Olha

Olha Burdeina
7, vul. Tysmynetska, Chernivtsi, Ukraine | 69 Brown St., Providence, Rhode Island | [open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section) | [open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section)
EDUCATION
Brown University class of 2027, a private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island 2023-2027
●​ International and Public Affairs (Policy and Governance Track) and Political Science, GPA 4.0
●​ Full-ride scholarship ($400 000) with the 5.5% acceptance rate, Caesar Misch Prize for the outstanding achievements in German Studies
●​ Work as the student assistant for the Hall-Hoag extremist and propaganda collection at Rockefeller's library
●​ Hack for Humanities, humanitarian focused hackathon at Brown University: 3rd place “Period Poverty in the Middle East”
EaP program: "New School" – International School of Georgia, Tbilisi 2021-2023
●​ Selected as one of 40 scholarship students out of 5000 applicants from 6 EaP countries (2% acceptance rate) to study IB
●​ Top 1% of the most academically successful students of the school, GPA 41/45, valedictorian of the graduating class of 2023
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Intern at “UNBROKEN,” the largest medical facility in Ukraine for veterans rehabilitation — Lviv, Ukraine Aug, 2025
●​ Coordinated a 2-week animation workshop with 40 veterans, producing stop-motion films for national cinemas on veteran–civilian
communication; collaborated with international and American veteran volunteers to support rehabilitation programming
●​ Partnered with the Investment Department to identify 30+ donors and pitched UNBROKEN to Rotary International
●​ Helped deliver a Comedy Show Fundraiser with 200+ attendees, securing in-kind support from Snack Production and Avrora
Intern at Consulate General of Ukraine in Istanbul, MFA of Ukraine — Istanbul, Turkey June 2025
●​ Researched and prepared briefing materials for the Istanbul Peace Talks (June 2024)
●​ Supported visa issuance, legal casework, and E-Consul digital services with Vice-Consul Galagan and Consul Dimchev
●​ Assisted in organizing Crimean Tatar Flag Day and a film screening of “Люди” with six foreign consulates
Intern at “Razom for Ukraine,” a non-profit organization advocating for Ukraine — Washington D.C., USA Aug, 2024
●​ Summer intern (6 weeks) for Razom Advocacy Team led by Mykola Myrskyi and Public Engagement Team by Daniel Balson present
●​ Conducted a research with OSCE and created a one-pager on ceasefire violations by Russia since 2014
●​ Prepared memos on the topics of PDA expiration and OFAC understaffing (Ukraine using appropriations to boost effectivity)
●​ Assisted in preparing policy briefs and news analysis for the Ukraine Advocacy Coordination weekly call
●​ Managed Razom’s twitter page, boosting the views up to 400K and arranged Razom’s media list with 600+ media contacts in HubSpot
Intern at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe — Online Jan, 2025
●​ Assisted the Ukrainian delegation during the Winter Session 2025, contributing to the amendments of nine 9 resolutions
●​ Attended 11 plenary sessions, taking detailed notes and tracking discussions on EU-Ukrainian, EU-Georgian relations
Intern at the human rights NGO “Center for Civil Liberties” — Online Jan, 2025
●​ Conducted a country profiles initiative as a policy analyst, analyzing Ukraine’s diplomatic relations with the U.S., Georgia, and Brazil
●​ Provided research and policy insights to assist in strategic planning and advocacy efforts of the NGO’s leader Ms. Matviichuk
Intern at Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science and Innovation: congressman Roman Hryshchuk — Kyiv, Ukraine June -
●​ Researched and outlined 3 models for effective Ukrainian international schools abroad based on examples from eight countries Jul, 2024
●​ Completed a 6-week course on the Ukrainian legislative process and contributed to educational reform initiatives
Intern at Verkhovna Rada commission on issues of monitoring the supply of weapons: congresswoman Oleksandra Ustinova — Online June -
●​ Public relations intern, managing social media, posting over 100 updates on Twitter (news, F-16 training, advocacy for right to strike back) Jul, 2024
●​ Assisted in preparing 20 briefings on US congressmen for Ukrainian delegation in DC
Intern at “Ukraїner,” a Ukrainian multimedia project presenting Ukraine to the international community — Online Jul, 2024
●​ Conducted research U.S. Republican audiences, identifying 100+ media platforms, influencers, and strategies
●​ Translated personal stories of Ukrainians who survived Russian occupation as part of the "Voices of Occupation Two Years Later"
Participant at a 7-month-long Ukraine Recovery Youth Global Initiative (URYGI) — Online and Yale University Feb -
●​ Selected as one of 22 Ukrainian students studying at top universities in Ukraine and abroad for the initiative Aug, 2024
●​ Attended biweekly lectures featuring 25 guest speakers, including EU Parliament members, renowned historians, and Ukrainian
Parliament representatives (Marcy Shore, Francis Fukuyama, Timothy Snyder, Michael McFaul, Serhii Plokhy)
●​ Participated in a 5-day in-person program at Yale University, collaborating with professors on a research analyzing Russian propaganda
CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Nominated fellow by Brown University for “Projects for Peace” — Chernivtsi, Ukraine Feb -
●​ Selected for a $10,000 grant to implement the REborn Project, aimed at veteran reintegration and youth development in Ukraine Aug, 2025
●​ Advocated for policy reforms to support veterans and IDPs through institutional development and international partnerships
Delegate to Youth Council under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, a consultative and advisory body April, 2024
●​ Led the "School of Advocacy" project, coordinating collaboration between Razom for Ukraine Advocacy Team and the Youth Council present
●​ Contributed to the project team "Чужію Я," lobbying the return of Ukrainian youth who emigrated due to the full-scale Russian invasion
President at Brown Alliance for Ukraine (BAU) — Providence, RI May, 2024
●​ Organized 9 on-campus events with ~500 attendees: Russo-Ukrainian War and Soviet Experiment, Solidarity in East-Central Europe present
●​ Coordinated Ukrainian Language Table and Ukraine on Campus Library Project and fundraised ~8000$ for Lotus Foundation
Staff writer at Brown Undergraduate Law Review — Providence, RI Sep, 2024
●​ Articles: AI on the Battlefield: A Call For Global Action; The Moral and Legal Case for Seizing Russian Assets to Rebuild Ukraine present
Youth Ambassador Program under the "Youth Voices of the Danube: Empowering Local Champions for European Cohesion" Sep, 2024
●​ Advocating for youth-driven policies on migration, integration, and regional development through cross-border collaboration. Present
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS AND FURTHER EDUCATION
Independent research and investigation/conferences
●​ ISP with Professor Levitas: “Rise of Russian hybrid warfare in the face of the foreign policy of Ukraine towards EU and NATO”
●​ The impact of terrorism on identity-based violence: the violation of women's rights by Afghan Taliban terrorist group
EU Connect, Centre international de formation européenne
●​ Chosen as one of 50 program finalists out of 1000+ applicants around Ukraine to participate in a month course on EU integration
Ukraine Global Scholars, a community-based organization supporting Ukrainian students to apply to the world top colleges 2022
●​ One of 81 program finalists out of 550+, based on academics and extracurricular achievements present
●​ Mentored a student who got accepted to UPenn, NYU, Brown University
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Languages: Ukrainian (native), Russian (bilingual), English (fluent), German (advanced, C1)