Participants of 2021 Asia Society Korea Youth (ASK-Y)
2021 ASK-Y Cohorts
Nathasha Dharmasena (Sri Lanka) - 1st Place
Asian University for Women, BA in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics
Nathasha is currently interning at the Milken Institute and is also part of the network of women changemakers at Wedu Global. As a young adult threatened by climate change and inequality, she aspires towards building opportunities for youth through the field of gender lens investing.
Owing to her love for the all-hands-on-deck approach to entrepreneurship, she is also part of the network and experience at the Hult Prize Foundation. Her theoretical background in Gender Studies, passion for working with minority groups, and experience in social entrepreneurship at crossroads, led her to be part of the team at XOCO, a German ed-tech startup committed to localizing the digital economy to empower girls in Latin America.
When she is not at the frontlines of the fight towards an equitable and sustainable society, she is an inquisitive Gemini with a love for poetry and most things vintage.
Dylan Goh (Australia) - 4th Place
University of New South Wales, Bachelor of Commerce / Design
Working on unceded Bidjigal and Gadigal lands, Dylan Goh is a cultural practitioner with 6 years of experience as an artist, curator, and museum worker. He holds a dual degree in Commerce / Design and a cultural ambassador role at the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as the 2021 New Colombo Fellow (Republic of Korea).
Uniquely placed at the intersections of cultural industries, business, and international relations, he is passionate about safeguarding cultural sustainability on a grassroots and macro level.
Dylan is currently curating “吃饭(Chi-Fan)” – an online culinary database tracing the intimate stories and migration of food recipes in the Chinese diaspora. He is also a mentee under Asian Arts curator Min-Jung Kim at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences – assisting research and interpretation of the Asian art and design collection.
Mark Hopkins (Australia)
Seoul National University, Master's Candidate in International Studies
Mark is a master’s student in the Graduate School of International Studies at Seoul National University, majoring in Area Studies (Asia).
He holds a BA with first-class honors in Modern History from the University of Sydney, Australia. Mark is currently interning with the Independent Evaluation Unit of the Green Climate Fund and has also worked previously at the Global Green Growth Institute in Seoul.
Loïc Jent (Switzerland)
University of St. Gallen, MA in Economics
Loïc Jent is the Academic Intern for Economic and Political Affairs at the Embassy of Switzerland. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of St. Gallen, having spent an exchange semester at the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen (Norway).
Prior to his time in Korea, Loïc was involved as Assistant Project Officer for Fontes Foundation in Uganda and as Head of Finance for student-run NGO PIECES.
His academic knowledge and interests center around international relations, natural resource management, and development cooperation. Led by his high sensitivity to social issues, he was involved in the implementation of a variety of community-driven humanitarian projects in Croatia, Romania, Kenya, Tanzania, and China during his teenage years.
Jasmine (Jung Mun) Park (South Korea) - 3rd Place
Seoul National University, MA Candidate in Political Science
Jasmine is an M.A student at Seoul National University, majoring in Political Science. Her area of interest is in Comparative Politics, social capital, and Governance.
With her former experience as a representative of ROK for the 2018 G20 Argentina Youth Summit, she is interested in securing sustainability in the political sector, including but not limited to youth engagement.
Nazifa Rafa (Bangladesh) - 1st Place
University of Cambridge, MPhil Candidate in Environmental Policy
Nazifa Rafa is currently pursuing her MPhil in Environmental Policy at the University of Cambridge, having graduated with a BSc in Environmental Sciences in May 2021 from the Asian University for Women.
Since her early undergraduate years, Nazifa has been deeply engaged in research works related to different aspects of human-environment interactions, driven by her passion to work for the sustainable development of the Global South. To date, she has published 14 papers, 2 book chapters, and contributed to 2 conference papers focused on water security, sanitation, hygiene, health, waste management, energy efficiency, and natural resources management.
She aspires to pursue a career as a policy advisor and offer solutions to sustainably manage natural resources in developing nations and improve the environmental health of impoverished and marginalized communities.
Shahnooz (Pakistan)
Asian University for Women, BA in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Shahnooz is a recent graduate from Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh, with a major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics and a minor in development studies.
She is a recipient of the AUW full scholarship and I also got Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) at Sookmyung Women's University during an exchange program in the fall of 2021 where she majored in Political Science and International Relations. Throughout her academic career, she has been engaged in different co-curricular activities. She was president of AUW Mental Health and Well Being Club (MHWB), and led a team of 200+ members, and conducted weekly wellness programs to help students focus on their mental health at AUW.
Previously, Shahnooz served as the Public Relations Chair where she managed the club's communications strategy, including implementing promotional campaigns for mental health workshops for the student community. She also promoted events through publicity materials and social media marketing.
Gabriela Mayte Souza Pinedo (Peru)
Yuan Ze University, BA Candidate in Informatics
Mayte is originally from Perú and is currently studying for her bachelor's degree in Informatics at Yuan Ze University in Taiwan.
In 2019, She graduated from Laboratoria, a Peruvian social startup that trains women in Tech related skills and whose main objective is to empower women and make the tech sector in Latin America more diverse. In that year, she also participated as a volunteer in the Lima 2019 ParaPan-Am Games. Before that, she attended high school in COAR LIMA. During her studies there, She was granted a medal for the Best Citizens Project by the US Embassy. She was also served as a member of Cool Teenagers-Cía.
Mayte is fluent in English and Spanish. She is passionate about women empowerment, technology, and education, and has a deep sense and commitment to her country and Latin America.
Claudine Ukubereyimfura (Rwanda) - 5th Place
Peking University, MA Candidate in China Studies
Claudine Ukubereyimfura is a student at the Yenching Academy of Peking University pursuing an MA in China Studies (Politics and International Relations).
Claudine earned her BA from Yonsei University, where she majored in International Studies. Claudine is passionate about East Asian international relations and has a strong interest in East Asian cultures and history. Claudine’s research interests are focused on China, Japan, and South Korea’s engagement with Sub-Saharan Africa and historical legacy and nationalism in East Asia.
In South Korea, Claudine had a diverse experience: interning with Seoul Metropolitan Government, volunteering at the Citizen’s Alliance for North Korean Human Rights (NKHR), and teaching. Claudine aspires to become a scholar who will use her knowledge and experiences to help bring East Asian countries and her country (Rwanda) closer together.
Hwa Pyung Yoo (South Korea)
Villanova University, Honors BS in Cognitive Behavioral Neuroscience & Political Science
Hwa Pyung is the co-founder of Enspire, an education nonprofit aimed at increasing educational access in South Korea. Prior to Enspire, Hwa Pyung served as a teacher in Spain and South Korea.
Hwa Pyung graduated from Villanova University ('19) with an Honors B.S. in Cognitive Behavioural Neuroscience and Political Science, focusing on understanding the shifting trends of dominant education narratives. During undergrad, he conducted research for projects including the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index 2.0 and contemporary youth activism, assisting publications and presenting at various international conferences.
Hwa Pyung seeks to support equitable policy reforms that recognize changing forms and objectives of “learning” in a modern era.
He currently pursues a Joint Master of Journalism & International Affairs degree at Sciences Po Paris.