U.S.-Russia Relations Intern
Expertise: U.S.-Russia relations, protest movements, Russia-Ukraine conflict, track II and III diplomacy, international security
Lera Toropin is currently a Master’s candidate at the University of Texas at Austin, where she is pursuing dual degrees in Global Policy Studies and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, specializing in security, law, and diplomacy. She earned her B.A. in Japanese at Penn State University.
She previously worked in cultural exchange program development, taught in Japan, and served as the diplomatic assistant for Congressional Affairs at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C. She is a heritage Russian speaker.
In her free time, Lera enjoys baking, swimming, podcasting, and playing tabletop RPGs.
