2020 Graduates | European Union Center

Jordan Evans-Kaplan- CANARIES IN THE COAL MINE: MACHINE LEARNING FOR PREDICTIONS OF RECESSIONS IN THE EUROZONE BUSINESS CYCLE

Jordan, from Aurora, Illinois, will receive his M.A. in May 2020. Jordan’s thesis research involves economic modeling of Eurozone states’ GDP and machine-learning using XGBoost. Jordan is a student in the 5-year BA/MA program, having completed his bachelors in Economics in 2018.

Viktoria Loidl- TRANSATLANTIC COOPERATION AND THE DIGITAL ECONOMY: THE IMPACT OF THE NEW STRATEGIC AGENDA "A EUROPE FIT FOR THE DIGITAL AGE"

Viktoria, from Graz, Austria, will receive her M.A. in May 2020. Viktoria’s thesis research involves the emerging transatlantic digital economy and its overall effect on EU-US relations. Viktoria is also a teaching assistant for the LAS First-Year Experience program, teaching LAS 399 (Leadership and Development) for LAS interns. Before beginning the MAEUS program at Illinois, Viktoria studied Economics and American Studies at Karl-Franzens Universität in Graz, Austria, with a study-abroad program at High Point University in North Carolina.

Vicki Prince-THE EU STRAYING FROM THE NORM: HOW THE EUROPEAN UNION HAS CHANGED ITS NARRATIVE TO RESPOND TO CHINA’S BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE

Victoria, from Chicago, will receive her M.A. in May 2020. Victoria’s thesis research involves the effect of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on European Union member states and EU foreign policy. Victoria completed her bachelors in Global Studies in 2017. She is currently a FLAS fellow for the 2019-20 academic year, studying Arabic. Victoria also received a Fulbright fellowship, for which she spent the 2018-19 academic year teaching English in Poland.

Francesca Robinson-WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BELONG? AN ANALYSIS OF MIGRANT INTEGRATION POLICIES IN GERMANY, SPAIN, AND HUNGARY

Francesca, from the suburbs of Chicago, will receive her M.A. in May 2020. Francesca’s thesis concerns the relationship between Europeanization and the migration policies of EU member states, and how they can be used as measurements of migrant integration. Francesca is a part of the EUC’s 5-year BA/MA program, having completed her bachelors in Global Studies and Spanish in 2019. She was also a Graduate Research Assistant for the EUC for the past 2019-2020 academic year.

Allison Wheeler- TRANSATLANTIC PERSPECTIVES ON CONTEMPORARY POPULISM: A NARRATOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE RHETORIC OF PROMINENT US AND EUROPEAN POPULIST LEADERS

Allison, from Springfield, Illinois, will receive her M.A. in May 2020. Her thesis involves populism and far-right parties in European Union member states. Allison has also been a FLAS recipient for German for the 2019-20 academic year. She is a part of the EUC’s 5-year BA/MA program, having completed her bachelors in Global Studies and German in 2018. Allison has also been a Graduate Research Assistant for the EUC since January 2019.

Javier Zenil Peña-Research paper: “The Influence of Media on Intergovernmentalism: Does the Media Build Trust or Produces Skepticism among Nation-state Members in the European Union?”

Javier, from Champaign, Illinois, will receive his M.A. in May 2020. Javier’s research interests include EU-US transatlantic relations. Javier is a student in the EUC’s 5-year BA/MA program, having completed his bachelors in Political Science in 2018. Javier also studied abroad in Italy in 2017.