Emma Bapt of King’s College London has been named “Decoder in the Spotlight” in recognition of her efforts to build News-Decoder’s community.

Emma Bapt, a Franco-American student at King’s College London (KCL), has been named “Decoder in the Spotlight” for October in recognition of her energetic efforts to build News-Decoder’s international community.

Emma worked as News-Decoder’s summer intern in 2016 before returning to university to create the News-Decoder Society, which serves as a hub for dozens of KCL students interested in publishing on our website, participating in our webinars and exchanging views in our discussion forum.

KCL students have published more work on News-Decoder than students from any other institution, tackling issues as varied as immigration, Brexit, democracy, terrorism, European politics, Kashmir, the Western Sahara, U.S. bank regulations and Donald Trump.

Head of the News-Decoder Society, Emma helps to solicit, edit and submit articles by KCL students, plying a mix of skills much appreciated in newsrooms and board rooms around the world.

Students from the prestigious British university have played leading roles in three of our monthly webinars, examining populism, immigration and integration, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Emma has been a driving force behind all of this, underscoring how an individual can make a major difference in a community such as News-Decoder. She has seized the opportunities that News-Decoder offers and made the most of them.

Such a self-starter always stands out in a crowd.

Born in Paris, Emma is in her third and final undergraduate year at KCL, studying History and War Studies. Her research interests are the dynamics of modern-day conflicts, peace-building operations and global security issues.

Her dissertation will look at the legal effectiveness and legitimacy of military versus civilian U.S. legal regimes in trying terrorist suspects around the world.

I asked Emma some questions.

What’s your favorite course this year? Last year?

My favorite module this year is one on “The 9/11 Era: Anglo-American Foreign Policy since the End of the Cold War,” which looks at UK/U.S. foreign policy before and after 9/11, including military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Last year my favorite module was “War and Global Conflict in the Contemporary World,” spanning conflict in South Asia (Kashmir, Sino-Indian border, Pakistan), the Korean War, Vietnam wars and conflict in the Middle East.

Your hobbies? Photography, travelling, contemporary art

Favorite book or author? “1984,” by George Orwell 

Favorite quote? “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” – Santayana