2026 CLEF Class
STUDENTS FROM THE 2026 CLEF CLASS
Tarek Alfarra
Tarek Alfarra is a translator, English teacher, and multimedia storyteller from Gaza. He has experience in content creation, journalism, and humanitarian communication. He has collaborated with international media outlets, including Sky News and Al Jazeera English, contributing interviews and video reports that document lived realities in Gaza. His work also includes teaching English in crisis contexts, managing social media for animal welfare and community organisations, and producing bilingual written and voiceover content. Passionate about leveraging language and storytelling to amplify Palestinian voices, he is thrilled to join the International University College of Turin to pursue a Master’s in Comparative Science in Law, Economics, and Finance.
Maria Sophie Trad
Maria Sophie Trad, 22, holds a degree in Global Law and Transnational Legal Studies. She has a strong interest in comparative law, which she considers essential for understanding legal transformations in an increasingly interconnected world, and she is particularly passionate about the study of prison privatization.
Alongside her academic pursuits, she cultivates a deep engagement with art, especially painting and photography, with a particular appreciation for photojournalism as a tool for social analysis.
She draws inspiration from thinkers and activists such as Noam Chomsky and Angela Davis, whose intellectual and political contributions shape her perspective on contemporary global issues.
Sheelan Qader
Sheelan is a researcher who studies borders through the lens of political-economic ecology. They hold a Master’s degree in Environmental Policy and Sustainability Management from The New School. They create forms of knowledge that move beyond academic boundaries and reach wider publics. Their work pushes the boundaries of how research is done and communicated, weaving together filmmaking, analog photography, and digital storytelling as integral tools for producing and sharing knowledge.
Sarah Shaheen
Sarah is an Egyptian lawyer and multidisciplinary professional. She earned a Bachelor of Sharia and Law (English Section) from Al-Azhar University, with a core focus on international law. Her expertise includes legal research, drafting, global mobility, and bilingual translation. She has presented at international conferences focusing on gender equality and women’s rights. Furthermore, Sarah has contributed to the Nuremberg Moot Court competition as both a participant and a coach, securing notable recognition for her team in Egyptian media. In addition to her legal endeavors, she leverages her communication skills as a voice-over artist for educational group projects and documentaries
Ryan Migani
Ryan Migani is a Congolese lawyer specializing in business and tax law. In addition to his work as a legal and tax assistant in law firms and trust companies, he is a teaching assistant in economic and international law courses at the Faculty of Law of the Université Catholique de Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In the international law field, he has represented his university and won the 2022 African human rights and gender equality moot court competition organized by Equality Now, as well as the 2023 regional moot court competition in international humanitarian and criminal law organized by iPeace. He also frequently comments in his University review on Congolese and international courts decisions and other African business law reviews.
Verena Gradinger
Verena is a Political Economist from Vienna, Austria. She recently finished her MSc in Development Economics at SOAS University of London, where she specializes in international finance and macroeconomics. Her interest lies in the role of the state under capitalism and theories of money. Her research is driven by questions of how structural power is exercised through financial institutions and how this shapes state’s political decision-making as well as possibilities for and limits to long-term transformations.
She has been active in various political movements and organisations, including the Austrian climate movement. Her interest in Political Ecology is also reflected in much of her academic work, such as her investigation of the Neptun Deep project in Romania and her more recent work on climate-related financial risks and asset stranding.
Marina Clavijo
Marina Clavijo is an independent economic researcher with a long and varied experience in the financial industry, specifically, in capital markets. It was thanks to this experience that her passion for understanding the functioning of the financial system and its relationship with money and central banks has grown and has fueled the journey that she has developed.
Marina holds an MSc in Economics from SOAS University of London and a BSc in Economics from Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and her latest research collaboration was related to the analysis of green central bank policies in the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, her intellectual curiosity has motivated her to continue inquiring and developing spaces and networks that allow the study of money and finance from a wide perspective, such as the Money and Finance Reading Group that she founded within the Young Scholars Initiative (YSI) platform, and where she usually presents and organises talks with senior scholars.
Aryan Raj
Aryan is a law graduate from India whose academic and professional interests lie at the intersection of economics, finance, and environmental law. He has gained multidisciplinary experience through his work at the High Court in India, a non-banking financial company (NBFC), and an investment firm, allowing him to engage closely with regulatory compliance, financial operations, and legal analysis. Aryan has also contributed to the UN Millennium Fellowship, where he supported initiatives aimed at empowering underprivileged women and strengthening community development. Additionally, he has collaborated with an environmental NGO on projects focused on improving ecological and sustainability outcomes. His current focus centers on European climate policy, the European Green Deal, and emerging ESG regulatory frameworks. He aims to contribute to innovative legal, policy, and sustainability solutions within the rapidly evolving European green-transition landscape.
Emna Jaoua
My name is Emna Jaoua, and I am from Tunis, Tunisia. I am a mathematical and statistical engineer and had multiple experiences in the technological industry. Besides, I have been part of a political collective that offered pro bono legal advice to people on the move in Athens, Greece, as well as worked on building alternative circuits of solidarity and on fighting the isolation and incarceration of migrants.
At IUC, I look forward to building a comprehensive understanding of global institutions.
I am interested in research in topics such : critical approach of the border regime and statehood ; and participating in fostering knowledge production and alternatives towards social justice in the Global South.