Undergraduate Committee Global Thought

The Undergraduate Committee on Global Thought (UCGT), celebrating its 20th year in 2026-2027, is an open forum that connects undergraduate students to the rich resources on global issues available at Columbia University. The UCGT brings together undergraduate students interested in engaging issues of global relevance and involves them in the interdisciplinary work of the CGT via events and initiatives of particular significance to the undergraduate community.

Programming is organized by the UCGT Core Committee. The UCGT collaborates to plan an end-of-year conference or symposium that explores a yearly theme. Learn about past events by clicking the menu on the right.  

The Committee is open to join for all Columbia University undergraduates. Register your interest in becoming a member of the UCGT Core Committee by completing the form at the button below!

The David Bartsch and Joan Haffenreffer Bartsch Fellows to the UCGT

Each year, UCGT Fellows work alongside Global Thought faculty and staff to lead and help cultivate the Undergraduate Committee and to plan events and initiatives specifically for undergraduates.

The Undergraduate Committee on Global Thought hosts an annual conference or symposium exploring a theme of particular interest to the undergraduate community. Bartsch Fellows and the UCGT Core Committee conceptualize, research, and lead the event. Learn more about past events by clicking the menu on the right.

2026-2027 UCGT Fellows 

UXUE SANSINENA | COLUMBIA COLLEGE (‘29) | UCGT CHAIR

Uxue Sansinena is a first-generation Spanish American from New Mexico majoring in Political Science with a minor in French and Francophone Studies. Her interests center on the intersection of public policy and law, particularly evidence-based initiatives in education, economic justice, and foreign affairs. She has contributed to statewide education reform with the NM Legislative Education Study Committee and conducted data-analysis at Los Alamos National Laboratory. At Columbia, she builds on her commitment to uplifting community voices by volunteering as a debate coach with Youth for Debate and serving with the Columbia New York Small Claims Advisory Service. In her free time, Uxue coordinates Café y Conversación for Casa Hispanica, plays saxophone with Columbia Wind Ensemble, and serves as Drum Major for the Pep Band.

GINA LIU | COLUMBIA COLLEGE (‘27) | UCGT VICE CHAIR

Gina Liu is a Chinese American student from New Jersey majoring in Medical Humanities. She is also on a Premedical track. Gina is interested in the intersection of trauma, narrative medicine, psychology, and psychiatry. She is currently a volunteer at the Rayport Lab in the New York Psychiatric Institute and helps with volunteer coordinating with the Life at the End of Life: Palliative Care course. In her free time, Gina enjoys various creative pursuits such as sketching, crocheting, and writing.