Zoe Wilson is a sophomore from St. Louis, Missouri, studying Constitutional Democracy and History with an emphasis in Public History. Besides being a Kinder Fellow, Zoe is a research assistant for the Santa Fe Trail Project, a Democracy Lab Fellow, and a member of both the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and the Undergraduate History Society. In her free time, Zoe enjoys reading, working out, and going out with friends. She is also a history documentary enthusiast, having watched too many to count.

Lucy Washburn is a sophomore from Jefferson City, Missouri, majoring in Political Science and Constitutional Democracy with a minor in History. She is an active member of the Mizzou Baptist Student Union and the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Fraternity and also serves as the Vice President of Public Relations for Pi Sigma Alpha (Mizzou’s Political Science Club). In her free time, she loves hanging out with her friends, watching movies, and drawing. After graduation, she plans to attend law school.

Kent Waller is a junior from Aurora, Illinois, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Spanish and History, with particular interest in Latin American history and politics. Kent is a part of the Mizzou Mock Trail Association and has done work for The Association of Latin American Students. He is also a part of Kinder Institute Undergraduate Society. Kent is currently interning at the State Public Defenders Office and plans to attend law school in the future.

Benjamin Walker is a junior in the Mizzou Honors College, pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Economics and minors in History, Political Science, and Constitutional Democracy. His scholarly interests include political economy, economic history, and the philosophy of everything in between. He is a new member of the University of Missouri Economics Society and a brother of the Delta Chi Fraternity, where he formerly held the positions of President of Associate Members, Health and Wellness Chairman, and By-Laws Chairman. He is also a current member of the Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law fraternity and interned for the recently elected Boone County Commissioner, Kip Kendrick. In his free time, he enjoys having fun and working out with his fraternity brothers, while staying out of trouble, thinking a little too deeply about the universe, and refining his consumption of caffeinated beverages. He plans on going to graduate school in some capacity after finishing his time at Mizzou and hopefully aimlessly traveling the world in the process.

Laurel Scott is a senior at Mizzou, majoring in History, Ancient Mediterranean Studies, and Constitutional Democracy.  Aside from being a Kinder Fellow, she is currently serving on the executive board for our local chapter of the Classics Honor Society, Eta Sigma Phi. Previously, she was on the executive board for Sigma Kappa, a sorority also here at the university. Her future plans are to pursue employment law, with the joint help of her two cats and caffeine addiction to keep her (relatively) sane.

Kylie Schmerbach is a sophomore from Lawson, Missouri, studying Public Policy and Administration and Constitutional Democracy. In addition to being a Kinder Fellow, she is a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and works as a Kinder Ambassador. Kylie also helps out with the Kinder Institute Democracy Lab as a coordinator for the Undergraduate Lecture Committee. In her free time, she is an avid reader and loves exploring all the coffee shops that Columbia has to offer.

Cristal Sanchez is a second-year student from Rockford, Illinois, majoring in Journalism and Political Science, with minors in Constitutional Democracy and Business. She is the co-founder of ¿De Veras?, an upstarting bilingual news outlet in the Mid-Missouri area. This passion has ignited her to join the MU Communications Department as a research assistant analyzing how news outlets reporting specifically for people of color are building community. At Mizzou, Cristal is also a part of the executive board for both the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the Association of Latin American Students to advocate for Latino students on campus. When she finds a free spot on her calendar, she tries to take care of her many plants, and enjoys trying different foods from different cultures.

Emily Reed is a second-year honors student at Mizzou, hailing from Blue Springs, Missouri. She is double-majoring in Constitutional Democracy, with an emphasis in law and institutions, and Philosophy, and pursuing a minor in Spanish. She is involved with a lot of organizations on campus, including Mock Trial, the Missouri Debate Union, the Kinder Institute Undergraduate Society, and the Beta Chi Omicron Honors Society. She is also currently working as a student ambassador for the Kinder Institute. Emily enjoys anything that requires her “to think, whether frivolously, theoretically, or profoundly.” This mostly includes cooking, baking, reading, and writing.

Jaden Reed, a senior honors student and Kinder Fellow, moved from the Middle East to the Midwest to pursue study of International Studies-Peace Studies with minors in Middle East Studies, History, Political Science, and French. An American born and raised in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Jaden has found a global community at Mizzou. Last year, she pursued a double presidency, equally committed to revitalizing both Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine and Mizzou Model United Nations. This year, Jaden is serving as Co-President of the Missouri Debate Union and will be interning at City of Refuge. After graduating, Jaden plans to spend some time reconnecting with her family’s cats in Abu Dhabi before returning to the United States to attend law school where she can continue her passion for immigration policy reform in both the American space and the international community.

Aidan Pittman is a junior from Kansas City, Missouri, majoring in Journalism with interests in discussing, writing about, and reporting on film and politics. He is currently a reporter for the Columbia Missourian, a staff writer for Midwestern Citizen, and a screening committee member for the 2024 True/False Film Festival. On campus, he serves as the Social Chair of the Missouri Debate Union and is a member of Mizzou Model United Nations. In his free time, Aidan enjoys catching movies at Ragtag Cinema, listening to Talking Heads, and going for walks when the weather cooperates.