Gabriella Blanca GONZALEZ

I am a M.A. candidate in Regional Studies: Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe at Columbia University's Harriman Institute, where I focus on Russian and Ukrainian bilateral relations and Political Orthodoxies. I earned my B.A. in Politics and Russian Literature and Culture from Mount Holyoke College. I am currently studying why governments in Russia and Ukraine emphasize the Orthodox Church. Before attending the Harriman Institute, I studied abroad in Russia and Eastern Europe a few times and interned at the Yusupovsky Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. I enjoy traveling by train throughout Russia and Eastern Europe, visiting various churches and cathedrals as part of my cultural research.