Alida Blendonohy, originally from Lake Forest, Illinois, earned her B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 2021. Additionally, Alida studied at Ukrainian Catholic University’s School of Ukrainian Language and Culture in Lviv, Ukraine for three summer semesters and also taught English to university students at UCU. Alida has interned at U.S.- Ukraine Foundation and the Institute for the Study of War, where she served as National Security and Intelligence Analysis Intern on Russia team during the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As a graduate student, Alida has also interned at Council on Foreign Relations in the Russia studies department and at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments through the USEUCOM Russia Strategic Initiative, where she assisted on Russian military research projects. Alida is passionate about furthering her understanding of the region’s evolving security challenges.