Rita Mae Keller interned with the Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs during Summer 2023. She is an undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Economics at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She is interested in economic, political, and environmental issues facing the Pacific Islands at the state, regional, and international level. Rita Mae is from Pingelap, a small atoll that is part of Pohnpei State in the Federated States of Micronesia. She holds an A.A. in Liberal Arts from the College of Micronesia-FSM.

Justine Kuna Sison interned with Pacific Forum during Summer 2023. She is interested in economic, business, political, and security issues and promoting greater cooperation and understanding among the countries and territories of the Asia-Pacific region. She recently graduated from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa with an M.A. in Communications and graduate certificates in Conflict Resolution and Disability and Diversity Studies. She also holds a B.A. in Political Science, and an undergraduate certificate in Law and Society from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.

Amanda Spincola interned with US Indo-Pacific Command during Summer 2023. She is an undergraduate student pursuing a B.A. in Anthropology with a minor in History at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She is interested in applying her anthropological skills in cultural analysis, reflective thinking, and critical interpretation of data to the study of geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific.