I’m David, a sophomore at American University double majoring with a B.A. in International Studies and a B.S. in Economics. At AU, I’m a part of both the Honors Program, an interdisciplinary research program addressing current issues, and the Olson Scholars program, a specialized international relations research curriculum for sophomores.

My research interests include strategic economics in foreign policy and the political economy of climate change. For the Olson Scholars Program, my research will investigate whether domestic features of sanctioning countries can act as commitment costs to increase their threat credibility during sanctions episodes. As a part of the Honors Program, I also had the opportunity to conduct research on the social impacts of religious institutions on Central American immigrants in the D.C. area through semi-structured interviews and demographic analysis.

In addition to my focus in international relations, I also have a diverse array of political experience and leadership, from extensive campaign work to building interest groups like the Virginia Young Democrats to programming for organizations like KPU (American University’s political speaker bureau) and working in the corporate world for the Worldwide Speakers Group. I hope to continue my studies in international economics before eventually working in government.