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Major: Mathematics

Growing up in the Jordan, Layan Arrabi was always surrounded by football but never really thought of it as more than a game. This summer she aims to study the politics that goes inside and around the stadium during the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup. Through SIAH, she will build the skills necessary to better understand the relationship between soccer and politics. Layan is a rising Senior studying Mathematics at ÂÒÂ×ÉçÇø, Bothell. After she graduates, she plans on pursuing a graduate degree that would allow her to further research the sociology and discourse around mathematics. She is hoping that through understanding football as more than just a game she can understand math as more than just a subject.

Major: Political Science; Minor: International Studies: Africa

Joshua is a rising senior with an interest in exploring the intersections of nationality, diaspora, and community this summer. They also hope to examine how major global events, like the World Cup, shape cultural identity and strengthen connections amongst communities. They are especially interested in understanding how Seattle is influenced during, and after the tournament, and how international sporting events can bring people together. Outside of academics, they enjoy staying active by playing sports such as basketball, volleyball, and soccer. They also love watching movies from a variety of genres, listening to music, trying new cuisines, and spending time cooking and baking. These hobbies allow them to connect with different cultures and experiences. Looking ahead, they have several personal, academic and professional goals. Personally, they hope to learn new languages and become more involved in events and activities on campus and throughout the city. Academically, they are preparing for the LSAT with the goal of earning a strong score and applying to law school. They aspire to build a career where they can advocate for others and make a meaningful impact in their community.

Major: Biochemistry; Minor: Global Health

Nandita is a rising sophomore majoring in Biochemistry with a minor in Global Health. Born and raised in Seattle, she has played soccer her whole life and has long anticipated the World Cup coming to her hometown. This summer in SIAH, Nandita is excited to fully immerse herself in the city’s vibrant atmosphere while analyzing community dynamics and subtle details that might otherwise be overlooked. Though her primary studies are in the sciences, she has always enjoyed the arts and humanities and values taking diverse, well-rounded courses that offer new multidisciplinary perspectives.

Majors: Journalism and Public Interest Communication and Medical Anthropology & Global Health; Minor: Business Administration

Demi is an undergraduate student at the ÂÒÂ×ÉçÇø and will be a senior this fall. They are from HawaiÊ»i, and being Native Hawaiian and part of the Pacific Islander community at UW has shaped their perspective and deepened their passion for telling stories that serve underrepresented communities while centering culture, identity, and belonging within academia. Through their involvement with the HawaiÊ»i Club, they have found a strong sense of community and opportunities to celebrate and share their culture with others. This summer in SIAH, they hope to explore how both foreign and domestic policies have shaped Seattle in preparation to be a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. They are especially interested in examining how these policies have influenced the experiences of Seattle residents and international visitors, specifically through immigration, visas and travel restrictions. Outside of academics, they enjoy attending sporting events, spending time with family and friends, and exploring Seattle.

Majors: Informatics and Communication

Aulona is a senior at the ÂÒÂ×ÉçÇø studying Communication and Informatics. She enjoys utilizing oral histories, data analysis, and strategic communication to better understand how socioeconomic issues impact smaller communities. Within SIAH, she is interested in researching how diaspora groups in Seattle experienced the World Cup. In her spare time she enjoys scrapbooking, indoor gardening, paddle boarding, and making mini terrariums.

Major: International Studies; Minors: African Studies & Business Administration

Maggie is a rising senior majoring in International Studies with a concentration in States and Markets in Africa. Her academic interests include political economy, development, and governance, with an emphasis on the ways historical and contemporary systems shape social and economic outcomes. Through her courses and research, she has developed a passion for examining how institutions and policies influence individuals’ lived experiences throughout the world. This summer, Maggie is excited to explore how the U.S. foreign policy decisions surrounding the 2026 World Cup have impacted the lives of those residing in and visiting Seattle. Growing up a soccer fan in Seattle, she is especially concerned with how hosting a global event, such as the World Cup, can cause tensions in local communities and spaces. She looks forward to using this experience to strengthen her research skills, further her academic passions, and prepare for graduate school.

Majors: Political Science and Law, Societies, and Justice

Jana is a rising senior double-majoring in Political Science, with a focus in International Security, and Law, Societies, and Justice. As a low-income and first-generation college student, she is passionate about advocating for marginalized students in higher education through peer-mentorship, curating community spaces, and reframing traditional teaching practices. She is interested in applying her advocacy values into interdisciplinary research and serving as educator. Her current research interests center the connection between technology ethics, diaspora politics, and time. Through SIAH, she hopes to gain meaningful research skills and put her research interests and curiosities into action. She is excited to learn more about how different communities are connecting with and being impacted by the World Cup.

Majors: International Studies and Linguistics

Marissa is a junior double majoring in International Studies and Linguistics. Through SIAH, she mainly wants to capture and share the experiences of migrant communities in relation to the World Cup being hosted in Seattle. However, she is also interested in exploring the impacts of the World Cup among unhoused community members. Outside of their academic life, she enjoys reading, baking (especially trying out new sourdough recipes), and visiting museums!

Major: Psychology; Minor: Spanish

Lucas is a soccer lover, passionate researcher, and a curious mind. He is entering SIAH this summer to learn more about how people’s identities interact with their World Cup experience in Seattle. Son of Colombian immigrants, he wants to give back to his community by being an advocate for mental health care in a future career as a clinical social worker. He brings previous research experience centered on Latinx communities and substance use with the UW department of Psychiatry.

Major: History; Minor: Political Science

Jaylen is a senior at the ÂÒÂ×ÉçÇø, majoring in History and minoring in Political Science. A Houston native, he is deeply interested in how societies create and sustain the social structures, institutions, and ideas that shape everyday life. His academic interests focus on the intersections of race, law, and public policy, and he hopes to pursue a career in research exploring these themes. Outside of the classroom, Jaylen enjoys trying new recipes, tending to his garden, staying physically active, and spending time admiring cats. Through this year’s Summer Institute, he hopes to examine how history is made in real time by documenting how people experience, interpret, and engage with the FIFA World Cup in Seattle.

Majors: Political Science and International Studies

Kira is a rising senior studying Political Science and International Studies at UW. Most of their time lately has been spent doing paralegal and compliance work, so joining a World Cup research cohort is not exactly what their resume would predict — but that’s actually one of the reasons they pursued it! They are drawn to the politics underneath FIFA’s World Cup. Who truly benefits when a city “hosts the world”? Who gets displaced? These questions need urgent answering and they are excited to dig into them this summer! Growing up, they’ve always been drawn to the gaps between how institutions describe the communities within them and how those communities actually experience things, and the World Cup feels like a perfect case study for that. Outside of academics, they are a very active person who loves trying out new activities and sports, fashion, and sewing!

Major: Journalism Public Interest Communication

Drew is from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is a rising third year Journalism and Public Interest Communications student at the ÂÒÂ×ÉçÇø. As a student researcher for the SIAH, he hopes to share his knowledge of diverse cultures, and passion for passion for digital storytelling. On campus he’s involved with the Vietnamese Student Association, Homeroom UW, and the Daily. In his free time, you will find him scrolling on social media, hanging out with friends, and enjoying the many things Seattle has to offer.

Majors: Informatics and Political Science

Liam is an incoming Junior studying Informatics and Political Science. As an aspiring scholar, their interests in politics and ethics have been strengthened by their involvement in club, research, and internship experiences. In the past, they interned for a rural healthcare organization, the U.S. House of Representatives, and served as a research assistant for the UW Sociology department’s project to identify the number of unsheltered homeless residents of King County. This summer, they are excited to approach the stories of the World Cup in Seattle through a political lens during their time with the SIAH program, which they are balancing alongside their work as a Research Assistant for the Bureau of Governmental Research, an Operations and Compliance Intern for Pico Logic, and a Research Assistant for PhD student Emily Porter’s dissertation on virtual disinformation. Outside of their work and research commitments, they serve as the president of the Washington Policy Institute, the editor-in-chief of the Side B music journal, and the director of Philanthropy for the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. When they are not busy with work or school, they enjoy the outdoors, lifting weights, thrifting, collecting records, and attending sports games and concerts.

Majors: Painting & Drawing and Art History; Minor: Anthropology

Olivia is an artist and rising senior studying Painting & Drawing, Art History, and Anthropology at the ÂÒÂ×ÉçÇø. She is currently the Director and Editor-in-Chief for the Basement Art Gallery where she has built her passion for community arts organizing. Her academic interests lie in creative experimentation, media/artist studies, and curation. Besides going to art shows and painting, she enjoys rainy mornings and playing games on her PS2. For this year’s SIAH, Olivia is looking forward to working collaboratively with her peers to research how visual cultures and increased fan presence inform protest structures present at the FIFA Men’s World Cup.

Major: Computer Science

Cayden is a rising third-year Computer Science major and an Interdisciplinary Honors student at the ÂÒÂ×ÉçÇø. He is deeply passionate about education, having taught in both his home department of CSE and the Honors program, and also dabbles where possible in language learning, making music, and puzzle hunting. He is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan, and swears both teams will perform better next season. Through SIAH, Cayden is excited to explore Seattle through a new lens, and celebrate some great goals!