamics of the international political economy, especially at the intersection of economic and security policy. In her free time, she enjoys running, watching movies, and attending all kinds of live performances from musicals and orchestral concerts to ballet performances.

Aaheli was born in India, raised in Singapore, and moved to the U.K. to study at Imperial College London in 2015. After graduating with an MEng in Chemical Engineering, she worked as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group’s London office for five years, largely with public and third sector clients (a particular career highlight being supporting the U.K. government's COVID-19 response). She hopes to use her time at Princeton to explore the intersection of climate change and global health, with a focus on racial justice. Outside of academics, she loves acting, singing, dancing, and baking, and has developed a newfound interest in Muay Thai after a recent month-long bootcamp in Koh Samui.