Hometown: Zagreb, Croatia

Education: Washington and Lee University, BS in Business Administration; University of Notre Dame, MA in Global Affairs

Academic & Research Interests: Civil Society and Social Movements, Civics, Democratization, Education Policy, Western Balkans

Work Experience: I came to MAES with several years of experience as a young peace-builder and researcher in the United States and across the Western Balkans. Within these roles, I mostly focused on issues of migration, education, and urban governance. Most recently, I worked with CEA Study Abroad to facilitate experiential educational opportunities for undergraduate students in Croatia. Additionally, my year-long research and consulting experience at Notre Dame in partnership with the National League of Cities stands out as a meaningful engagement where I got the opportunity to be involved in every stage of the research process – from conception, to data collection in the field, to presentation. As a researcher with the Pulte Institute for Global Development, I worked on a retrospective evaluation of a USAID program through the SHARE cooperative agreement. I also enjoyed being a teaching assistant for a quantitative methods and anthropology course for global affairs majors!

Why I chose MAGES: The interdisciplinary curriculum and the center’s network with experts in the transatlantic relationship motivated me to pursue MAES. I wanted to dive deep into European studies, learn from the close-knit community of faculty and peers, and expand my professional network in order to achieve my long-term career goals.