2026 Edition
Academia Tocqueville 2026 Students
Matthew Arildsen
Matthew Arildsen is a doctoral student in political science at the University of Notre Dame, where he studies political theory and constitutional studies. His research examines religious objections to liberalism and the historical development of liberal political thought.
Madeline Bauman
Madeline Bauman is Communications and Event Program Manager at American Friends of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and an MA candidate at Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government. Her work and studies focus on political thought, statesmanship, science diplomacy, and transatlantic relations. She holds a German-French degree in German-French Studies from Saarland University and the University of Lorraine.
Trent Bunker
Trent Bunker is a Barry Scholar and MPhil Candidate in Intellectual History at the University of Oxford. His research examines the development of political liberalism and its critics, with particular attention to challenges to legal positivism. A native of Boston and alumnus of Tufts University, he will return home to pursue a J.D. at Harvard Law School upon completing his degree.
Alexander Busch
Alexander Busch is a Political Science and Philosophy student at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, expected to graduate in June 2027. A participant in the Bastiat Honors Program, his academic interests include the foundations of democratic regimes, civic responsibility, and political order.
Léonie Corbeil
Léonie Corbeil is originally from Montreal and is an undergraduate at The Ohio State University. Léonie is a Division I student athlete in artistic swimming, studying political science and minoring in law and public policy.
Nathan Darmon
Nathan Darmon is a JD Candidate at Stanford Law School focusing on constitutional theory and emerging technologies. He spent the past year as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard Law. He studied the Western canon and classical political thought at Columbia University & Sciences Po Paris.
Ashley DeVore
Ashley DeVore was co-valedictorian of the Class of 2026 at Hillsdale College, where she majored in Politics. Ashley has previously interned for the Heritage Foundation, the Family Foundation of Kentucky, and the District and D.C. Offices of Congressman Andy Barr.
Tyler Fagan
Tyler Fagan is Legislative Director for Speaker Mike Johnson’s personal office. Prior to that role, he worked for Senator Josh Hawley, Representative Jason Smith, and the Republican National Committee. Tyler holds a B.A. in International Relations and Business/Economics from Wheaton College, and is currently pursuing a M.A. in Government at Hillsdale College in Washington, D.C.
Haidun Liu
Haidun Liu is a PhD candidate in political theory in the Department of Government at Harvard University. His research interests include the history of early modern political thought, supererogation, and the role theological ideas play in political discourse.
David McGarry
David McGarry is the research director of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, where his research focuses on technology, political economy, and the law. David is also pursuing an M.A. in Government at Hillsdale College's Washington, D.C. Campus.
Aidan McLaughlin
Aidan McLaughlin is a fourth-year undergraduate at The Ohio State University, studying Public Affairs with a focus in Public Management, Leadership, and Policy, and minoring in History. He serves as an Intelligence Analyst in the Ohio Army National Guard.
Benjamin Moskalski
Benjamin Moskalski is an MTS student at the University of Notre Dame, focusing on Biblical Studies. He received his BA from the College of William & Mary, where he studied Government and History. His research interests include moral-political philosophy in the Bible and the reception of political theology in early modernity.
Felipe Mosquera Blanco
Felipe Mosquera Blanco is a PhD student in Politics at The Catholic University of America, specializing in political theory. His research focuses on Hispanic political thought of the 18th and 19th centuries, with attention to liberalism, political authority, constitutionalism, and political accountability. He holds a Master’s degree in Political Philosophy from Universitat Pompeu Fabra and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Economics and Law from the Universidad de Navarra.
Lorenzo Nieuwenburg
Lorenzo Nieuwenburg is a PhD candidate in legal philosophy at Leiden University, where he conducts research on the proper role of the judiciary within the separation of powers. Trained as a lawyer, he teaches seminars in jurisprudence and political philosophy at Leiden University, the University of Amsterdam, and Stichting Landmerk.
Kody Richards
Kody Richards is a rising second-year PhD student in Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, studying Constitutional Studies and Political Theory. Originally from Washington State, Kody graduated from Hillsdale College with degrees in History and Politics in 2025.
Emerson Salovaara
Currently a law student at the University of Virginia, Emerson Salovaara has worked across a variety of fields, including investing, teaching, publishing, and consulting. He is originally from New York City and holds an A.B. from Princeton University, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and a BPhil from the University of Oxford. At Oxford, Emerson studied as a Barry Scholar.
Sophia Thomason
Sophia Thomason graduated from Arizona State University with a B.A. from the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, along with a minor in Art History and a certificate in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. She has taught civics at the Arizona Capitol, interned in education policy in Washington, D.C., and participated in fellowships with Hertog and the American Enterprise Institute. She will begin a master’s at SCETL in August, with academic interests in legal history and constitutional studies.
Luke Thompson
Luke Thompson is entering his second year of pursuing a JD-PhD in Constitutional Studies at the University of Notre Dame. He is originally from Flagstaff, AZ, and received his BA from Notre Dame in 2024.
Noah J. Torres
Noah J. Torres is a policy analyst in family and AI policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation in Austin, Texas. He earned a B.A. in Politics and Theology and an M.A. in Politics from the University of Dallas. His research focuses on early modern political, juristic, and ecclesiological thought, particularly Second Scholasticism and its influence on sovereignty, governance, and legal theory.
Arnav Vyas
Arnav Vyas is a junior studying Philosophy at Princeton University. He has special interests in metaphysics, early modern thought, and political philosophy.
