Zara Thalji is a senior from Chantilly, VA majoring in Public Policy with a minor in history. She has a passion for addressing climate change through a social justice lens. She has investigated climate gentrification in Washington DC through the Hart SOL Fellowship, researched communication barriers to climate change as an RA for Professor Nick Carnes, and became a Stanbeck Fellow on Earthjustice’ Clean Energy Team. Outside of climate justice, Zara is interested in immigration reform and foreign affairs. She spent a semester in Berlin studying EU immigration policy, and spent a summer at Ayuda, providing social services to low income immigrants seeking humanitarian visas. On campus, Zara has served on the executive boards of the Asian Students Association and Duke Student Government. After college, she hopes to continue to be a community organizer while pursuing a graduate degree in international relations.

Honors Thesis: Southern Renewal? How Contested Ideas of Gentrification Shape Urban Political Behavior

Faculty Advisor: Professor Hannah Conway