Sié Fellows Class of 2012

Marzia Borsoi is a native of Rome, Italy. She completed her undergraduate degree in International Affairs with minors in History and Psychology at the John Cabot University. In 2007, she earned a second undergraduate degree, with First Class Honors, in International Relations from the University of Wales.  Upon graduation, she was hired at the U.S. Embassy Rome as a Protocol Clerk. In 2008, she won a scholarship to the University of North Carolina, where she earned an M.A. in History of the Contemporary Middle East. Upon graduation in 2010, Marzia was awarded a Sié Fellowship to pursue an M.A. in International Security at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Marzia is focusing her studies at the Korbel School on Middle Eastern and European diplomacy and intelligence studies.

Katherine Goodman is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana.  After graduating from the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas with a BA in International Studies, Katherine spent three years working as a Media Liaison and Assistant to the Director of the Press Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston.  Katherine has also worked as a legislative aide for the Colorado House of Representatives, a job she will return to in January 2012.  Now a Sié Fellow at the Korbel School, she is pursuing an MA in International Security and a Certificate in Global Health Affairs.  Katherine's research interests focus on Taiwan, cross-Strait relations, and the verbalization of Taiwanese opinions on various issues.  Katherine is also interested in global health and gender issues, and finding new ways to use technology in social science research. 

Lai King Lam was born in Hong Kong and moved to the United States at the age of nine.  Lai completed her undergraduate degree in international affairs with a minor in religion at the University of Georgia.  Before moving to Denver to pursue her MA in International Security at the Korbel School, Lai worked in Washington, D.C. for the Office of U.S. Senator Max Baucus, where she served as the Assistant to the Chief of Staff.  While a student at the Korbel School, Lai is focusing her studies on East Asia, U.S. diplomacy, and intelligence and has had the opportunity to intern for the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service. 

Mickey Kupecz is an MA candidate in International Security.  He received his Bachelor’s in International Studies and Political Science at Boston College before returning to Denver, his hometown, for his graduate degree.  His interests in the security field are broad but his degree is focused on South Asia, particularly Pakistan, and weapons of mass destruction.  While at the Korbel School he has worked at the New America Foundation on their Middle East Task Force, as well as at the Center for Complex Operations at the National Defense University.  He has previously studied in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Argentina.

Balazs Martonffy was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary. After completing high school, he attended college in the United States at Washington University in St. Louis as an Eliot Scholar, earning his degree, with honors, in History. Balazs spent one year studying International Affairs at Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium, focusing his coursework on European security and defense. At the Korbel School, Balazs is pursuing his MA in International Security, writing his thesis on the topic “Global Zero’s Implications for European Security.” He is also an intern at the United States Air Force Academy. In his spare time, Balazs practices kendo and plays squash.

David Mayen is a native of South Sudan. He received his primary and secondary education there, and attended college at Kampala International University, Uganda. David has extensive experience in the international arena, having worked as a logistician and storekeeper for Médecins Sans Frontières at the Dadaab refugee camp in Dadaab, Kenya; as an operations specialist for the private security firm DynCorp in South Sudan; and most recently (and currently) as the Director for Legislation for the South Sudan National Legislative Assembly. David is pursuing his Masters in International Security at the Korbel School, and upon graduation will return to South Sudan.

Gretchen Peters is the author of Seeds of Terror, a ground-breaking book that traces the role the opium trade has played in three decades of conflict in Afghanistan. With the help of local reporters, she spent five years researching Seeds of Terror, combing through archives and surveying and interviewing Taliban fighters, smugglers, law enforcement officials, diplomats and intelligence officers. Gretchen has presented her work to numerous government agencies, think tanks, and universities, and to thousands of U.S. servicemen and women deployed to Afghanistan. An award-winning journalist, Gretchen covered Pakistan and Afghanistan for more than a decade, first for The Associated Press and later for ABC News. She remains a regular commentator on NPR, CNN, BBC and numerous other radio and television programs. She has authored policy reports and chapters in leading scholarly books on Afghanistan, and has a forthcoming report on the Haqqani network.

Ambar Velazquez is originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico, and completed her undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Studies at New College of Florida in 2009. As a student at the Korbel School, Ambar is pursuing an MA in International Security, along with a Certificate in Global Health and a concentration in Humanitarian Assistance. Following graduation, Ambar intends to complete a degree in medicine, thereby melding her dual interests in health and humanitarian assistance. Ambar’s research interests focus on the ethics and implications of US military involvement in medical missions abroad.

Jennifer Williams