Hometown: Elizabeth, West Virginia

Research Interests: the U.S.'s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, American perceptions on Muslims, contentious politics, refugees and humanitarian aid

Caitlin Cottrell graduated from West Virginia Wesleyan College in December 2020 with a B.A. in Political Science and International Studies and a minor in History. As an undergraduate, Caitlin studied abroad in Amman, Jordan through the Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship for four weeks, studying the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. In March 2020, she was awarded the Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in Meknes, Morocco but completed the online program due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Caitlin also completed over 300 community service hours during her undergraduate career. After graduating, she worked briefly as an admissions counselor at WVWC.