Student Organizations
The Student Consortium on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS)
The Student Consortium on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) is a student-led organization that aims to — in collaboration with the US Civil Society Working Group on WPS (U.S. CSWG) — promote awareness of the implications of women in security and foreign policy. We strive to ensure that policymakers around the globe are aware of the importance of power hierarchies in these disciplines and the need to include women’s experiences and perspectives when solving critical issues surrounding peace and security.
Student Leaders:
Aarohi Hemmady
Aarohi is a rising sophomore studying International Affairs with a concentration in International Economics at George Washington University. She is thrilled to serve as the incoming Vice President of Publications for the GW Student Consortium on Women, Peace, and Security, where she looks forward to expanding the organization's newsletter, including not just more pieces than last year, but more diverse ones. Passionate about pushing boundaries and sparking critical conversations, she hopes to use the newsletter as a platform to challenge assumptions and get readers thinking deeply about current and past world issues at the intersection of gender, peace, and security.
Contact: wpselliott
gmail [dot] com (wpselliott[at]gmail[dot]com)
Website: https://www.wpsconsortium.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wpsconsortium/
Human Initiative in International Studies (HIIS)
Student Leaders:
Calvin Bates
Calvin is a second-year graduate student at the Elliott School of International Affairs obtaining a masters degree in Security Policy Studies (SPS). In May of 2025, Calvin graduated from Connecticut College with a bachelor's degree in Government. While at Conn he conducted an independent study, as well as served as a research assistant, both of which centered around terrorism, rhetoric during and after the War on Terror, and refugees. While at the Elliott School, Calvin's SPS work will have a concentration in transnational security. Calvin spent this past summer as a Geospatial Intelligence Intern for the International Association of Certified ISAOs (IACI), through the Kennedy Space Center.
NGOs The Athena Initiative has memberships with:
The Alliance for Peacebuilding (AfP)
WIIS (Women in International Security)
Women in Foreign Policy Group (WFP)
**Students have access to all of the membership events these organizations host.