Clarisa Merkatz (PC ’23) is a Global Affairs major from Farmington, CT. She is particularly interested in health diplomacy and the relationship between health security and emerging planetary health threats. The potential for interstate collaboration on issues of health systems strengthening and sustainability excites her. On campus, she leads the Public Health Center of the Yale Roosevelt Institute, the oldest undergraduate policy think tank on campus. This year, the Center is investigating the networks of public health practice in Connecticut. She also spearheaded Roosevelt’s inaugural intercollegiate policy hackathon focused on combatting vaccination hesitancy and augmenting clean energy development in China. In addition, she is a coxswain on the Men’s Lightweight Crew team and has studied the evolution of science at Yale extensively as an intern for the Peabody Museum’s History of Science & Technology Division. In her free time, she loves visiting the Yale galleries and exploring with her friends.