Yihan Deng is a member of the Class of 2026 in the School of Foreign Service intending to major in Regional and Comparative Studies with a minor in philosophy and a certificate in African Studies. Yihan has spent most of their life in the Midwest, and through the tutelage of two brilliant history teachers at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, they discovered their love for the social sciences. In Professor Ken Opalo’s proseminar “The Future of Economic Development in Africa,” Yihan developed a particular interest in the modern history of Africa, development economics, and the crossroads of ideology and institutions in non-Western contexts. As a MURF, Yihan assists Professor Opalo’s research into how scholarship on Africa has impacted the discipline of political science. Outside of MURF, Yihan edits for the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, the Caravel, and the Georgetown Voice, and they also serve as the membership chair of the Tocqueville Forum for Political Understanding. Yihan enjoys reading history and philosophy, gardening (when at home), and playing the guitar in their free time.