Lida Orzeck Fellowship
Lan Phan
Lan Phan is a current doctoral student in the Social-Organizational Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. She focuses her research on cross-cultural adaptivity, nonhierarchical settings, and informal power in the field of conflict resolution. Before entering the program, Lan worked and fostered long-term partnerships that spanned from Haiti, the U.S., China, Pakistan, Trinidad and Tobago, to her home country - Vietnam. Informed by her international work experiences, Lan dedicated her time navigating the intersectionality of her identities and the balance between taking up and creating spaces to empower discourse.
Lida Orzeck Fellowship
Alexandria Frank
Alexandria Frank is an incoming doctoral student in the Social-Organizational Psychology progtam at Teachers College, Columbia University. She is particularly interested in analyzing narratives of marginalized individuals in the workplace. Alexandria hopes to utilize her doctoral degree and research in the workplace to make equitable policies that serve the health and well-being of historically underserved employees based on qualitative and quantitative data. After graduating summa cum laude from Howard University in 2021 with her B.S. in Psychology, Alexandria taught Latin at a New England boarding school. She carries that love of language and knowledge-sharing into all her academic pursuits.
Roy and Deborah Lewicki Fellowship
Arisa Viddayakorn
Arisa Viddayakorn is entering as a first year doctoral student in the Social Organizational Psychology program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Arisa was born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand. She received a B.S. in Finance and Information Systems and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Boston College. Her previous research was focused on helping students develop their purpose and navigate through different stages of life. At Teachers College, Arisa is looking to further explore her research interests in conflict resolution and organizations centered around social justice.
Morton Deutsch Fellowship
Nicole M. Borunda
Nicole M. Borunda is pursuing their PhD in Social Organizational Psychology at Teachers College, Columbia University. Nicole is curious about dissonance points in organizations that impede a group's ability to reach their stated goals at multiple levels, particularly in the context of social justice. As a new member of the MD-ICCCR team, Nicole brings more than a decade of communications and fundraising experience in the social sector. Their work is greatly informed by healing justice, liberation psychology, Ecological Systems Theory, Indigenous worldview and systems psychodynamics. Nicole seeks to create a world with more joy and justice.
James L. Williams Fellowship
Melissa Mannis
Melissa is a certified mediator, linguist and conflict specialist, experienced in program & partnership development. Having worked for ten years in both the private & public sectors, within the Middle East region, studying the languages and cultures that define it, Melissa is especially passionate about strategic development across diverse, often contentious lines, and believes uplifting our collective human experiences is central to a just, thriving, resilient world.
Throughout her work and studies, Melissa took special interest in promoting thoughtful integration of technology into peacebuilding programs and social impact ventures. Currently, Melissa serves as Advisor to the University for Peace (UPEACE) NY Mission to the United Nations and she is a Founding Member and Director of the Peace Innovation Initiative, in partnership with UPEACE, with a mission to create and enable a global practice of peace through innovation. Melissa is a PhD candidate in Applied Anthropology at Teachers College, Columbia University. She pursued her M.A. in Peace and Conflict Management at the University of Haifa, and she holds a B.A. in Arabic and Sociology from Georgetown University. Melissa is committed to harnessing new technology for conflict transformation, collaborative leadership, and the right to self-determination for all people.