Student Moderators

2023 Military Writers Symposium

Oluwapelumi Adefarakan is a senior studying for his bachelor’s degree in architectural studies at Norwich University Senior Military College in Northfield, Vermont. He serves as the Vice President of the University’s AIA student chapter and President of the African Student Union. Originally from Nigeria, Oluwapelumi has a unique perspective in his design approach informed by his experiences living, volunteering, and studying in different countries. Only last summer, he was part of a team that expanded an orphanage home in Tanzania and part of another project weeks after that built an affordable shipping container house in Waitsfield, Vermont. His primary goal in becoming an architect is to pioneer affordable, sustainable, and eco-friendly housing in Lagos, Nigeria, Africa’s most populated city. Fueled by this passion, he continues to actively pursue numerous research opportunities that allow him to conduct analysis even in disciplines outside his field of study, such as political science, economics, studies in war and peace, construction management, and entrepreneurship. This wealth of information allows him to develop holistic and thorough academic papers. Through his research and community engagement, Oluwapelumi seeks to create designs that are responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people they serve.

Fueled by this passion, he continues to actively pursue numerous research opportunities that allow him to conduct analysis even in disciplines outside his field of study, such as political science, economics, studies in war and peace, construction management, and entrepreneurship. This wealth of information allows him to develop holistic and thorough academic papers. Through his research and community engagement, Oluwapelumi seeks to create designs that are responsive to the needs and aspirations of the people they serve.

Zoha Alam is a senior from Old Bridge, New Jersey, majoring in Biology and minoring in Chemistry and Leadership. She is an active Peace and War Center Fellow who served as the team leader in the Olmsted Field Study this past May in the Republic of Georgia, studying the geo-political standing of the region. In addition, Alam participated in the Project GO Program, where she spent her summer in Meknes, Morocco for nine weeks studying Modern Standard Arabic and Moroccan Darija. Alam has conducted undergraduate research where she data mined statistics on the achievement gap on the NYC education system. She attended the National Conference of Undergraduate Research in Eau-Claire, Wisconsin, where she presented her work. 

Alam is contracted with the United States Air Force with the aspiration of serving as a Flight Surgeon.

Toni Adipietro is a 20-year-old senior at Norwich University majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Mathematics and Leadership. Adipietro is a Peace and War Center Fellow who participated in a Field Study on Peace and Conflict in Kyrgyzstan funded by the Olmsted Foundation. Adipietro completed an internship at the Vermont Intelligence Center in Williston, Vermont. At the fusion center, she got hands on experience navigating through databases to ultimately write a report about how terrorism relates to hoax school shooting calls. She completed both U.S. Army Airborne and Air Assault Schools. As a senior, Adipietro is the 1st Battalion Commander in the Corps of Cadets, the XO of the Mountain Cold Weather Company, and an Alpha Team Member of the Norwich Ranger Challenge team. Adipietro will commission into the U.S. Army in May 2024 and hopes to be an active-duty Military Intelligence Officer.

She is interested in counterterrorism and hopes to pursue a civilian job in Federal Law Enforcement after serving as an Intelligence Officer.

Dennis Koonce is a junior at Norwich University, He is a fellow with the Peace and War Center at the University. He is a political science major who wants to focus on comparative and international politics. 

He finds the most interesting subjects to be armed conflict and contrasting established and newly formed political systems. Dennis has an expressed interest in writing short stories and hopefully a novel at some time in the future. 

Currently, Dennis is the president of the Norwich Society of Historical Swordsmanship and is a cadre in Bravo company.

Teresia Mwema is an international student at Norwich university currently pursuing a Bachelors of since in Nursing and a minor in Psychology. As a high school student in Kenya, she developed a strong connection with science and innovation. She got offered a variety of different course work from STEM classes such as Chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics to geology, business and languages. She joined the STEM club where she got an opportunity to participate in Kenya Science and Engineering competitions. These competitions are aimed at encouraging young minds to be more innovative in trying to solve the preexisting challenges of the community.

Using her Chemistry knowledge, she partnered with a classmate and together they invented the waka cells device which uses plant juices and biowaste to generate electricity for the local community. Their invention received the most innovative project award of the year. She is an outgoing student who likes to volunteer in community service and cultivate social interaction. She is a member of Rotaract club which focuses on community service, social media coordinator for African Students Union club and holds a position in National Society of Leadership and Success executive board as a membership outreach chair. She has worked as an intern for Flair innovative services as a homecare caretaker and at University of Vermont Medical Center as a student nurse. She intends to pursue a master's in nursing graduate degree and anesthesia upon completion of her bachelor's degree.

Ethan Trask is a senior at Norwich University, where he is pursuing a degree in Studies in War & Peace (BA) and a minor in Religious Studies. Seeking a thorough understanding of the lead-up, execution, and aftermath of global conflicts, his academic career has centered around the study of ethnic nationalism in geopolitics, including its relationship to both independence movements and pan-ethnic irredentism.

Representing Norwich abroad, Trask spent five weeks in Pristina, Kosovo, as part of the Frederick C. Cuny Peace and Conflict Summer Immersion Program. Here, he learned first-hand about United Nations mandated missions, peace operations, and post-conflict reconstruction throughout former Yugoslavia. He additionally completed an internship in Washington, D.C., with the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, finding creative ways to present historically contentious issues in a manner appropriate for public release.

He intends to carry his skills, interests, and experiences into the Intelligence Community post-graduation.