Nicole Zhang is a fourth–year Mathematics/Economics and Political Science double major. Her thesis is about strategic narratives around refugee acceptance and military engagement. Through a comparative analysis of the Syrian and Ukrainian wars, she seeks to answer the question: why have the United States and European countries responded differently to the wars in Syria and Ukraine, and to the refugee crisis attending each? She argues that the public responses from the U.S. and Europe towards the two wars are a continuation of their unique histories and cultural biases rather than a deviation from the past, and their corresponding policy responses, either refugee acceptance or military engagement, are part of each responding governments’ strategic narrative that seeks to maintain and increase popular support. Moreover, she seeks to show that there exists an inverse relationship reflecting the delicate balance between these two foreign policies. Beyond her research endeavors, Nicole serves as a Resident Assistant at UCLA and enjoys hiking and music. In the future, she hopes to use her quantitative skills and passion for creating solutions to make a positive and meaningful impact wherever she goes.
