Anastassiya Perevezentseva ‘18 never imagined that her journey would come full circle, as she returned to Lehigh to take on the role of Assistant Director of the Iacocca International Internship Program (IIIP) in September.
This award-winning program aims to advance students' career readiness by providing them with mostly funded international internships, with a special prioritization for students who receive financial aid and lack international experience.
“As an alumna of the program and this university, I am beyond excited to leverage the experiences and skills that I have gained during my doctoral studies for the benefit of this program,” said Perevezentseva. “I am honored to help address structural inequities in higher education through my role, and to support Lehigh students in their career, leadership, and intercultural development.”
Perevezentseva double majored in International Relations and Political Science. After graduating from Lehigh, she completed a Master of Philosophy degree in International Relations at American University and is currently in the doctorate program in American University’s School of International Service. Her research focuses on contentious politics, populism, and democratic backsliding in Central and Eastern Europe.
“I chose Lehigh because I appreciated the strength of the international relations and political science undergraduate programs. Additionally, I learned about the Lehigh United Nations Partnership and felt excited about joining a university that offered such opportunities to its students,” explained Perevezentseva, a native of Kazakhstan. “Lastly, when I was accepted to Lehigh, I was also admitted into the Eckardt Scholars program. This honors program allows students to design their own personalized curriculum, and I was intrigued by the flexibility that this program has offered me in my academic journey.”
Spotlight Recipient
Anastassiya Perevezentseva
Alumna
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"Lehigh creates a sense of community for its students and offers opportunities to form personal connections with other students, faculty, and staff, as well as alumni."
Perevezentseva discovered her passion for research while taking an Eckardt seminar, in which she wrote a paper, “What Is Human Dignity,” which examined the concept of human dignity from religious and non-religious perspectives. Her work was co-awarded the Libraries Student Research prize in 2017 from Lehigh’s Library and Technology Services (LTS). Additionally, completing her undergraduate honors thesis with Professor Janet Laible in the political science department further deepened her research skills and ignited her desire to study Central European politics in graduate school.
“The capstone project for the Eckardt Scholars program, which was also my honors thesis for my political science major at that time, deepened my research skills and ignited my desire to study Central European politics in graduate school,” said Perevezentseva. “During my time at Lehigh, I greatly benefited from interacting with peers from the Eckardt Scholars program and learning about their research and exchanging ideas with them. I greatly benefited overall from the intellectual environment that the program created.”
She explained that outside of her coursework for her majors, the highlights of her Lehigh experience included becoming an Iacocca International Internship Program intern at an interfaith nonprofit, being a TRAC (Technology, Research and Communication) Writing fellow, and serving as a UN DPI Youth Representative for the NGO Augustinians International, where she attended UN briefings and wrote reports about them for the NGO. “These experiences allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of international relations, apply the knowledge I learned in the classroom, and discover my love for teaching.”
All of these opportunities have guided and prepared Perevezentseva to pursue a dissertation on anti-populist social movements in Central Europe, for which she spent over nine months conducting fieldwork in Slovakia, which was supported by the National Scholarship Program of the Slovak Republic and the Princeton Dissertation Scholars program. Additionally, during her doctorate, she was honored to receive the William C. Olson Award for Outstanding Teaching by a PhD. Student.
Perevezentseva believes Lehigh played a crucial role in shaping her career trajectory. The university provided her with a strong foundation in international affairs through its academics and the coursework challenged her to think critically and develop valuable analytical skills. “Moreover, I had the opportunity to apply knowledge and skills through the opportunities on campus. The supportive and collaborative environment on campus greatly contributed to my ability to pursue graduate school. This, in turn, has enabled me to continue my personal and professional growth, culminating in my current role here at Lehigh.”
She added, “I would recommend Lehigh to students interested in international relations and political science because of the strength of the undergraduate programs in both departments. Additionally, I would endorse Lehigh for the diversity of opportunities for students to gain research and professional experience, including globally. Lastly, Lehigh creates a sense of community for its students and offers opportunities to form personal connections with other students, faculty, and staff, as well as alumni. This community support helped me thrive as a student here.”