Caty Simons is a rising senior at Mount Holyoke College majoring in Russian and Eurasian Studies. On campus, she works in the language centre assisting language faculty and promoting language learning opportunities and multicultural events. She began learning Russian out of a passion for Russian literature, but subsequently became interested in the region’s free speech and human rights issues when studying Soviet history and contemporary Russian politics. She is excited to advance these interests as a fellow on PEN America’s Eurasia team. She developed a particular interest in Central Asia when studying abroad in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan and plans to return to the region to study in Astana, Kazakhstan next fall. Her research focus is nationalism in post-Soviet space. In her free time, she enjoys reading classics and contemporary literature, improving her literary translation skills, and solo backpacking.
