Meet The Summer 2021 Program Advisors

Hunter is a recent graduate of Berry College, where he majored in political science and cyber-security and minored in economics. As a student, Hunter was a treasurer for the Student Government Association, the president of the Honors Student Union, the vice-president and co-founder of Berry’s Mock Trial Association, and involved in a plethora of other clubs and organizations. Additionally, Hunter was a member of Berry’s Leadership Fellows scholarship, where he studied various leadership models and learned how to apply them to his own life, and help other students do the same.

While at Berry, Hunter also worked in the IT Department as a technician, Berry’s Office of Admission as a training coordinator and VIP ambassador, and for the Political Science department as a research assistant.

In the fall, he’ll be attending Vanderbilt University, where he’ll be enrolled in a dual-degree program to get his doctorate in law and economics alongside his law degree.

Tiffanie Oduber is the Program Advisor for the Journalism + Communications Program. She is an alumna of the TFAS Capital Semester Program in the fall of 2020. Prior to TFAS, she graduated from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Tiffanie graduated with a Bachelors of Science in international communication and media. She has interned in different agencies, such as at the Foreign Commercial Service at the U.S. Embassy in Wassenaar, The Netherlands. kglobal in Washington D.C., and was also part of the Young Leaders Program at the Heritage Foundation in Washington D.C. where she served as the media relations intern.

Tiffanie is an Aruban native with an interest in U.S. foreign policy which has led her to pursue a Masters of Arts in international relations at Johns Hopkins SAIS this fall.

Amanda Shoopman is a student at George Mason University majoring in environmental and sustainability studies with a concentration in policy and economics. Amanda’s long-term career goal is to work at the Department of Interior on environmental policy, specifically on broadening access to public lands. Recently, she has interned on Capitol Hill with Senator Marco Rubio (R – FL) and Congressman Van Taylor (R – TX – 03), where she gained valuable knowledge on the inner workings of environmental policy.

In 2018 Amanda participated in the TFAS Summer Program, where she had a joint internship with Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists and The Foundation Center.

In her spare time, Amanda enjoys hiking in the Northern Virginia region, watching hockey and playing with her cat, Stanley.

Erin Gamba is the Operations Program Advisor. She recently graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts in public policy and economics. Throughout her time at UNC, Erin worked closely with TFAS to promote the Academic Internship Programs through internship and career fairs on campus. She has previously been involved with the National Youth Leadership Council and Youth Service America to promote student-led service and amplify young voices.

Erin participated in the 2018 Public Policy + Economics Program Track. She interned with America’s Service Commissions and spent her time attending various Senate and House of Representatives Labor-HHS subcommittee hearings. She is excited to be back in D.C. and ensure the interns have a great summer!

Emily Schroen serves as the International Affairs Program Advisor She was a student in the TFAS International Affairs Program Track in 2019 and was also selected as a Leadership Scholar. This summer Emily brings to TFAS her passion for the program, student leadership, and political rapprochement.

Emily received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology and international relations with a minor in Spanish from Wheaton College in Illinois. As a student, she performed various leadership roles including President of the Mental Health Advocacy Club and the Vice President of Psi Chi. Emily was also fortunate to participate in a semester-long Spanish immersion program in Seville, Spain. Her unique educational experience fostered her passion for political psychology and intercultural political reconciliation.

Over the past year, Emily has worked as a Patient Care Technician at a residential mental health facility. She is also a companionship volunteer at a San Diego hospice and a legislative intern with Little City, an Illinois-based community nonprofit for individuals with developmental disabilities. In her free time, Emily enjoys painting, going to the beach with her dog, and singing along to show tunes in the car!

Emily is a rising junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying business administration and political science with a minor in English. She serves as co-president for the Non-Profit and Public Sector Club, which helps business students in exploring careers in the public realm. Emily also recently co-founded a student organization, United Sound, which aims to provide musical performance opportunities to adults with physical and intellectual disabilities. She has also spent time serving in Student Government and as a member of From Houses to Homes, an organization that looks to find sustainable solutions to poverty in Antigua, Guatemala.

Emily has a variety of interests in business and politics and is so excited to guide students in exploring their passions this summer.