Sonia Zhang ‘26

Abroad: Washington, D.C., Fall 2024

Jiayi (Sonia) Zhang is a double major in economics and global affairs with a minor in data science. Interested in studying international organizations, global developmental goals and projects, Zhang is working with Prof. Erin Graham through ISP. Zhang has been working on a project focusing on international organizations’ efforts in climate finance development. The project investigates how international organizations give technical and financial assistance to developing countries, especially research about the “de-risking” categories of projects that emerge within the international organizations’ strategies and policies. Working on this project, Zhang helped her advisor develop the paper, “The De-Riskers: How International Organizations Conceive the Decarbonization Challenge and their Role in the Green Energy Transition”, and presented at the American Political Science Association's Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Philadelphia, PA. At Notre Dame, Zhang is a member of the Greater China Scholars Program, the Building Bridges Program, and the Washington Program. Zhang received the CSC summer labor fellowship for 2024 with the Economic Policy Institute. She is also the vice president of the Student Policy Network at Notre Dame, leading projects in public policy research.