Issy Lyons is a senior at Columbia University’s School of General Studies majoring in Political Science with a concentration in International Politics. She is part of the Dual Degree Program between Columbia University and Tel Aviv University, where in Tel Aviv she majored in Middle Eastern Studies. Her academic interests, informed by her service as a combat soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, focus on international law, diplomacy, war and peace studies, and the Middle East. Alongside her military service and academic work, Issy has contributed to public discourse through journalism. Her writing has appeared in The Jerusalem Post, Sources Journal, Young Zionist Voices, and other publications, where she has written about Israeli society, military service, and the pursuit of a more stable and peaceful future. Most recently, Issy interned with UN Watch in Geneva, where she worked alongside a team of international lawyers researching United Nations human rights mechanisms and promoting accountability to the principle of impartiality that is enshrined in the UN Charter. She also gave a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council on behalf of UN Watch.