Akri Çipa has never been content to focus on just one thing. Born and raised in Albania, he attended the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG), where he double-majored in political science/international relations and business administration, while also minoring in philosophy and religion. And it was the chance to pursue an interdisciplinary course of study that drew him to the Master of Science in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution (NECR) program at Columbia, where he graduated in 2019. He currently works as a researcher and foreign policy expert and consultant in Tirana, Albania.