MEET DESIREE W.
Desirée Winns is a master’s student of international affairs at the George Washington University. Prior to her graduate studies, Desirée graduated with honors from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s in political science. She has interned at the Carter Center, the Aspen Institute, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and NASA’s Office of International and Interagency Relations. She currently works as Coordinator at Hostage US, a non-profit devoted to supporting American hostages and their families. She enjoys reading, writing, playing chess and exploring DC with her friends.
Since last receiving a grant from the CKMEF, I have interned at NASA, completed an intensive virtual Russian course at Arizona State University, and begun applying for PhDs. I was selected as a fellow for the Generations Dialogue Project at GW as well as the Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security. I am currently writing my master’s thesis on the treatment of political dissidents in Russia and Belarus. I am also applying for a Fulbright grant to Lithuania, where I hope to do research on Belarusian exiles and artistic expression as a tool of protest.