Meet our team.
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The WMGIC VII team is so excited to be working with our amazing partners this year to host the WMGIC x NATO HQ Countering Disinformation Challenge in Fall 2022 and our Flagship event this Spring 2023. We believe the diversity of academic/experiential knowledge in event participants is one of the core reasons why the Global Innovation Challenge is so special, and our team's range of personal and career interests reflect that. Please reach out to us if you'd like to learn more about how we run our competitions or how to get involved. We can't wait to meet you!
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Kiran Rachamallu
External Relations Director Kiran is a senior and has been a part of the WMGIC since the fall of his freshman year. He was drawn to WMGIC’s mission of showcasing the power of young adults to solve the world’s greatest challenges and encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration. Kiran’s main areas of focus in WMGIC include external relations and research, but is involved in all aspects of the club. He originally is from San Jose, California and is studying Public Policy and Biology. Being a part of WMGIC has allowed him to further his interests in integrative conservation, community development, and health equity. |
Sarena Oberoi
External Relations Director Sarena is a senior majoring in Public Health and minoring in Data Science. She has been involved in WMGIC since she first competed in the competition the spring of her freshman year. Sarena took a data science class her first semester and was interested in taking what she had learned in class and applying it to complex global issues. For the past two years Sarena has had the opportunity of serving as WMGIC’s External Relations Director. This has been a wonderful experience, as it allows her to meet professional individuals from a variety of career experiences and backgrounds. |
George Hage
Internal Relations Director George arrived at William and Mary during his freshman year, and immediately joined the WMGIC team via the at the time president of WMGIC’s- recommendation. George now has taken up the mantle of Director of Internal Relations. Born in Northern Virginia, George is currently majoring in Government and Economics; WMGIC is the perfect outlet for these interests, as the annual competition focusing on international development demands research and a genuine interest in global affairs. |
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Sophie Workinger
Director of Operations and Development After competing in the Flagship Event her freshman year, Sophie knew she wanted to join the WMGIC team to share the inspiration she felt from competing with other young adults. Since then, Sophie has been here for two years, serving as the Director of Operations and Development and a Research Assistant over summer 2022. Born in Tennessee, she came to William & Mary to major in both Global Studies (with a European concentration) and Government; being a part of WMGIC connects her with other students who share a passion for sustainability and encouraging the next generation to work together to solve urgent global issues. |
Terra Stearns
Director of Recruitment Terra joined WMGIC in the fall of her freshman year, working under the guidance of the then president and the graphic designer. Now in her sophomore year, she has been involved in internal communications, social media coordination, and graphic design for the organization. Currently, she is excited to be taking up the role of director of recruitment to generate participation for the fall and spring competitions, sharing her love of WMGIC’s goals of integrative conservation and interdisciplinary creativity with students around the world. |
Mel Onwusika
Research Director Mel joined WMGIC at the end of her sophomore year as Recruitment Director. She had seen adverts of the organization’s flagship Spring event and heard previous competitors talk about their experiences. As an international student from Nigeria, sustainable development is incredibly important to her. Mel is a double major in Public Policy and Public Health and is also involved in CKI, Student Assembly and International Student Advisory Board (ISAB). This year, she will be taking on the Research Director role and is looking forward to developing super interesting cases. |
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Sofia LoBue
Director of Social Media Sofia is a freshman at William & Mary majoring in international relations through the University of St. Andrews Joint Degree Programme. When she heard about WMGIC, she was drawn to the unique student-led structure of the competitions, and was inspired by the international audience it attracts. This year, she will serve as Director of Social Media and is excited to contribute to and support the WMGIC mission. |
Amy Browning
Director of Technology Amy is in her freshman year at William & Mary, pursuing a degree in International Relations in the Joint Degree Programme between W&M and the University of St Andrews. She was drawn to WMGIC because of its focus on creating collaborative opportunities for students to show their unique experiences and perspectives with one another to create new solutions to global issues. As Director of Technology she is excited to facilitate events that connect participants across the world and engage community members to discuss interdisciplinary challenges. |
Dorothy Gao
Events Director (NATO) |
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Reese Obrien
Events Director (Flagship) Reese joined the WMGIC team after competing in the Flagship Event during the spring of her freshman year. As an International Relations and Linguistics major, she was drawn to WMGIC’s global focus and inspired by the organization’s mission to elevate young voices within the field of international development. Since then, she has served as the Events Director for WMGIC VI, ensuring that the logistical aspects of the Flagship Event ran smoothly, and a Research Assistant during the summer of 2022, working to foster organizational development. |
Ian Kung
Research Assistant Ian is a sophomore studying Computational and Applied Mathematics and Statistics(CAMS) on the applied statistics track, with a prospective minor in business analytics. He joined WMGIC this fall semester, and was most captivated by the organization's mission to bring together motivated students and mentors across disciplines to come up with innovative solutions to the most pressing issues facing the world today. Ian is looking forward to gaining research experience with real-world applications and relevancy, as well as the opportunity to work with the entire WMGIC team. |
Sofia Valle
Research Assistant Sofia is a Sophomore pursuing degrees in International Relations and Chinese Studies. She competed in WMGIC VI her Freshman year and knew after those challenging 24 hours that she wanted to contribute to the competitions. She is a Research Assistant and joined the team in September. As an international security aficionada, she is eager to investigate the challenges faced by developing nations to draw a nexus to the extant domestic dissent. She is looking forward to every aspect of WMGIC to realize the dream she envisioned vis-a-vis the previous competition. |
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Dylan Gurl
Research Assistant Dylan is a sophomore at William & Mary majoring in public policy. He joined WMGIC in Fall 2022 and had his first experience helping with the group’s competitions during NATO x WMGIC, where he enjoyed seeing the truly global interconnection of innovative policy ideas for pressing problems. Being a part of WMGIC gives Dylan the opportunity to learn more about public policy issues outside of class, be a part of a group of really cool people, and learn from all the fantastic proposals presented by teams during WMGIC’s events. |
Justin Eng
Operations Associate A William & Mary undergrad, Justin intends to major in Government and Economics/Business. He is drawn to WMGIC as it covers themes he is interested in (like land use and resource management) through engaging and comprehensive case competitions that connect interdisciplinary international-minded students, mentors, and advisors. He is now an operations associate and works on budgets, sponsorships, and partner relations. |
Elizabeth Marcus
Events Associate Elizabeth joined the team in the spring of her freshman year. She was drawn to WMGIC’s mission of bringing together young voices from across the globe to generate sustainable solutions to critical issues. As a prospective International Relations major, she is excited to gain insight into how the content of her classes is applied to real-world situations. Elizabeth looks forward to contributing to the logistical aspects of the WMGIC Flagship Event in her role as an Events Associate. |
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Jessica Hwang
Internal Relations Associate Jessica is a sophomore in the Joint Degree Program (BA International Honours) with the University of St Andrews in Scotland, and the College of William and Mary, studying International Relations. As an IR major, she saw WMGIC as a way to take academia, and enable innovative and practical solutions to current real-world issues. She is looking forward to fostering connections, and helping the WMGIC team. |
William Catalani
Events Associate William is a sophomore at W&M and intends to major in Linguistics and History. He joined in the spring of his sophomore year as an events associate. He has been enraptured by the organization’s unique ability to put solutions to global problems in the hands of a younger generation and the opportunity to assist in conducting joint case competitions to facilitate that aim. |