Born in Berkeley, CA and raised in Montana, Jason has had an illustrious academic career, studying at Harvard and, Stanford, and earning a PhD in Linguistics from University of California, Berkeley.  He has deep connections to China that go back four generations. His grandparents were refugees there in the first half of the 20th century, and Jason has himself spent a decade living, studying, and working in China. 

Fluent in Mandarin, Jason was the Inaugural Director of the Beijing Center of Stanford’s Bing Overseas Studies Program, and he served as American Co-Director of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies, the prestigious joint program of John Hopkins University and Nanjing University. In his early days in China, he led study groups of American high school students throughout the country. Following his time in Asia, for many years Jason served as Director of the Robertson Center for Intercultural Leadership at UC Berkeley.

When it comes to running, Jason leaves us all in the dust: an "ultramarathoner,” he has finished races up to 100 miles long. He is a veritable font of enthusiasm and positive energy, prioritizing empathetic listening and inclusivity. His book, Humanly Possible: A New Model of Leadership for a More Inclusive World, was published in 2023 by New Degree Press.

Born in the dry, sun-baked Arizona desert, Sammi is one of Baret’s warmest and most compassionate human beings. Her academic journey began in Santa Clara University with a double major in Environmental Studies and Psychology and a minor in Musical Theatre, and she recently completed a Master of Philosophy in International Development at the University of Oxford. 

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She’s carried this impressive academic record with her as she’s performed extensive and variegated research around the world. She’s studied sustainable behaviors and greenspaces in Bolivia, sustainable development and transportation infrastructure in Copenhagen, and was inspired by the power of women’s collective economic power Uganda and Rwanda. On a Fulbright research grant to India, she studied women's agency in small-scale solar entrepreneurship in South India, delving into human and ecological flourishing and alternative development perspectives. For her Master of Philosophy, she collaborated with an Indigenous-led NGO in the Peruvian Andes, studying the concept of “Buen Vivir” or “harmonious living.”

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Sammi is also a dancer, singer, yoga teacher, outdoor adventurer, and book-binder. She is deeply passionate about movement and mindfulness in all forms. She also cares about living a compassionate, non-violent lifestyle: ask her about vegan recipes or non-violent communication. With her ample background as a creative and social science researcher, Sammi will lead Fellowships in Creativity and Nature domains, beginning with a visit to the heartland of Jazz music in the United States, New Orleans.

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Born in the vibrant city of Rio de Janeiro, Revelyn lived in the US for a period of her teenage years. She returned to Rio where she graduated with a degree in Psychology from the Federal Fluminense University and later specialized in College and Career Counseling.

After interning in Clinical Psychology, she found her passion as a career and guidance counselor. A self-proclaimed “expert on Zoomers,” she has worked in International and Brazilian Schools supporting high school students who wanted to study in universities all over the world. Her last stop before Baret was as the Head of Career and University Counseling at Escola Concept in São Paulo. In 2023 Revelyn was awarded Emerging Counselor of the Year in Latin America & The Caribbean by IC3 (International Counseling Community), and she practices what she preaches: she has continued her education through several courses in counseling throughout the years with institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard University, The State University of Rio de Janeiro and IE University. 

As a Fellow, Revelyn will lead Fellowships in a variety of domains, and also brings her expertise as a counselor to our Advising program, as well as her considerable background as a teacher to our Academic Readiness workshops.

Born in Koblenz, Germany, in the last ten years Caren has lived in six countries. As an undergraduate, she earned a degree in Business Administration and Management at WHU - Otto Beishem School of Management, traveling to China, England, and Spain through internships and study abroad opportunities to see international collaborations first-hand. She moved on to Durham University in London, where she obtained an MSc in International Business and French. Throughout her education, she retained her sense that leadership was vital to any business.

While studying, she was recruited by Google to join their marketing solutions team in Dublin. While there, she also became an #IAmRemarkable facilitator to encourage underrepresented minorities to speak up about their achievements at the workplace. Her next stop was at Russell Reynolds & Associates, where she worked on everything from CEO searches to helping author a “CEO Review” of leaders in the consumer sector. Her interest in giving back continued, as she supported the Smart Works Charity and the Princess Trust. She loves cooking and trying out new recipes, particularly Mediterranean dishes.

Caren's fascination with leadership and international innovation, in addition to her warmth and compassion, is what makes her so vital as a Fellow to Baret. Leading Fellowships primarily in Innovation, she will bring her considerable acumen in international business to her mentorship of scholars.

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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, 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.

Originally from Chicago, Sophie moved south to pursue a Bachelor’s in Marine Biology, Chemistry and Studio Art at the College of Charleston. After graduating, she was awarded back-to-back Fulbright grants to teach in Mexico. Sophie likes to make friends with everyone she meets: as an educational diver at the deepest aquarium in the United States, she had, in her own words, a very amicable relationship with a red snapper who would follow her around the tank whenever she entered.

Sophie’s greatest joy is to facilitate learning, exploration and creativity (preferably all at once). She designed REACH at the Island School in the Bahamas, a summer program for college students that included scuba lessons and overnight camping trips, and subsequently spearheaded program design at Expedition Audacity and Reach The World. She has led classrooms on the decks of kayaks, while harnessed to rock climbing walls, and inside the splattered walls of art studios. 

Sophie is also a dedicated artist working in a number of mediums. She studied screenprinting at Studio Kraków in Poland and Risograph Printing at the School of Visual Art in NYC. She also created her own bespoke coloring book based on her experience in her Fulbright in Mexico. 

With Baret, she will be leading fellowships focused on Creativity and Nature, including a journey into the world of small-press publishing in New York City.

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 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 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, starting with a visit to Silicon Valley. Her expertise in the scientific method will encourage an analytical approach.

Residing in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, Daniel describes himself as a ‘hippie in a suit’. With a degree in environmental economics from Cornell University and a mountain man lifestyle, the term fits. His love for the outdoors, cultivated in the wilds of North Texas where he grew up, fuels his passion for STEM, activism, conservation, and sustainability science. 

After high school, Daniel headed straight to university. There he started an education consulting start-up called We Redeploy. However, upon graduating, he took the gap year he always wished he had. Arriving in Athens with just one night booked at a local hostel and deliberately lacking a plan, Daniel spent the ensuing months busing and hitchhiking across the Balkans on $17/day. This experience profoundly transformed his life. A staunch advocate for the immense value of the gap year, he has principally worked in technology and as a data analyst. He is eager to mentor the next generation of students as they embark on their own transformative journeys.

Now with a goal of visiting every country in the world, Daniel enjoys learning all there is about geography, international relations, and global trade. He is proud to be an Eagle Scout, and is an adept scuba diver, musician, and rock climber. 

As a Fellow, he will lead and design Fellowships in the Nature and Innovation domains, including a trip down the Appalachian Trail in the United States.

As a Giriama and Mijikenda woman from Kilifi on the Coast of Kenya, Claudia is the first Rhodes Scholar from her community. She is the only Baret member to have both herded cattle and earned a law degree from Oxford. Following her early education in Kenya, Claudia went on to major in Politics, Philosophy & Economics (PPE) and minor in African Studies at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, USA, then to University of Oxford, finally completing an LL.M. at Columbia as an Appel Fellow. Claudia's diverse legal expertise encompasses international human rights, civil rights, and commercial law.

Claudia’s dedication to social impact is demonstrated through her role as the Founder and Project Manager of the KIU Project in Kilifi, Kenya, where she enhanced educational opportunities for local students. Additionally, as a Development Assistant at Legal Outreach in NYC, she secured substantial funding to support underprivileged high school students' access to prestigious American universities. Claudia recently established her risk advisory consultancy for investors interested in doing business in Africa. She intends to open her own law firm once she qualifies as a lawyer in Kenya.

Claudia’s domestic and global experiences have enriched her perspective. She enjoys travel, podcasts, hot yoga, philosophy, and politics. With her diverse background and commitment to social change, Claudia is eager to mentor the next generation of leaders within the Baret Scholars program. 

With her legal training, Claudia will lead Fellowships in domains of Innovation and Politics, starting with the New York City Legal Nexus fellowship.

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 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 Creative Writing workshop as one of our Afternoon Options. 

Born in Paris and raised in the Tramuntana Mountains of Mallorca, at 16, Olivia left for a UK boarding school to pursue art. During her gap year she spent three transformative months in rural Nepal on a project supporting access to education for girls of all ages. Olivia then graduated with a First in Fine Art from Oxford University, where she secured funding & support to create a film about dyslexia, which was exhibited at international conferences and made its way to the New Zealand Tertiary Education Commission.

Her love of starting with a blank page in a studio transitioned into a love of the zero-to-one stage of startups, leading her to join PreWwarp, a fashion-tech startup. She was also part of the founding team of open-ended design, curating art & tech conversations, launching 30+ podcast episodes, and producing two art-tech summits. She was the Event & Creative Producer for the LabKO Summit with KOKO, helping to curate the launch of a tech design platform hosting the world’s most exciting tech innovators and thought leaders. From set design to ceramics, Olivia enjoys thinking on different scales, and her next project, CIRCOL, a semi-circular sketchbook, launched this summer. 

Olivia will lead Fellowships in the Creative and Innovation Domains, including a journey to Silicon Valley to explore tech entrepreneurship.