Fellows
Omar believes in helping others catalyze their lives and achieve higher education. Ask him and he’ll tell you that he makes the best kefta you’ll ever have. He also has perhaps Baret’s biggest laugh. For Baret, he’ll be helping to lead Fellowships with a focus in Politics, beginning with a stay in Washington, D.C. in the leadup to the United States Presidential election. Education: American University of Beirut (BA), University of Chicago (MPP) Languages: English, Arabic Birthplace: Los Angeles, USA Lived In: Lebanon, USA Special Book: Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men , Caroline Criado Perez
an “exploratory foodie team” while attending Cornell), connecting with people, taking long walks, journaling, and jamming out to music in her free time. She also once completed a half marathon without training, an experience that, in her own words, she would not recommend. She looks forward to guiding and nurturing students’ independent thinking, self-confidence, and collaborative spirit. Wendy will be leading Fellowships in Nature and Innovation domains. Her expertise in the scientific method will encourage an analytical approach. Education: UC Santa Cruz (BS), Cornell University (PhD) Languages: English, Mandarin Birthplace: Long Island, NY Lived in: USA, China Special Book: How Far the Light Reaches , Sabrina Imbler
Ronan: He’s also a skilled guitarist, with his rock album “The Difficult Ones” available on Spotify. Ronan will be one of our Fellows, specializing in Creativity. He looks forward to mentoring students in the Baret Scholars program, and will be teaching a Screenwriting and Directing class as one of our Afternoon Options. Education: Oxford, UCLA Languages: English, Italian Birthplace: Rome, Italy Lived In: Italy, UK, USA Special Book: The Master and His Emissary , Iain McGilchrist
Nast Traveller India, and The Outdoor Journal. Before Baret, Himraj was a Director at Ibex Expeditions, an award-winning adventure travel company based in India, where he planned and guided mountain, safari, and cultural journeys. His expeditions have taken him to Tibet, Mongolia, Bhutan, Nepal, Borneo, Madagascar, Peru, Morocco, Namibia, Argentina, Chile, Siberia, New Zealand, Antarctica, Iceland, Croatia, Tanzania, Ecuador and the Galápagos, and Svalbard, among others. He was part of the International Antarctic Expedition led by explorer Robert Swan, studying climate change and sustainability. In remote locations, he has subjected people from all walks of life to his Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and Christopher Walken impressions. As a Baret Fellow, he will be a mentor to our scholars, as well as a seasoned guide and wilderness expert. Education: Oxford, UCLA Languages: English, Hindi Birthplace: New Delhi, India Lived in: USA, India Special Book: Just Kids, Patti Smith
OMAR KNIO
WENDY LIN
RONAN MACRORY
HIMRAJ SOIN
Ever since his days in Beirut, Lebanon, Omar has been all about committing to a cause. He attended and graduated from the American University of Beirut (AUB) with a bachelor’s degree in Political Studies, and holds the esteemed position of perhaps being Baret’s toughest member: he was Vice President of the University of Chicago Rugby and represented Lebanon on the Lebanese National Rugby team. While in Lebanon, he supported a local NGO helping refugees living in poverty by providing food and other resources. He is also an avid Arsenal fan. His journey ultimately led him to attain a master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. While there, he acquired tools to implement his passion for helping others achieve their potential. Having developed curriculum and managed civic engagement programs for low-income, immigrant youth in Kensington, MD,
Wendy is a global citizen with roots in both the U.S. and China. Growing up in a household where Cantonese was spoken but Mandarin was taught, while transitioning
Ronan has always had the soul of a world traveler: at the age of 9, he ran away from home to try and reach the Amazon rainforest. Thankfully, he was stopped before getting far. Today, Ronan is a creative filmmaker and avid reader who was born in Rome to an Irish-English family. He studied at Oxford, where a screening of Amadeus by Milos Forman, followed by a lecture by the director, sparked his passion for filmmaking. After graduating, he moved to Beijing to teach English and met his idol, filmmaker Zhang Yimou. He later earned an MFA in Film Production/Directing at UCLA, working with B-movie legend Roger Corman, which shaped his approach to storytelling. Ronan’s work has led to collaborations with 21st Century Fox, Google, and the United Nations, and he has also taught at UCLA, sharing his experiences with future filmmakers. A fun fact about
Having grown up in a family of mountaineers, explorers, and artists, Himraj’s childhood was surrounded by adventure—even at home, climbing ropes and rappelling devices hung from his crib, carabiners filled kitchen drawers, and maps were scattered in each room. Born and raised between New Delhi, India, and a small mountain town in the Himalayas, he later studied at Colorado College, where his love for the outdoors blossomed in the rarefied air. He went on to co-found an independent outdoor sports, adventure travel, and environmental news publication, The Outdoor Journal. As a writer and photographer, Himraj covered international destinations, conservation issues, extreme adventure sports, athletes, gear, maps, and more. His work has appeared in Vogue, Vice, Runner’s World, National Geographic Traveller India, Reader’s Digest UK, Condé
between the suburbs of New York and the city of Beijing, she cultivated a
diverse academic and cultural perspective from an early age. Her Chinese Zodiac sign is a pig, which also happens to be her favorite animal – her dream since childhood has been to keep a piglet as a pet. Wendy’s passion for biology was sparked by an independent high school research project in plant biology. Her enthusiasm for research only grew at UC Santa Cruz, and she recently completed a PhD at Weill Cornell Medicine, studying how gut bacteria impacts colorectal cancer development. She also became an adept programmer in her time at Cornell. A lover of learning and adventure, Wendy enjoys trying new foods (she created
152 BARET SCHOLARS
153 THE BARET TEAM & ADVISORS
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker