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Michael Smeltzer has degrees in Russian Language and Philosophy from St. Olaf College in Minnesota. At the time he wrote for this site, he had previously studied abroad in Irkutsk and then spent an academic year studying in Vladivostok as part of SRAS's Home and Abroad program.

Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS
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Tanya Tanyarattinan, at the time she wrote for this site, was a third-year, Thai international student at the University of Denver, double majoring in International Studies and Economics with minors in Russian and Japanese. She studied in St. Petersburg with SRAS. As a Home and Abroad Scholar, she focused on politics and culture. In her free time, she likes to play games and try new food.

Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS
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Greg Tracey, at the time he wrote for this site, was a junior at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln studying economics and international relations, as well as minoring in mathematics and Russian. As a Home and Abroad Scholar, he focused on business and economic issues in Russia and surrounding countries. The related scholarship helped fund his participation in SRAS's Russian as a Second Language program at St. Petersburg State University of Economics during the Spring 2019 Semester. In his free time, he enjoys reading and soccer.

Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS
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Jonathan Rainey majored in History and English at Francis Marion University in Florence, SC. While at Francis Marion, he was a member of Phi Alpha Theta, National History Honors Society and worked as a reporter for The Patriot, the university's newspaper. Jonathan studied with SRAS in Vladivostok as a Home and Abroad Scholar over the 2015-2016 school year.

Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS
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Katheryn Weaver, at the time she wrote for this site, was a student of rhetoric and history at the University of Texas, Austin. Her primary areas of investigation include revolution and the rhetorical justification of violence against individuals, state, and society. She studied Russian as a Second Language in Moscow with SRAS's Home and Abroad Scholarship.

Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS
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Mikaela Peters, at the time she wrote for this site, was a student at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where she studied Business Analytics & Information Technology, as well as Russian and European Studies. She will be improved her Russian while on SRAS' Central Asian Studies program in Kyrgyzstan over the 2019-2020 academic year. Mikaela decided to seriously study Russian after visiting NASA in 2015, where she began an internship soon after. Mikaela’s desire to enter into a career that will utilize her Russian skills while supporting the U.S. government motivated her to apply and ultimately win a Boren Scholarship as well as an SRAS Challenge Grant.

SRAS Challenge Grants
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Rylin McGee, at the time she wrote for this site, was a junior at the University of Richmond studying International Relations - Development and Change, with a focus on the environment and a minor in Russian Studies. As a Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS, she focused on environmental history and policy making. The scholarship helped fund her participation in SRAS’s Russia and the Environment program in Irkutsk during the spring 2018 semester. Beyond studying, Rylin enjoys hiking, yoga, painting, coffee, tea, and exploring.

Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS
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Lee Sullivan, at the time she wrote for this site, was an undergraduate student at Stetson University pursuing a BS in cybersecurity and a BA in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies. As a Home and Abroad Scholar, she focused on security issues and US-Russia relations. The scholarship helped fund her studies with SRAS in Vladivostok, Russia. She planned to pursue a master’s degree upon graduating.

Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS
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Michael Filitis graduated with an MA from the University of Chicago where he concentrated on early Soviet nationalities policy, propaganda, and the rise of nationalism in Eastern Europe. He hoped to eventually pursue a Phd in Russian history and political science. Outside of academia, he enjoys playing and composing music, eating to excess, movies about space, and contemplating a more active lifestyle.

Research Intern with SRAS
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Morgan Henson, at the time he wrote for this site, was a second year dual-degree master’s student at the University of Texas at Austin where he was majoring in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies and Global Policy Studies. As a Home and Abroad Scholar, he focused on policy issues in Eurasia. The scholarship helped fund his participation in SRAS’s Economic Development in the Russian Far East program at Vladivostok State University of Economics and Services during the Spring 2019 Semester. In his free time, Morgan enjoys watching movies and exploring new locations.

Home and Abroad Scholar with SRAS
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Andrei Nesterov leads SRAS' Research Services, performing remote archive research and consultations for researchers around the globe. Andrei graduated from Ural State University (journalism) and Irkutsk State Linguistic University (English). He also studied public policy and journalism at Duke University on a Muskie Fellowship and taught Russian at West Virginia University. As a journalist, he has reported in both Russian and English language outlets and has years of archival research experience. He has travelled Russia extensively and penned many stories on the “real Russia” which lies beyond the capital and major cities. Andrei also contributes news, feature stories, and language resources to the SRAS Family of Sites.

SRAS Staff Member
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Josh has been with SRAS since 2003. He holds an M.A. in Theatre and a B.A. in History from Idaho State University, where his masters thesis was written on the political economy of Soviet-era censorship organs affecting the stage. He lived in Moscow from 2003-2022, where he ran Moscow operations for SRAS. At SRAS, Josh still assists in program development and leads our internship programs. He is also the editor-in-chief for the SRAS newsletter, the SRAS Family of Sites, and Vestnik. He has previously served as Communications Director to Bellerage Alinga and has served as a consultant or translator to several businesses and organizations with interests in Russia.

SRAS Staff Member
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