Scholarship Recipients 2024
Student Scholarship Recipient Fall 2024
Congratulations to Olivia Licata and Manya Gupta – our amazing scholarship winners for Fall 2024.
We look forward to welcoming Olivia and Manya as WIIT members, and especially contributors to upcoming programs on their award winning essays -
- Deeping Economic Relationships with Bolivia and Chile to Secure U.S. Access to Lithium and Counter Chinese Influence
- Regulating subsidies through Competition Law: India’s challenges in negotiating an FTA with the EU
Olivia Licata is currently a senior at Claremont McKenna College majoring in International Relations and Public Policy. She is dedicated to understanding how U.S. foreign policy can effectively advance human welfare, promote ethical practices, and foster collaborative international partnerships. Olivia has worked as a Research Associate at The Center for Global Security Research at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and as a Research Assistant at the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound). On campus, she is a Gender and Security Research Fellow through the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies and the President of the Claremont International Relations Society. Olivia is thrilled to join WIIT and learn more about international trade policy.
Manya Gupta is a LL.M. Candidate (International Business and Economic Law specialization) and a merit scholar at Georgetown University Law Center. Her areas of interest are international trade and antitrust law. She is working as a research assistant at the Center for Inclusive Trade and Development in a part-time position. She serves as a fellow for Institute of International Economic Law and as a LL.M. representative for Georgetown Journal of International Law. Before coming to DC, Manya has worked as a consultant for the Government of India for a period of five years. She represented India in free trade agreement negotiations on areas including government procurement, state-owned enterprises and subsidies. She has a deep inclination towards research and academic writing in the field of international trade law. She aims to deepen her knowledge and expertise of International trade and its intersection with other areas.
Student Scholarship Recipient Spring 2024
CONGRATULATIONS to the WIIT 2024 Spring Young Leadership Scholarship Award Winner.The WIIT Trust is pleased to announce a new Trust Scholarship winner. Congratulations to Semon Makar Zekry! Stay tuned as we welcome this amazing new WIIT member and future trade leader.
Semon Makar Zekry is an incoming Foreign Service Officer in the Economic Track, soon to be stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, focusing on investment, trade, and semiconductors. She is currently a Rangel Fellow pursuing a Master’s degree in International Affairs at Columbia University, concentrating in International Economic Policy and Economic Development with a specialization in technology policy. Semon is particularly interested in the semiconductor industry and the dynamics of emerging technologies.Previously, she worked at the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Services, Investment, and Digital Trade Office and served as a fellow with the U.S. House of Representatives, Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade. Her experience spans both the public and private sectors, including positions at USAID, the Department of Justice, the United Nations, the World Trade Center, and J.P. Morgan Corporate & Investment Bank. She completed her Bachelor's degree at the George Washington University with a double degree in International Affairs and Economics, with a specialization in international economics.
Outside of her professional life, Semon enjoys cooking, playing tennis, and taking walks in Central Park. She is also active in serving the Coptic Orthodox Church communities. She is eager to have the opportunity to join the WIIT Scholarship program and hopes to learn from remarkable women on trade negotiation topics.
If you have questions, please contact info@wiittrust.org.