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The CEES Graduate Student Union (GSU) is the official student organization for graduate students in the CEES MA program. The GSU consists of both first- and second-year students and is in charge of organizing the annual CEES Graduate Student Conference, as well as social events for students at CEES throughout the year.
For 2024-2025 academic year CEES GSU roles are as follows:
Co-Chairs: Nadia Schwartz Rivero & David Chobotov
Nadia holds an HBSc in Psychology and History from the University of Toronto and is currently pursuing her second year of her MA in European and Eurasian Studies at the Centre of European and Eurasian Studies at the Munk School of the University of Toronto. She has worked as an intern this past summer at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime in Vienna, Austria, and has previously done student-led research in both Seoul, South Korea and Budapest, Hungary. Nadia's current MRP research focuses on disinformation contributed by cyber-security in Spain, which she hopes to complete by the spring of 2025.
David Chobotov is a second-year Masters of European and Eurasian Studies candidate at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He holds a Bachelor of Knowledge Integration (BKI) from the University of Waterloo, in which he specialized in political science, philosophy, and international trade. With a breadth of experience in policy analysis, spanning both social and public policy, David’s current research interests are in European security and defense policy. His research specifically examines defense innovations on the Ukrainian front and their broader implications for the European defense community. David speaks French, German, and Russian, and is a student member of the NATO Association of Canada and the Canadian International Council. Outside of academic life, David enjoys spending time with friends, travelling, playing squash, biking, reading, and cooking. David is, above all, committed to his community. In his role as Co-Chair of the CEES Graduate Student Union, he is dedicated to fostering a supportive environment in which students can build meaningful connections.
Communications Officer: Tom Law
Tom is a second-year graduate candidate at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy’s Centre for European and Eurasian Studies. He is a Harney Programme Fellow in Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies, researching press freedom, authoritarianism, and nationalism in Hungary and Serbia. He is the editor-in-chief of Eurasiatique XIII, the CEES graduate student-led journal. Tom writes as a freelance journalist, having previously worked as Communications Officer for investment consultancy PIRC Ltd in London. He acts as the Events Coordinator for the CEES GSU, working to put on social and professional events for students to build interpersonal relationships and expand outreach with other organisations at U of T. He also acts as a live transcriber for deaf and hard of hearing students at George Brown College, and as Director of Communications for Toronto Spurs Supporters Club.
First Year Representative: Aramayah Ocol
Aramayah is a first-year MA candidate at the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies (CEES) at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. Having obtained a bachelor's degree from the Department of Slavic & East European Languages and Cultures at the University of Toronto, she hopes to connect her cultural understanding of the region with a historical and political foundation established at CEES. She is interested in breaching the gaps between regional perspectives in the Balkans and the international community. Some of her side hobbies include South Slavic films, particularly Emir Kusturica's Underground and Maja Milos' Klip and reading Dostoyevsky's Brother's Karamazov. At the end of the academic season, Aramayah enjoys travelling, particularly in the Balkan region, to connect her academic learning with what is happening on the ground. She is excited to help develop community and student relations in her role as First Year Representative in the CEES GSU.
Secretary: Katie Jones
Katie is a first-year Master of Arts student at the Centre for European and Eurasian Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy. She is also pursuing a Certificate in Jewish Studies at the Anne Tanenbaum Centre for Jewish Studies, where she is also the Program and Conference Coordinator for the newly formed Lab for the Global Study of Antisemitism. Katie holds a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Religion and Philosophy from the University of Toronto. Her current research is concerning Holocaust memorialization in Hungary and its impact on the Jewish community. In her free time, Katie enjoys travelling, exploring Toronto, baking, and spending time with her family-including her cat, Jackie.
Treasurer: Ayberk Dizdarlar
Ayberk Dizdarlar is a second-year graduate student in the MA program in European and Eurasian Affairs at the University of Toronto, with collaborative specialization in the Harney Program’s Ethnic and Pluralism Studies. With a BA in Political Science and International Relations from Yildiz Technical University, he has enriched his academic journey through an Erasmus+ exchange at the University of Pisa, Italy. Ayberk's professional experiences span research, editing, and financial management, including roles as a teaching assistant at the University of Toronto and a summer intern at Kreuzberg Initiative Against Antisemitism in Berlin. He has published on LGBTQ+ migration in Istanbul and served as a senior editor for Eurasiatique. Fluent in Turkish and English, and conversant in Italian, Ayberk is passionate about exploring the intersections of politics, culture, and social justice, and history particularly in European and Eurasian contexts. Outside academia, his interests include films, philosophy, and contemporary history.
UTGSU Representative: Johnny Amundson
Johnny Amundson is a second-year Master of European and Eurasian Studies candidate. He holds a double major in Journalism and Russian from the Ohio State University. His research interests lie at the intersection of mass media and international relations, with a focus on Russia and the United States. Between his bachelor’s and master’s, Johnny taught English as a second language, spending two years in Odesa, Ukraine and Saint Petersburg, Russia.
CEES GSU members can be reached at here