Lara Jalal is a Research Associate at the Kurdish Peace Institute. She is an undergraduate student majoring in International Affairs at the George Washington University, concentrating on Security Policy and the Middle East. Dividing her life between Kurdistan and the United States, Lara carries strong connections to both regions and is passionate about building understanding between them. She is also a co-founder of Trigger Empathy, a student-led organization focused on amplifying the voices of women in conflict zones.