From Broomall to St. Petersburg, Russia: A Fulbright Fellow's Journey

Growing up in Broomall, I had the opportunity to participate in a unique program in one of its first years - Science in the Summer. If you're not familiar with the program, follow my link to a description of the structured activities in the Philadelphia area for elementary and middle school students. I vividly remember playing with magnets and learning how to temporarily magnetize metal objects in the Chester library on hot July afternoons. Sometimes I would demand to see my favorite exhibits at the Franklin Institute, including the Giant Heart. My mother would always oblige.

15 years later, and I am working on a project involving the effect of early life stress on the brain and on behavior related to psychiatric disorders. I have been living in St. Petersburg, Russia for the last 2 months, taking Russian language classes, and working at the Institute of Experimental Medicine. I won a Fulbright Fellowship funded by the Department of State to study and work here for 9 months on a collaborative research project with Russian colleagues. Fortunately, this is not my first time in Russia. I studied Russian language here in St. Petersburg through a Penn State-affiliated study abroad program for a summer and a fall semester.

This is all to say that I am grateful for the wonderful education I have received and the support of my family. Please follow my blog as I share my experiences living in a beautiful northern city and working in a laboratory that has not received an American student at least since the end of the Soviet Union.