Tessa Snowdon was born and grew up in Alice Springs and completed her undergraduate degree in International Studies at RMIT in 2011. Tessa’s thesis focussed on America’s approach to torture during the war on terror using a case study of Abu Ghraib. For this research she undertook key interviews with Colonel Mike Kelly AM, a lawyer with the Australian Military who served in Abu Ghraib and was involved in the prosecution of Saddam Hussein, and Prof. Binoy Kampmark who’s research involves the examination of conflict, diplomacy, and the various crises confronting international society including refugees, terrorism, ‘rogue’ states and undocumented citizens.Following this, Tessa worked as a research intern in 2013 for the Fred Hollows Foundation focusing on research in different contexts, including the best practice for implementation of health programs in developing countries and the role that cultural sensitivity plays in ensuring program success. In 2014 Tessa moved back to the NT, working in the legal policy division of the Attorney General’s office before moving to Sydney to undertake her Masters Degree at Macquarie University, graduating in 2016 with a Master of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism with a Master of International Security specialising in Counter Terrorism. Tessa has also worked extensively in schools in Alice Springs for almost a decade as an inclusion support assistant and holds a deep respect for and connection to the Central Australian community. Tessa currently works in policy development and advocacy for the Northern Territory Council of Social Services.