Alumni Spotlights

These interviews are part of the European Studies Council’s Alumni Spotlight series. This series features graduates from Yale’s European & Russian Studies (E&RS) Program.  

Dean Vuletic (‘02)                Read Interview

Dean Vuletic graduated with an MA in European & Russian Studies in 2002. Dr. Vuletic is a historian of contemporary Europe based at the University of Vienna. He published his first scholarly book, Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest, in 2018. He is currently a leading media commentator and public speaker on the Eurovision Song Contest. 

Qiyang Niu (‘17)                Read Interview

Qiyang Niu graduated with an MA in European & Russian Studies in 2017. Qiyang has worked as a political correspondent in Washington, DC, covering US foreign and defense policy, and is currently working with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Beijing on international conflict mediation. 

Jake Nelson (‘14)                Read Interview

Jake Nelson graduated with an MA in European & Russian Studies in 2014. Jake was a Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellow and a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellow in German. Since graduating, he has worked in diplomatic service, holding positions in Algeria and Germany. He is currently the Desk Officer for the European Union at the US Department of State. 

Mato Meyer (‘02)              Read Interview           

Mato Meyer graduated with an MA in Russian and East European Studies (REES) in 2002. Mato has held positions with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and United Nations for more than 15 years.