Piper O'Keefe, originally from Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, graduated magna cum laude from Gettysburg College in 2017. She double-majored in political science and globalization studies and minored in German, writing honor theses for all three. She studied in Germany and Rwanda and completed research surrounding women in government and migration. During her senior year, she researched and promoted improved U.S. refugee policy as an Undergraduate Fellow with the Eisenhower Institute. After graduation, she taught English in a rural Sierra Leonean high school as an education volunteer with the Peace Corps. She additionally worked with local counterparts to implement projects to meet community identified needs for improved literacy, test-taking skills, and gender equity for their middle and high school students. She extended her service in Sierra Leone for a third year to work as Peace Corps’ Volunteer Leader, supporting administration and staff in improving post-wide programming, training, and volunteer support. At Yale, Piper plans to explore how globalization can be harnessed to empower disadvantaged women and children.