Nine CREEES MA students to graduate
on June 13, 2010
On June 13, 2010, nine CREEES students will graduate with master’s degrees in Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies from Stanford. We asked each of the graduates to share their experiences at Stanford and future plans:
Andy Straw: Why would a newly married man spend a whole year of his life reading Russian history books? Because he’s going to apply to history PhD programs this fall of course! Stanford has been a great home for Andy and his wife Gulya and they will miss the beautiful California view from their balcony. Andy is grateful for the humor and support he have received from his fellow CREEES students and staff, not to mention the amazing Stanford professors. This summer Andy and Gulya will be in Dallas and Moscow relaxing!
Raughley Nuzzi: Over the course of the this year at Stanford, Raughley spent a lot of time at the Hoover Institute happily researching the proposed American mandate over Armenia after WWI. This hasn't kept him from playing tennis, swing dancing, writing Korean poetry, seeing old movies, and teaching himself to play bass in his spare time! Next year Raughley hopes to find a job in Tbilisi, Georgia or Washington, DC working as a researcher at a think tank and hopefully learning Georgian and improving his Russian.
Lauren Nelson: On Lauren’s fifth birthday, the Soviet Union fell, but she was too busy with cake to notice. Since then, her interests have grown to encompass both developing democracies and developing recipes. She is currently searching for employment with NGOs and research institutions focusing on the Former Soviet Union. While at Stanford, Lauren held a Research Assistant position with Professor Gabriella Safran and served as editor of the CREEES Chronicle. Following graduation, Lauren will travel to Peru and serve as a tour guide for her family during a trip to Russia.
Gregory Ter-Zahariants: Born in Leningrad in 1987, Greg never thought that the Soviet Union would cease to exist a mere four years later. This experience pushed Greg to study what he didn't live. This year, Greg led the gymnastics team to a 2nd place finish at the NCAA Championships. After learning more about Russian literature in the last year than in the first 21, Greg can now write poetry in the style of Eugene Onegin. He markets himself as a rare commodity while searching for a position as a research analyst for international consulting firms.
Seokyoon Wi: After finishing his MA, Seokyoon will go to Russia to study for two years. In Russia, he will have two major tasks: while improving his Russian language skills, he will try to become a responsible member of his family, especially a good dad for his son, Daehan
Jill Golden: After serving as the Least Valued Player on the CREEES bowling team, the Stalingrad Strikers, Jill has decided to retire her bowling ball and prepare for an exciting career adjacent to academia. As in, literally adjacent: she’s accepted a job at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives. Jill looks forward to helping researchers locate gulag diaries, Hitler's x-rays and Abkhaz currency. Jill thanks CREEES and her fellow students for a splendid year!
Ken Martinez: After graduation, Ken plans to spend a year in Russia on a Fulbright grant. Before leaving for Russia, he will spend his summer interning at the Russia & Eurasia Program at CSIS, a foreign policy think tank in Washington, D.C. Highlights of his year: a CREEES lunch with the Russian ambassador, having a roundtable discussion with Former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with the SURF program, giving a tour of Stanford to a group of visiting Russian business and government figures, CREEES Friday seminars, and being at Stanford!
Sean Loosli: Sean is both excited and terrified to finish the CREEES program and go off into the world. Sean and his wife Loran hope to stay in the Bay area, working in the private sector. He had a great year at Stanford performing in Russian plays, learning about the anatomic and temporal symbolism of nomadic yurts, eating at Русский стол, and spending time with the other CREEESniki. He will also miss the climbing wall and intramural sports. Sean would like to welcome all the incoming students, and say увидимся to his fellow graduates!
Andrew Roth: Andrew spent an exciting year in CREEES exploring the politics and history of Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia; most of all he enjoyed working closely with his professors and the CREEES MA students. He will be studying Turkish this summer on a FLAS grant in Wisconsin and then will be considering whether to apply his talents domestically or abroad. He is looking for opportunities to work in the future with the State Department, policy think-tanks and NGOs in Russia and Central Asia.
