Nicole Eisenschenk has a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management with a minor in Sports Management from Stetson University in DeLand, Florida. She has spent a majority of her working life in the customer service industry and she just spent two years in Bangkok, Thailand working for Wall Street English, an international English Language School, teaching Thai and Japanese students. Her love of travel and experiencing new cultures has brought her to Malta so that she can eventually pursue a career in which she can continue to help others while still being able to travel.
--------------------------------------------------
Joshua Maynard, a US Navy veteran, achieved his Bachelors of Arts degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the American Military University. He spent six years in the US Navy as an Intelligence Specialist where he deployed throughout the Pacific and Middle East. He most recently spent two years as a watch officer working for the National Counterterrorism Center where he was in charge of researching and analyzing raw intelligence data and operational message traffic in support of counterterrorism operations. His desire to assist those who have been affected by terrorism has led him to pursuing this degree in Conflict Resolution and Mediterranean Security in the hopes of better understanding why individuals resort to violence and how to best intervene in such circumstances. Upon completing this degree Joshua plans to begin a career that enables him to interact with communities directly affected by terrorism and assist them through the development and implementation of US foreign policy initiatives.
--------------------------------------------------
Roksolana Burianenko is a Ukrainian with cross-cultural international experience. Roksolana is a native speaker of Russian and Ukrainian, she is fluent in English, and speaks German at an intermediate level. She is interested in sociology and world history, and she has developed a strong wish of traveling and exploring different cultures. Roksolana has visited 21 countries, either as a student or as a tourist. Roksolana received her Bachelor of Science degree in International Business from Schiller International University (SIU), studying at the SIU campuses in Madrid(Spain) and Heidelberg(Germany). In addition, Roksolana has a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy with Political Science specialization from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (Ukraine). Living in Ukraine, a post-soviet country, gave her a valuable experience in understanding differences in people’s mentalities. Living in a country with complex history and diverse social constituencies triggered her interest in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. Currently, her research interests focus on issues of Ukrainian national identity and economic policies in Ukraine. Roksolana has some work experience at Marketing and Finance management. Her travel experiences and her studies in an American international university gave her the opportunity to communicate with people from all over the world and explore different worldviews, perspectives, and opinions. Roksolana would like to follow a career in an international institution, work on peacemaking and peacebuilding in different countries, and still continue to explore different societies.
--------------------------------------------------
Durrell Quarles has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Political Science with a specialization in International Relations and two minors, one in History and the other in Film, Television, and Digital media. He is a third year industrial scaffolder, just a few months away from getting his journeyman ticket and has worked for three years on the oilfields and gas plants allover the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada. He owns and runs, in partnership, a concert promotion company located in Los Angeles and has organized and planned numerous events throughout the greater Los Angeles area. His concern with current events and the current state of international relations has brought him to this program.
--------------------------------------------------
Peter Farrugia is from Malta, in the European Union. Peter read BA Hons. Theology at the University of Malta, graduating summa cum laude in 2013, and graduated M.Phil Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge in 2014. His M.Phil dissertation focused on themes of gender and ab/uses of power in monastic communities. These interests continue to find special emphasis in his research with the Dual degree program, exploring religion, gender, and processes of peace, and the intersection between these fields. Peter is a volunteer with several international and national NGOs, including Integra (working with asylum seekers), MGRM (Malta Gay Rights Movement), and the President's Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society. He is presently involved in setting up an NGO that will address policy advocacy on issues of gender variance in Malta. In March 2014, he was invited to present a paper on the temporal dimensions of women's religious participation at ACLA's Capitals conference, held at NYU.
--------------------------------------------------
Jared Jack Purkey holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. His international focus led him to study abroad in Moscow, Russia as part of San Diego State University's Criminal Justice program as an undergrad before bringing him to Malta for his master's. His academic interests include the presence of conflict in sports and how sports can be used to overcome conflict, primarily within football (soccer). After completion of the dual master's program, Jared hopes to use his background in private investigation to gain employment with the U.S. government and work in some capacity overseas.
--------------------------------------------------
Official Launch of ‘Gender Liberation’ in Malta
On Saturday, April 25th, the official launch of ‘Gender Liberation’, an NGO that works toward informing, connecting, and empowering gender diverse communities in Malta and Gozo, took place in Valletta. The launch comes a few short weeks after Malta introduced the Gender Identity Act, a law that provides transparent and readily accessible gender identity recognition procedures for trans individuals. The historic law also safeguards the bodily integrity of intersex people from the moment of birth, and protects the right to free gender expression for all the people of Malta and Gozo.
H.E. the President of Malta with the Board of Gender Liberation
Pyt Farrugia, a student in the Dual MA Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediterranean security, is one of the founders of Gender Liberation and currently serves as the Organization’s Outreach and Advocacy Officer. Pyt has been for the past years an active member of civil society in Malta, particularly working on issues of gender equality and social justice, with a focus on the gender variant community. He hopes that the work of the organization, which was founded under the auspices of the President’s Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, will instigate a real and sustained commitment among social constituencies in Malta to secure the wellbeing and self-determination of the trans* community, and all minority groups in the country.
The mission of ‘Gender Liberation’ is “to connect, inform, and empower gender diverse, intersex and trans people in Malta and Gozo through community-led initiatives, and explore established categories of sex, gender, and sexuality in the Mediterranean region, through respectful and fruitful public dialogue”. Among other objectives, the organization focuses on “building communities, reaching out to individuals who are marginalized, and prioritizing voices that are ignored, in order to empower people who have been rendered powerless by stigma and other strategies of social exclusion”. Despite being in the first months of its existence, the organization, through its much-needed and inspired work, has managed to already make an impression on the island and has been invited by Social Dialogue and Civil Liberties Minister, Helena Dalli, to participate in the country’s LGBTIQ Consultative Council, a body that has been set up to advise the government and prepare policy and legislation addressing LGBTIQ concerns.
Pyt Farrugia Addressing the Audience
While speaking to a lively audience of more than 100 people, Pyt, made reference to 3 pillars which the Organization’s work will center on, so as to bring about positive change: the intersectionality of oppression, the difficulties inherent in a rigidly enforced gender binary, and the need for solidarity in order to strengthen the trans* community from within, and build bridges to society at large. "It is our duty to make ourselves instruments and signs of the kind of society we believe must exist," said Pyt, "to establish solidarity, and ultimately to identify with one another... There’s nothing quite so beautiful as the moment when somebody steps outside of fear and shame, to live in the fullness of their truth."
The launch of ‘Gender Liberation’ took place in the presence of the President of Malta, Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coliero Preca, who also addressed the audience. In her speech the President stressed the importance of the necessary work that the organization carries out, and sent a powerful message noting that “we have a lot to learn from the experiences and the bravery of the trans, intersex, and gender diverse community. I hope that through Gender Liberation... we shall send a message about the dignity of all people in Malta and Gozo, in the Mediterranean region, and in the world”.
The SCAR community, in its turn, hails the founding of the organization and wishes the best to Pyt and the other members of ‘Gender Liberation’ in their future efforts.
More on the work of ‘Gender Liberation’ may be found on the organization’s webpage, as well as their Facebook page:
http://www.genderliberation.com/
https://www.facebook.com/genderliberationNGO
--------------------------------------------------
Dual Degree Students have a "Dual" Day of Career Development and Exploration
by Jackie Finch
On Friday, February 27, 2015, the cohort from the USA-EU Collaborative Dual Degree Program in Malta had a “dual” of a day! To start out their Career in Diplomacy exploration day, they visited the U.S. Embassy in Malta, where they observed the multi-faceted work of the U.S. Diplomats in action. They returned to campus to meet with U.S. Diplomat in Residence Terry Davidson, via Skype. They explored with him further the advantages of a career with the U.S. Department of State and learned how to apply for employment and other job options available to them upon graduation. Thanos Gatsias, the teaching coordinator explained: “The session lasted for more than an hour and the students seemed to be genuinely interested in it.” A student, Joshua Maynard, said that it was a most useful and helpful event.
The Dual Degree program combines the faculties of two renowned educational institutions: George Mason University's School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, the oldest and largest program of graduate conflict studies in the United States, and the University of Malta's Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, which has been offering advanced degrees in diplomacy and building bridges between Europe, North Africa and the Middle East for the past twenty-five years. The program is delivered over the course of three semesters on a full time basis beginning every September. Throughout the first two semesters, classes are held on a block basis; the third semester is devoted to the completion of dissertation/project work. If you are interested in more information, please check out the website: scar.gmu.edu/academics/maltaprogram or www.um.edu.mt/imp
###Photo: From left to right: Jenna Maynard, Nicole Eisenschenk, Durrell Quarles, Joshua Maynard, Jared Purkey, Peter Farrugia, Lauren Corboy, Roksolana Burianenko, Dr. Omar Grech from the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies, Thomas Schmidt, Political, Economic, and Commercial Officer at the US Embassy and Thanos Gatsias, Teaching Coordinator. Photo: Thanos Gatsias.