REEI was delighted to welcome the following students to our MA program in August 2021:
Shan Karemani studied political science and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies at Stetson University. After studying abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia and completing his thesis on nationalism in Kosovo and Central Asia, Shan graduated magna cum laude and became a Peace Corps volunteer in Kosovo, where he taught English to elementary and middle school students. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and looks forward to improving his Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian skills as a FLAS Fellow. Shan’s research interests include ethnic politics, nationalism, Islamophobia, and Orientalism.
Rachel Kelly graduated cum laude with a BA in History from Oklahoma State University. With a minor in Russian Language & Literature as well as a summer at the IU Language Workshop under her belt, she looks forward to further studying both the languages and cultures of Eurasia in her time with REEI. When she is not intently scrutinizing the complexities of Russian grammar, she is likely exploring her interest in the relationship between Russia and the broader region of Central Asia or preparing new pieces to perform with the professional ensemble New American Voices.
Ryan Letourneau graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in 2021 with a BA double major in History and Russian Studies. Originally from Windham, NH, Ryan is pursuing a MA at REEI. Ryan is a member of both the Phi Alpha Theta National History Honor Society and the Dobro Slovo National Slavic Honor Society. He has completed two 8-week intensive sessions of the Middlebury Language School Russian Immersion Program and looks forward to further developing his Russian language skills. Ryan’s research interests include Russia's relations with the West, national defense, and the Russian military industry. His ultimate goal is to pursue a career within the Federal Government.
Born and raised in a small town in Kosovo, Jeta Loshaj finished her undergraduate studies at Rochester Institute of Technology- Kosovo with a major in Public Policy and Management, and a minor in International Relations. She has completed many internships in international non-governmental and governmental organizations, including UNDP Kosovo and the Millennium Challenge Corporation. She has also interned at the German Parliament in Berlin, and until recently had been working as a project coordinator at the German political foundation Friedrich Ebert Stiftung office in Pristina. In her studies at REEI, she aims to learn more about the language, culture, and history of Russia, as well its foreign policy and influence in the Western Balkans.
Minja Petrovic graduated from the University of Kragujevac in Serbia with a major in elementary education. During her BA studies, her academic achievements as an undergraduate helped her to secure an ERASMUS + scholarship which enabled her to study for one semester in Hungary, where she developed an interest in the impact of politics on education in different countries.
Marie Rider graduated from Baylor University in the spring of 2021 with a Bachelor of Arts in Russian and International Studies. As an incoming Master’s student in the REEI program, she hopes to research the political, economic, cultural, and social connections that Russia and Kazakhstan share.
Olga Zavarotnaya hails from Vitebsk, Belarus. She received a Bachelor's degree in International Studies with a minor in Russian and Eastern European Studies from Indiana University. She is interested in Russian and Belarusian political and economic development, as well as Russia's Eastern European foreign policy. Her professional objective is to work for an international business company or an NGO which focuses on Russian and Eastern European relations, political economy or policymaking.
Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies