Eric Connelly, MA in Slavic and East European Studies and Master of Public Administration, Class of 2018

Where do you work and what is your current position? 
I currently work for the Ohio Senate as Senior Legislative Aide to State Senator Tina Maharath, the first Asian-American woman elected to the Ohio General Assembly. I also work as Director of the U.S.-Russia Pre-Professional Network (USRP) for the Russian American Foundation. The USRP is a growing network of high school and college students interested in Russian studies and in pursuing a career within the U.S.-Russia sector. In addition, I teach a Russian language class for CSEES at Columbus North International School.

Tell us how you got there. 
After completing the dual MPA/MA program with the John Glenn College of Public Affairs and the Center for Slavic and East European Studies, I joined Rich Cordray’s gubernatorial campaign as a policy associate. I subsequently parlayed that campaign experience into working with State Senator-elect Maharath in the state legislature as she moved into office in the Ohio Senate. 

Over the summer of 2019, I led 16 very bright high schoolers from all over the U.S. on a six-week study abroad experience in Moscow for the Russian American Foundation and the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Program. Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Russian American Foundation began work on building the U.S.-Russia Pre-Professional Network and asked me to join them as its director. In addition to the USRP, I help lead another exciting initiative, Sport Unites All, in which we promote adaptive sports for people with physical disabilities in Russia.

How has your CSEES MA helped you throughout your post-graduate life? 
Writing has been crucial to everything I have done since graduating from the CSEES MA program. Drafting policy documents and communications in the gubernatorial campaign, co-sponsor requests and sponsor testimonies in the Ohio Senate, program summaries for NSLI-Y and many different items for the USRP have required that I write more than I ever thought I would. The large variety of courses that I took prepared me well for writing in many contexts. In addition, I regularly communicate in Russian and my classes at Ohio State set me up for success.

What was your focus or research interest when you studied at OSU? 
I was primarily interested in globalization and Russian politics before discovering an interest in regression analysis. I combined these interests into my thesis for the Glenn College of Public Affairs by analyzing the effectiveness of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture upon its signatories. I took a lot from my courses on international law and human rights, and the CSEES MA greatly increased my appreciation and respect for learning languages.

If you are a traveler, what is one of your favorite trips you have taken? 
I still remember how I felt during my first trip to Russia in the summer of 2010. Moscow was actually the first place I ever visited outside of the United States. I went with the idea that all Russians are always stone-faced, and I recall doing my absolute best not to stand out as an American on the metro (don’t smile, look straight ahead). I visited St. Petersburg, Tyumen and Tobolsk that summer as well. I remember one night camping along the Irtysh river in Siberia, finding myself on a boat in the middle of the river at midnight and thinking that the surprise vodka drinking party could very well end up with me swimming to shore. It wasn’t a California sunset, but these experiences in Russia are what have stayed with me the most.

What are your future plans? 
I’ve aspired to become a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Dept. of State for many years, but I am staying flexible. I have found meaningful work in outdoor and international education, foreign languages, public policy, politics, state government, and non-profits. I look forward to everything to come! 

What inspires you? 

I am inspired by the idea that we can pursue new experiences and step out of our comfort zone at any age. I took a hiatus from college at 19 to travel the country and work as an environmental educator. I worried that returning to college at 23 meant that my adventures and opportunities for growth were over. Instead, I went international. I never would have thought at 19 that I would be doing what I am today, so who knows what else may come next!