Introducing the Ru-PAC Russian-American Experience Team:

Introducing the second team that will be working with us this summer!

This year Ru-PAC is starting its first summer internship program where students and recent graduates have the opportunity to join one of three teams that will work together over a 12 week period to bring new content and research related to the field of Russian-US relations. The Russian American Experience Team is conducting a survey-based study of Russian Americans and Russians living in America, that seeks to better understand the views and make up the Russian American community. Ru-PAC is dedicated to giving Russian Americans a voice and organized representation in the United States, as well as advocating for better Russia-U.S. relations — and this research will help us do that.

If you are a Russian American or Russian living in America, then please take part in our research by clicking here.

Stefan Birdseye — Russian American Experience Team

Stefan Birdseye is from Sydney, Australia. He graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a minor in Russian Area Studies and Political Science.

In 2015, Stefan also traveled to Russia, where he participated in the “Immortal Regiment” on Victory Day.

Mark Mednikov — Russian American Experience Team

Mark is the child of two Russian immigrants who came over after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He received his bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Gettysburg College in 2016 and has been working in biological research since. Mark says he joined Ru-PAC because as a Russian-American it’s painful to see the two countries closest to him having such poor relations, and he wants to do whatever he can to help fix this issue.