Tommy Hall was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Graduating with a BSc in Chinese at West Point, he is a first-generation college student and the first in his immediate family to serve in the military. As an undergraduate, his Stamps Scholarship research focused on applying multidisciplinary approaches to China-related issues. This led him to establish the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies' Human Rights Initiative: a team of cadets that work with experts to produce research about contemporary examples of genocide and crimes against humanity. He was twice published in the Cyber Defense Review and has presented at five domestic and international panels. As a Marshall Scholar, Tommy will study  Chinese Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.