I first took a Russian language class to fulfill my foreign language requirement at Davidson College. This decision completely shifted my career and educational trajectory. I fell in love with the language and it has led me to hone my political science studies with a regional focus. To supplement my Russian courses at Davidson, I have done two summer language intensives. In the summer of 2021, I completed a virtual Russian intensive with Middlebury Language Schools. The next summer I studied in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to continue my Russian studies. In the spring of 2023, I completed a semester-long Russian language and area studies program in Yerevan, Armenia. Previously, I completed a summer research internship with the School of Russian and Asia Studies (SRAS), where I wrote articles about Russian pop culture and art. In the fall of 2022, I was a teaching assistant for the Political Science Department at Davidson. This past summer I worked as a Russian studies intern for Dr. Leon Aron at the American Enterprise Institute. Most recently, I worked as an Events and Program Specialist at my college's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.