Class of 2021

Hailing from Arizona, Radhika Arora earned her B.S. in Business Administration and minor in Arabic from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Inspired by her multicultural upbringing, Radhika enrolled in undergraduate classes and student organizations focused on her passion areas of economic empowerment and cross-cultural exchange. She has taught English in Taiwan through AIESEC, traveled to Japan with the Kakehashi Project, and studied Arabic in Morocco on a Critical Language Scholarship. She also participated in the U.S. Foreign Service Internship Program, where she supported public diplomacy initiatives between the U.S. and Iraq and oversaw the U.S. Embassy’s energy portfolio in Amman, Jordan. After graduation, Radhika joined Deloitte Consulting LLP's Government & Public Services practice to advise federal agencies on leveraging innovation, design, and emerging technologies to navigate their strategic priorities and challenges. She also led pro-bono consulting engagements with promising international NGOs across Cambodia and Ghana through the D2international Fellowship program. Most recently, Radhika served as a Legislative Fellow for a Congresswoman from Ohio, exploring the nuanced relationships between domestic and foreign policy as well as the legislative and executive branches of government. Radhika is a 2021 Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Fellow. As part of this fellowship, she has committed to five years as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State. She is excited to polish her public policy know-how at Ford, expand the perspectives she will take abroad as a representative of the U.S., and cement the Weiser Diplomacy Center as an irresistible and inclusive convener for education, engagement, and talent among the foreign policy community.

Hannah Cumming is a first year UM Law School student doing a JD/MPP. She’s focusing on international law and human rights and has experience with UN Women and NGOs in refugee relief, particularly in the Middle East.

Alhan Fakhr is working in the private sector in Pakistan and has interests and experience in development, the mediation of civil conflict, and justice initiatives. He’s worked and studied in China and Malaysia, among other places.

Jonathan Garon comes to us from the Embassy of the UAE, where he’s director of commercial affairs. He has extensive experience in economic diplomacy focusing on commerce, trade and investment policies.

Michael Hauser is a proud native of Mason, Michigan and a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy where he earned a B.S. in American History. Inspired by the “people first” example of Army leaders he encountered while on semester exchange at the United States Military Academy at West Point, he decided to pursue a cross-commission as an Army Infantry officer upon graduation. After more than seven years of Army service, a majority of which was spent leading soldiers both at home and overseas, he transitioned to the civilian sector. Living abroad for the majority of 2020, Michael worked for a small Cape Town, South Africa-based consultancy firm and leadership development startup as they rapidly pivoted in response to COVID-19. Going forward, Michael intends to pursue a career as a foreign service officer, eager to promote the best of liberal democratic values and human rights internationally. Michael’s fondest memories from military service include Ranger School graduation, competing in the 2017 US Army Best Ranger Competition, and building lasting relationships with the soldiers he was privileged to lead. Michael’s policy research interests include colonial legacies and human rights, geopolitics and border studies, and ethics. In his spare time, he enjoys art, music, theater, trail running, and experiencing new places and people with his South African husband, Dehan.

Margo Steinhaus is a Chicago-native with six years of experience in international development, community engagement, and foreign affairs. She has been a Gilman and Fulbright Scholarship recipient to Turkey and taught English in Istanbul. Her interest in Turkey led her to become a Nonresident Fellow with the Turkish Heritage Organization (THO), a nonprofit think tank dedicated to improving US-Turkey relations. As a Fellow and Contributor, Margo wrote articles surrounding US-Turkish politics as well as hosted and produced the THO podcast. After returning to the US from teaching English in the rural Isaan region of Thailand, she shifted into the monitoring and evaluation side of international development, where she worked on USAID-funded projects. She is also the Co-Chair for the Young Professionals Network workgroup for the Society of International Development-Washington, where she has led a workshop series to develop a call-to-action in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the IDEV sector. Margo has volunteered with several nonprofit organizations that are near and dear to her heart, including Reach the World, the International Rescue Committee, and the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. Margo holds a Bachelor of Arts from DePaul University in International Studies, Sociology, and German. Her interests have centered around comparative social policy, particularly the intersection of sustainable housing, refugee resettlement, and economic mobility, which she plans to continue researching at the Ford School as an MPP candidate.