Fields of Interest
Biography
Hei! Sveiki! I am the large lecture teaching assistant for the Scandinavian Studies department, assisting with the functioning of large-enrollment introductory courses. My favorite part of the job is giving the occasional lecture on various topics, which during my tenure here have included Baltic nationalism, WWII history and contemporary Nordic music.
My research is rooted in the social sciences and concerns comparative political history of the democracies of the Baltic-Nordic region, paying special attention to the interwar Baltic republics and democratic consolidation since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
During my undergraduate studies (also here at UW), I studied abroad in two cities in Norway (Oslo in 2011 and Trondheim in 2013). After graduating in 2014, I served as a Fulbright ETA in Latvia for a year, after which I decided to stay in the country for another three years. During this time, I completed a Master's in Baltic Sea Regional Studies at the University of Latvia in Riga, writing a thesis that deals with the circumstances of attitudes towards Muslim immigration in my countries of expertise.
In my free time, I am a musician taking full advantage of Seattle's vibrant underground. I play guitar in one band, bass in another, and also am quite fond of my Turkish bağlama (a type of lute). Although my primary formal interest as scholar is not music, it is without question the thing that sparked my interest in the region in the first place. I'm always happy to recommend an album or ten.