As the Associate Dean of Education, Kanika Mak-Lavy is part of the senior staff team leading the East-West Center's graduate student scholarships and residential learning community. In addition to supporting a diverse group of US and international graduate students, Kanika manages the Registrar's Office, which is responsible for student applications and awards, visa services, and participant records. She previously served as program coordinator for the Foundation Scholars program, chair of the Center's inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee, and co-advisor (with Dr. Ben Fairfield) for the Humans of EWC Project.
Kanika's academic focus is on international relations, human rights, and Southeast Asian studies and she has published articles on the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia and gender and development in sub-Saharan Africa. The daughter of Cambodian refugees, Kanika is dedicated to giving back to her home communities as a volunteer with NGO Sustainable Cambodia and member of Halau Hula Pua Ali'i 'Ilima.
Prior to joining the Center in 2008, Kanika was a US Foreign Service Officer in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and she has studied French, Khmer, Vietnamese, and Hawaiian. She received an MA in International Relations from Yale University, a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and an International certificate from Sciences Po-Paris.
As the Associate Dean of Education, Kanika Mak-Lavy is part of the senior staff team leading the East-West Center's graduate student scholarships and residential learning community. In addition to supporting a diverse group of US and international graduate students, Kanika manages the Registrar's Office, which is responsible for student applications and awards, visa services, and participant records. She previously served as program coordinator for the Foundation Scholars program, chair of the Center's inaugural Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee, and co-advisor (with Dr. Ben Fairfield) for the Humans of EWC Project.
Kanika's academic focus is on international relations, human rights, and Southeast Asian studies and she has published articles on the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia and gender and development in sub-Saharan Africa. The daughter of Cambodian refugees, Kanika is dedicated to giving back to her home communities as a volunteer with NGO Sustainable Cambodia and member of Halau Hula Pua Ali'i 'Ilima.
Prior to joining the Center in 2008, Kanika was a US Foreign Service Officer in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and she has studied French, Khmer, Vietnamese, and Hawaiian. She received an MA in International Relations from Yale University, a BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and an International certificate from Sciences Po-Paris.
