Ashleigh Hays

• Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and International Business, University of Georgia, 2024
• Bachelor of Arts in Russian, University of Georgia, 2024

Ashleigh Hays is a second-year student and in the Master of International Policy program with concentrations in human security, strategic trade, and nonproliferation. Ashleigh serves as a graduate research assistant with the Benson-Bertsch Center for International Trade and Security where she primarily conducts ad hoc research projects under the supervision of professors and manages the marketing and social media for the Center. Ashleigh also works as a Research Intern for TradeSecure LLC, where she uses qualitative analysis to analyze export controls and compliance regulations on a per country basis. Ashleigh graduated summa cum laude from the University of Georgia in 2024 with a BBA in International Business and Finance and a BA in Russian language. During her time at UGA, she was part of the Russian Flagship Program, an advanced language learning program designed to help students achieve near native fluency in only four years. While in Flagship, Ashleigh participated in a study abroad in the Baltics and enjoyed interacting with locals and experiencing the culture of Eastern Europe . She is also an alumnus of the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, where she served as vice president of recruitment and treasurer. Ashleigh is an internationally competitive powerlifter and member of the U.S. National Powerlifting Team where she recently represented Team USA in the Pan American Championship in the Cayman Islands and broke a junior Pan American record in bench press.

• Dean Rusk Scholar of International Relations, 2024-2026
• United States National Powerlifting Team, 2025
• UGA Presidential Award of Excellence, 2024
• Scott Sikes Award for Outstanding Russian Student at UGA, 2024
• ACTR Post Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate Award, 2024
• Russian Flagship Study Abroad Grant, 2023

Human Security, International Trade, Energy Security, and Terrorism