Who I am:

I am a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures at the Ohio State University. I completed my first master’s degree at the Center for Eurasian, Russian, and East European Studies at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a focus on Russia’s involvement in frozen conflicts, and pivoted to complete my second master’s at Ohio State with a focus on politics within Polish LGBTQ music videos. My current research examines the intersection of creativity and opposition in the contemporary Slavic sphere, focusing on political and self-expression in queer performance. I enjoy both learning and teaching languages, meeting people from different cultures, and hiking. When I am not working on research, you can find me getting fresh air on the tennis courts or curled up with a book at the public library.

My Fulbright grant focuses on:

I will be conducting dissertation research on Polish feminist and queer activism within artistic performance. My project, “Creating Spaces and Visibility: Feminist and Queer Performance in Poland Today,” seeks to highlight women’s voices, how they create spaces in society and view their goals, and how they develop tactics to resist cultural and political repression. I will observe creative projects and art with an activist agenda through the lens of performance theory. My research is supported by the Women’s Studies Centre in the Department of Cultural Research at the University of Łódź, where I will use library collections and engage with Polish scholars of gender studies.

I decided to apply for a Fulbright grant because:

Having reached the limit of online resources, the Fulbright will allow me to take my research to the next level and work with people on the ground. I will be able to experience events and interview those who create them. Fulbright is a unique grant in that it encourages researchers to become part of the local community, and I look forward to making friendships and ties that I will carry with me into my future career. 

After completing my Fulbright grant I would like to:

Once I defend my dissertation, I plan to become a Slavic professor specializing in Polish language and culture. I will be able to incorporate my experiences in Poland into the classes that I teach, encouraging students to travel abroad. I also plan on further developing my research into a book on queer creative activism.