Our Team
Kristie Moore
Kristie is an undergraduate student at the University of California, Berkeley where she studies Global Studies with a concentration in Peace and Conflict studies. Her specific interests revolve around Central Asia, foreign languages, and mass atrocity prevention. She is an alumna of the National Security Language Initiative (NSLI-Y) and Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) programs. These opportunities have allowed her to spend time in Moscow, Russia and Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan intensively studying Russian and Kyrgyz. She is excited to contribute her past experiences to this program!
Lauren Strobl
Lauren is an undergraduate student at Georgetown University, where she studies Linguistics and International Politics, with a minor in Eastern European, Russian, and Eurasian Area Studies. With a profound interest in foreign cultures and languages, she focuses her academic and extracurricular activities on Central Asia, international exchange, and diplomacy. She is an alumna of the FLEX Abroad program in Kazakhstan and AFS in Germany, experiences that have deepened her understanding and appreciation of global interconnectedness. Dedicated to fostering international understanding and cooperation, she volunteers with AFS and American Councils. She looks forward to facilitating this project and meeting everyone!
Andrew Edmondson
Andrew is an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, where he studies Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. He is an alumnus of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) and the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS). He is specifically interested in foreign languages, cultural studies, and comparative thought and literature, which he has been fortunate to pursue in Tajikistan and Morocco. He also served two terms as an alumni representative for NSLI-Y. He is excited to help further promote exchange and education through this project!
Rachel Rochford
Rachel Rochford is a rising sophomore at Georgetown University, majoring in International Politics, minoring in Russian, and pursuing a certificate in Diplomatic Studies. Rachel began studying Russian in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan with the U.S. State Department’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth, for which she is currently an Alumni Ambassador. She is currently working for American Security Project as a U.S.-Russia relations intern and for the Traverse Project as a Human Rights Researcher. Rachel’s academic interests include Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia, asymmetric warfare, press freedom, and post-conflict studies.