Jonathan Cheng

Placement from January – March 2012 with Senator Robert Casey

Jonathan holds a Masters of Arts (Specialising in Middle Eastern and Central Asian Studies) at the Australian National University. His thesis focused on the geopolitical position of the Kurds in Northern Iraq.

At the time of the internship, Jonathan was also a Research Assistant at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at ANU, analysing key political trends in the Gulf and Levant, and an academic tutor in Strategic Affairs at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy.

Jonathan has previously completed a Bachelors in Government and History at the London School of Economics. During his time in London, Jonathan was extensively involved in Model United Nations. He also worked briefly in the House of Lords and travelled to Mexico as part of a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) supported student expedition to evaluate the Special Program for Food Security.

“The internship was a fantastic opportunity to get to know the ‘ins and outs’ of Congress and politics in D.C. It’s a unique opportunity for Australians to see how policy is debated and made in the United States” Jonathan says.

Following the fellowship, Jonathan joined Dragoman, a specialist political risk advisory firm. He has now returned to Canberra, where he works as the Special Programs Officer at the HC Coombs Policy Forum and as the International Programs Development Manager at the East Asian Bureau of Economic Research.

Elizabeth Shaw

Placement from December 2011 – February 2012 with Senator Richard G. Lugar

Elizabeth was selected to intern in the office of Senator Lugar following her final semester of a Masters of Public Policy at the ANU. Elizabeth had previously completed a degree in Arts (History) at the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Western Australia, and worked as a solicitor at the State Solicitor’s Office in Perth.

Elizabeth was an active member of the community while studying, serving as the Editor of the UWA Student Newspaper, President of the UWA Law Students’ Society and a Student Editor of the UWA Law Review. In 2008, she was appointed the Australian Youth Representative to the United Nations.

During her time in Washington D.C, Elizabeth attended policy discussions at the Heritage Foundation, Aspen Institute, Brookings Institute and the Centre for American Progress, a speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Georgetown University and a US Studies Centre Retreat on the 21<sup>st</sup

Century Australia-US Alliance at Ambassador Beazley’s residence.

Elizabeth also attended the 2012 Iowa Caucuses, attending rallies and speeches by candidates Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Michelle Bachmann and Rick Santorum and meeting Mitt Romney at his campaign after-party.

Elizabeth currently works as the Executive Director of the United Nations Association of Australia and serves on the Board of Directors of UN Women Australia and the Inspire Foundation.

Patrick Bateman

Placement from January – March 2012 with Senator Marco Rubio

Patrick was recently elected the Australia-at-large Rhodes Scholar for 2013 and plans to continue his studies in Law and International Relations at Oxford University. Since obtaining First Class Honours in both degrees at Sydney University, Patrick has worked as an advisor to John Howard and as principal researcher for London-based human rights litigator, Human Dignity Trust. At university, he was elected President of Australia’s largest student union, the University of Sydney Union, and President of his university’s first public speaking society. He was awarded numerous academic prizes and scholarships, including Sydney University’s highest honour for graduates, the Convocation Medal, and appointed Student Dean of St Paul’s College. He was Head Boy of Sydney Grammar School in 2005 and achieved a UAI of 99.95.

Patrick is a world-class orator, having won numerous international public speaking and debating competitions. In 2011, he won the prestigious World Championship of the Jessup International Law Moot in Washington DC and, two years earlier, the World Universities Public Speaking Competition. He is passionate about his community and volunteers weekly for Lifeline Australia’s crisis support hotline. As one of the three National Parliamentary Congressional interns selected in 2012, Patrick was assigned to work as a researcher in East Asian and Pacific affairs for Senator Marco Rubio (FL), who sits on the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.