Hansen Leadership Institute

✨ Meet Maya Hamati 🇯🇴🇺🇸

Maya is a first-generation Jordanian American passionate about the intersection of international cooperation, culture & decolonization. Her work bridges policy, nonprofit, and creative spaces, always grounded in dialogue, cross-cultural understanding, and the belief that global governance must stay connected to human realities.

With a background in Political Theory, Constitutional Democracy & Anthropology, Maya brings both intellectual depth and a people-centered lens to questions of justice, governance, and social change. She is especially interested in how restorative, inclusive systems can be built across cultures and institutions.

🌍 Maya is also the founder of zikrayatmag , an emerging platform exploring the space between art, academia, and collective memory, and works with *Commence Games*, a political gamification studio creating tools to make politics more accessible and engaging.

✨ Through her work, Maya hopes to help reimagine global governance by fostering deeper connection, accountability, and more equitable systems for the future.

✨ Meet Mohammad Kasim Baganian 🇵🇭

Khalil is a fellow from Cotabato City in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of the Philippines, passionate about peacebuilding, indigenous rights & social justice. He holds a degree in Anthropology with a concentration in Leadership from Ateneo de Davao University.

🌍 His work has focused on supporting Indigenous Lumad and Moro communities across Mindanao, including Sama-Bajau, Meranaw, Tboli, and Matigsalug communities. Through research and community-based initiatives, he has explored issues of displacement, insecurity, indigenous education, and the lived experiences of communities affected by armed conflict.

His commitment to advocacy has led him to engage with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and intergovernmental institutions, as well as participate in national and international conferences focused on peace, development, and human rights.

✨ Mohammad aspires to build a career at the intersection of research, policy & advocacy, working to advance the rights, dignity, and self-determination of Indigenous Lumad and Moro communities in Mindanao and beyond.

✨ Meet Yahya 🇮🇶

Yahya is an Iraqi physician, emerging leader & advocate for cross-cultural understanding. A graduate of the University of Baghdad College of Medicine, he has built his journey at the intersection of healthcare, leadership, and community impact.

🌍 A U.S. exchange alumnus through the Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP), Yahya has been involved in leadership development and civic engagement initiatives since adolescence. His experiences with displacement and cultural transition at a young age shaped his commitment to empathy, coexistence, and service.

Alongside his medical training, he has contributed to healthcare communication, large-scale event coordination, and volunteer initiatives supporting displaced communities and youth engagement across Iraq. He also helped organize a national orthopedic conference that brought together hundreds of physicians and international experts.

✨ Passionate about dialogue, storytelling & public service, Yahya believes leadership is rooted not only in achievement, but in humanity. He aspires to use his voice to promote empathy, youth leadership, and greater understanding across cultures.

✨ Meet Yamini 🇮🇳

Yamini is a researcher from Chennai, India, passionate about the intersection of human rights, climate conflict & social justice. Her work focuses on the people whose stories are often left out of the spaces where decisions are made, exploring how climate change, displacement, and inequality shape communities across South Asia.

She holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Loyola College, Chennai, and currently works as a Country Conditions Research Assistant with a legal consulting firm based in London. Her experience includes collaborations with organizations such as Girl Up – United Nations Foundation, the U.S. Consulate Chennai, IREX, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where she contributed to research on gendered climate vulnerability and community resilience.

🌍 Yamini is also a selectee of the U.S. Department of State’s Young South Asian Leaders Initiative (YSALI) and is the founder of The Civic Project, a political literacy initiative that helps young people and marginalized communities better understand governance, constitutional rights, media literacy, and informed civic participation.

✨ Through her research and community work, Yamini is committed to making knowledge more accessible, amplifying underrepresented voices, and empowering people to engage meaningfully in the decisions that shape their lives.

✨ Meet Harutyun Babayan 🇦🇲

Harut Babayan is an Armenian law student passionate about international law, diplomacy, human rights & conflict resolution. He is currently completing a double-degree program in Armenian and French law through the French University in Armenia and Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University.

His commitment to peacebuilding is deeply personal. In 2020, during the escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Harutyun was serving his mandatory military service on the front line, where he was wounded. This experience became a turning point, inspiring him to dedicate his future to law, international cooperation, and the pursuit of peaceful solutions to conflict.

🌍 Harutyun has participated in numerous international academic and leadership programs, including mediation trainings, international relations programs, and moot court competitions focused on human rights, international criminal law & international humanitarian law. He also serves as a Young European Ambassador and is a Kectil Colleague.

✨ Through his academic, professional, and leadership experiences in both Armenia and France, Harutyun is committed to advancing dialogue, justice, and peace across borders.

✨ Meet Aarushi Khanna 🇺🇸

Aarushi is a women’s rights advocate and nursing student passionate about reproductive health, menstrual equity & youth leadership. She is the founder of sincerelypeoplewithperiods a nonprofit dedicated to combating period poverty through education and increased access to menstrual products.

🌍 Through her organization, Aarushi has distributed more than 5,000 period products and led educational workshops for students across diverse communities. Her advocacy has expanded internationally, with educational resources being used in initiatives in both the United States and Uganda.

Her work has earned her a prestigious Presidential-Level Award through her university, recognizing her commitment to advocacy and community impact. She is also currently developing a menstrual health curriculum for schools across her state, helping strengthen health education and improve how period health is taught to young people.

✨ Beyond her advocacy, Aarushi conducts research on maternal health disparities and has used storytelling as a tool for change, producing the documentary Period Poverty Around the World. She is committed to advancing women’s health through research, education, policy, and community-driven action.

✨ Meet Juana 🇦🇷

Juana is an Argentine leader passionate about public policy, social innovation & democratic participation. She holds a degree in International Relations from Torcuato Di Tella University and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Policy at Sciences Po Paris, specializing in Social Policy and Innovation.

🌍 Her work spans public policy, political engagement, and advocacy for underrepresented communities. She has gained experience as a policy analyst, worked at the German Parliament through the prestigious Internationales Parlaments-Stipendium (IPS) program, and contributed to initiatives that encourage youth political participation across Europe.

She is actively involved in organizations supporting refugees, expanding access to higher education, and strengthening civic engagement through digital innovation. As a Content Leader at Palumba EU, she helped develop tools designed to inform and empower young voters during major European elections.

✨ Through her academic, professional, and volunteer work, Juana is committed to building more inclusive societies and creating opportunities for meaningful participation in public life.

✨ Meet Mariami 🇬🇪

is a Georgian leader passionate about youth empowerment, media literacy & digital transformation. She believes education is one of the most powerful tools to bridge divides, strengthen critical thinking, and build more informed communities.
Currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Media Psychology and Communications at Tbilisi State University, she also serves as a Teaching Assistant at the Free University of Tbilisi. Her work focuses on combating disinformation, promoting digital literacy, and empowering young people through education.

🌍 As a Content Manager for 22 Gradusi, Mariami creates engaging educational content for teenagers and is actively researching the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence among university students. Through innovative projects, research, and youth initiatives, she is helping build a more resilient and informed society.

✨ For Mariami, the Hansen Leadership Institute is an opportunity to gain new perspectives, build meaningful connections, and continue her journey as a future leader in education, digital literacy & strategic communications.

✨ Meet Matheus Motta 🇧🇷

Matheus is a Brazilian researcher and advocate passionate about democracy, migration & social justice. He holds a Master’s degree in International Studies from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, where he also completed his undergraduate studies specializing in politics and international relations.

As a former recipient of the Japanese Government’s MEXT Scholarship and an alumnus of the Tsuji International Scholarship Foundation, Matheus has dedicated his academic work to understanding the dynamics of transnational politics. His research focuses on the Brazilian diaspora, exploring the intersections of electoral politics, migration, media, religion & democratic backsliding.

🌍 Born and raised in a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Matheus brings lived experience to his commitment to equity and inclusion. His journey has inspired him to work with NGOs advocating for the rights of socioeconomically marginalized communities in Brazil and beyond.

Through both research and community engagement, Matheus seeks to amplify underrepresented voices and contribute to more inclusive democratic processes around the world. ✨

✨ Meet Mercy Nanetia Langas 🇰🇪

Mercy is a medical student in Orthopaedics and Trauma Medicine passionate about advancing equity, human rights & social change through healthcare. Her journey in medicine is guided by the belief that health systems should be inclusive, responsive, and rooted in the realities of the communities they serve.

Her work focuses on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR), where she advocates for breaking down barriers that prevent young people and marginalized communities from accessing accurate information and essential services.

🌍 Beyond healthcare, Mercy is actively engaged in climate justice initiatives with the Deaf community, championing meaningful disability inclusion in environmental advocacy and decision-making spaces where these perspectives are often overlooked.

By connecting healthcare, disability inclusion, climate action & human rights, Mercy works to build a more equitable future through youth-led collaboration and community-centered leadership.

✨ She believes leadership is about listening, building bridges across communities, and creating space for voices that are too often excluded from global conversations.