—Ryan Kaminski: Ryan, 23, was born in Palos Heights, Ill., and grew up in the nearby suburb of Orland Park. At the age of 10, Ryan’s parents knew he was interested in politics when they obsessively collected all the country flags from Walt Disney World’s Epcot World Showcase attraction. Attending the University of Chicago, he concentrated in international studies and political science while promoting LGBTQ interests on the UChicago College Council.
Interning at Amnesty International’s Chicago office, Ryan worked on a campaign to raise awareness about Chicago Police-LGBTQ relations and increasing accountability within the Chicago Police Department. During this time, Ryan also volunteered for the United Nations Association’s Global Classrooms program by co-facilitating Model UN conferences in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York for underserved youth. Following his graduation in June 2008, Ryan traveled to Hong Kong as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant. In April 2009, Ryan received the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Graduate Fellowship, which he plans to use to study international security at Columbia University.
Did you know? Ryan is a vegan and a running enthusiast.