Hasini Jayawardena is a second-year Master of Public Policy student inspired by scholars like Dr. Edward Said ,Dr. Angela Davis, Frantz Fanon, Antonio Gramsci etc with an interest in exploring the potential for decolonial policy approaches that engage with structural violence, abolitionist practices, human rights and grassroots communities. Originally from Colombo, Sri Lanka, she travelled to the United States upon receiving her Certificate of Higher Education in Common Law from the University of London to pursue her BA in Sociology and Political Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She currently works as a Graduate Marketing Assistant at the Washington College of Law, AU as well as is a Reilly Scholarship recipient for the year 2024 set to work as a Communications Intern at the Children’s Environmental Health Network. She has experience in communications, political education/training and grassroots community legislative engagement through various professional experiences including working with Amnesty International USA. Brought up Buddhist, she holds at her core the values of compassion, equanimity, community and most importantly radical love in the work that she engages in. 

Nora Zacharski is a second year Master of Political Communication Student who grew up in the Midwest. She earned her undergrad degree from Denison University, majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in communication and narrative journalism. She is passionate about advocating for solutions to the climate crisis, and currently works in media relations for a climate policy think tank. Outside of school and work, she enjoys spending time outside, running, reading, and cooking.