Besama Alghussein currently works in the United States Congress as a Legislative Aide for Representative Colleen Hanabusa (D-HI-01) and is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College where she completed her major in International Relations and Economics under National Security Adviser Anthony Lake, former U.S. Ambassador to the Soviet Union, Jack Matlock and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph Ellis. While at Mount Holyoke, Besama was inducted as one of two honorary members into the Sigma Iota Rho International Relations Honor Society. Her interest in international relations stems from her eight years of competitive speech and debate experience. During this time, Ms. Alghussein spent three summers studying and working for the Ivy Scholars Program in the International Security Studies Department at Yale University. She has been a member of the Board of the Washington European Society since 2009, during which time she has organized events with various ambassadors and intellectuals on topics ranging from Europe’s role in the Middle East conflict to nuclear weapons anti-proliferation efforts. She grew up between Hawaii, Egypt, California and the United Arab Emirates.