Student spotlight: Madelaine Graber

Madelaine at the Russian Federation Council, in Moscow, Russia during the 2018-2019 Stanford U.S.-Russia Forum.

Photo courtesy of Madelaine Graber

Madelaine Graber graduates in June with a master’s degree in Russian, East European and Eurasian studies. She chose the program for its flexible, interdisciplinary nature, which allowed her to gain exposure to several fields of study.

Expanding on her undergraduate background in psychology and Russian studies, her thesis focuses on Soviet history and psychiatry. As a master’s student, “I feel like I got to really direct my own academic interests, particularly through the thesis, and was proud to see how I could drive my own research and answer my own questions,” she says.

While completing her M.A. degree, she had the opportunity to work in the lab of Dr. Ian Gotlib, director of the Stanford Neurodevelopment, Affect, and Psychopathology Laboratory, conducting research on adolescent depression and anxiety.

Her favorite class was taught by Professor Gabriella Safran and focused on folklore and literature in Russia and the Slavic region. “Folklore is not something I had ever studied, and it was fascinating to realize just how surrounded in folklore we are in everyday life, all around the world,” she says.

She enjoyed attending weekly seminars organized by CREEES during her time at Stanford. “Those were always interesting because we got to see someone in a fairly intimate setting talk about what they were most passionate about,” she added.

Next year, she will be studying schizophrenia in Kazan, Russia through a Fulbright Research Grant. Congratulations Madelaine!


Please join us in congratulating the class of 2019! As the academic year draws to a close, we are highlighting students graduating from across our 14 programs. Click here to view more student spotlights.