2025 Student Corner
Rashi Puri
STUDENT SPEAKERS
Rash Puri is an independent researcher on the 1947 Partition of India and understanding its human impact. She focuses on engaging with the social, political and cultural landscape of the India Subcontinent. She is currently persuing an MA in INternational Relations/Political Science at the Geneva Graduate Institute.
Triya Roy
Triya Roy is a Master’s student at the Geneva Graduate (IHEID), where she is pursuing an interdisciplinary degree, specialising in Human Rights and Humanitarianism. With diverse academic and early career experiences, Triya strongly advocates for the development of transferable skills. Outside of her studies, she enjoys making music, learning new languages, and watching TED Talks.
Hossein Cheaito
Hossein Cheaito is a heterodox economist and PhD candidate in Economic Sociology at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva researching "Queer Debt." With an MSc in Development Economics from the University of Sussex and a BA in Economics from the American University of Beirut, he is a former Chevening-Said Foundation scholar and an active member of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE), serving on its MENA committee.
Hossein’s work unpacks the intersections of debt, austerity, and sexuality. Prior to his doctoral research, he was a nonresident fellow at the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP), analyzing economic crises and development strategies across the MENA region.
At the heart of his work is a commitment to disrupting dominant economic narratives—queering, deconstructing, and reimagining political economy from the margins.
STUDENT PERFORMERS
Jennifer Thornquest
Jennifer Thornquest is a curious researcher and creative leader. Her journey back to higher education began in 2015 when a heated debate over Syrian refugee resettlement divided her rural Idaho community. Confronted with how little she knew about the political forces shaping displacement, she staged a durational solo vigil on the bridge at the entrance to her town. Her quiet act of defiance gained national attention, making her an unexpected figurehead for welcoming refugees. The experience also changed the trajectory of her life. Now a Master’s student at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, her research explores participatory arts in peacebuilding and migration. Jennifer’s talk explores the bridge between realizing what she didn’t know, embracing solidarity, and the transformative impact of lifelong learning—the power of one person making one choice, one day at a time.
Inés Léon Giménez
Inés is a Geneva Graduate Institute master’s student specializing in Gender, Race, and Diversity. In 2024, she graduated from a triple master’s degree between France, Germany, and Italy, for which she wrote her thesis ‘Choreographing Diplomacy: Dance as a Container and Content of International Relations’. Her passion for dance grew during her studies and subsequent degree at the Conservatoire in Reunion Island, her island of origin. As a feminist activist, she is part of the Feminist Collective at IHEID, the Beijing+30 Youth Steering Committee supported by UN Women, and of Nous Toutes 974. Throughout academia, activism, and art, she champions a people-centric and collaborative worldview, aiming at empowering all citizens, especially young women.
Evangelos Athanasiadis
Evangelos Athanasiadis is an amateur actor, a lifelong volunteer and a Master’s student at the Geneva Graduate Institute specializing in migration. His passion for international affairs, combined with his deep love for the arts, has led him to engage in multiple youth projects across Europe and the Middle East. From participatory theater workshops for refugees on the Greek islands to documentary filmmaking for peace in eastern Turkey and theatrical performances exploring queer history, Evangelos is discovering the transformative power of art—not just as a tool for expression, but as a force for connection and change.
