Daniel Al-Saif, Denmark, is a Fulbright Graduate Grantee who wants to use human rights to help transform and, hopefully, improve the Arab world. This interest comes from Daniel’s background as a refugee whose family was forced to flee Iraq because of the Iraq War and religious persecution. Having fled the lack of human rights protection, Daniel now wants to study human rights and immerse himself in the topic’s historical, political, and legal understanding. This interest has led him to finish a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Copenhagen while working as a student-at-law, first at the Danish Ministry of Justice and later at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For these reasons, Daniel is pursuing a Master of Arts in Human Rights at Columbia University, New York City.
Laura Bejder Jensen, Denmark, is a Danish student and aspiring journalist pursuing a Master of Science in Data Journalism at Columbia University. Laura obtained her bachelor’s degree in Sociology at the University of Copenhagen in 2022. Subsequently, she has worked with data processing and journalism at the political news media Altinget and taught basic statistics and sociological theory as a teaching assistant at the University of Copenhagen. For many years, Laura spent most of her free time doing student politics and fighting for the rights and well-being of Danish students. She enjoys Danish and international politics, reading and swimming in the sea. Laura looks forward to developing her interest and skills in the exciting and fast-developing field of data journalism together with inspiring students from all around the world.
Nathan Grossman, Sweden, a documentary film director, is pursuing a Master of Arts degree at Columbia University, specializing in Science Journalism. Nathan obtained his B.A at Stockholm Academy of The Arts in 2015 and has since then been working mainly with documentary projects about climate and environmental topics. His work has spanned from viral short films seen by millions online via tv-series to his latest award-winning documentary feature “I am Greta” about Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg’s rise to fame.
Rasmus Henriksen, Denmark, is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Software) from Aalborg University in Northern Denmark. Alongside his studies in Denmark, he also worked as a part-time software developer at the innovative robotics company Turf Tank, which has multiple operations in the United States selling their revolutionizing line-marking robot. At Turf Tank Rasmus held great responsibility overseeing the development and maintenance of a support-application for more than a thousand customers worldwide. During his time at UCLA, Rasmus aspires to pursue research in the fields of software engineering and data management while also touching upon the fast-growing space of cyber security. Besides doing intriguing research, he also has a desire to get an internship with an established tech company to learn the ways and standards of the best developer teams in the United States’ software industry. Outside of the academic realm, Rasmus enjoys a great workout in the gym and long walks with his Samoyed dog, Milton.
Isak Hüllert, Sweden, is pursuing a Master of Science in journalism at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. He holds a bachelor and master’s degree in American Studies from the University of Southern Denmark. Hüllert has written about and provided commentary on contemporary U.S. national affairs for Danish media outlets including (DR) the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, RÆSON, and Kongressen.com. He is very excited to attend Columbia Journalism School, where he hopes to concentrate on honing his reporting and writing skills with a view to a career in political journalism. Born in Sweden, and raised in Seattle, WA and Copenhagen, Denmark, Hüllert is deeply passionate about American political history, and he is an avid basketball fan and outdoorsman who enjoys spending his spare time outside with friends and family.
Malin Irgens, Norway, is currently a graduate student of International Relations at Johns Hopkins SAIS in Washington D.C. Previously, she obtained a Bachelor of Laws Laws (LL.B.) at the University of York in 2014. Due to her passion for gender equality and human rights, she proceeded with her Master of Laws (LL.M.) in International Human Rights Law and Practice at the same University, graduating in 2015. She has worked with UN Women in Malawi on women’s economic empowerment and as a program manager for the African region at a Norwegian NGO called FORUT. She is excited to live in D.C. to experience the vibrant policy environment and be part of an influential academic institution.
Aasmund Joedahl, Norway, is currently pursuing his master’s degree in International Relations (MAIR) at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), with a focus on States, Markets, and Institutions, and a regional specialization in Europe. His interests include diplomacy, international governance, and human rights. Aasmund received his bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Economics from Merrimack College.
Elitza Koeva, Bulgaria, is pursuing a Doctor of Design Studies (DDes) Degree at Harvard Graduate School of Design, with a secondary field in Critical Media Practice (CMP). Her practice plays with temporality, the impermanence of tangible and intangible nature, and the emerging in urban contexts interferences and resonances between sound and space and “cross-species sociality” (Haraway). Elitza’s aim is to understand how artistic practices engender people’s engagement, critical awareness, and participatory responses to digitally-mediated environments, reconciling the self and the social at the level of city construction and subjectivity, where a non-unitary subjectivity arises. Elitza holds a Master’s Degree in Media & Cultural Studies from the University of Tokyo.
Aleksandar Leshev, Bulgaria, is an attorney-at-law and a joint Fulbright – Thanks to Scandinavia Grantee who will be pursuing an LL.M. at Harvard Law School. In 2019 he graduated from the Law Faculty of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” During his student years, he successfully represented Sofia University in several prestigious international moot courts, both as a competitor and a coach, and also spent a semester abroad within the Erasmus + Programme at Södertörn University, Stockholm. Additionally, he holds a Diploma (with Distinction) in English Law & Legal Skills from the British Law Centre. For the past few years, Aleksandar has been part of the team of a top-tier law firm in Sofia, Bulgaria. His primary interests involve Antitrust Law, EU Law, Administrative Law, and Litigation.
Melina Maraki, Sweden, is a Swedish-Greek writer currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting at Columbia University in New York. She comes from a background in film distribution, development and acquisitions, having worked on the Scandinavian theatrical releases of titles from filmmakers like Park Chan-wook, Claire Denis, Werner Herzog, Lulu Wang and Laura Poitras. Her latest short film, The Liberation of Harold Kvist, screened at the Zagreb Film Festival, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, and the Stockholm Film Festival, where she was nominated for the 1 KM film scholarship. It was shortlisted to be nominated for a Swedish Guldbagge Award. Melina is driven by a desire to create more nuanced female characters for the screen, particularly within genre film and television. She believes in satire as a powerful tool for change and is especially drawn towards stories that deal with themes of moral ambiguity and the social conventions of modern society.
Anna-Ting Möller, Sweden, is an artist living and working in New York City and Stockholm. Möller’s sculptures and installations transform central bacteria and fungi culture to form living artworks, touching upon themes of mothering, belonging, and alienation. Möller was born in China and adopted by a Swedish family at the age of one. Within their practice they investigate the personal symbolic meaning of a SCOBY, an acronym for “symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast.” In an exploration of their roots, Möller cultivates SCOBY with the help of tea and sugar, classic colonial goods. They work with substances requiring continuous care. Sculptures reference a mythological creature Feng, who most resembles a lump of rotten meat. They are a kind deity who, because of their repulsive appearance, are doomed to walk the earth forever alone, detached from their origins. Möller is committed to highlighting the tension around the ambiguity of kinship and the inherent need to cultivate connection between all living things, across species and even beyond biological relationships.
Henos Musie, Sweden, is currently pursuing an MBA at Harvard Business School and an MPP at Harvard Kennedy School. Born and raised in Gothenburg, Sweden, to Eritrean parents, Henos is passionate about driving lasting social and economic development in Africa through integrated public and private sector efforts. Prior to his graduate studies, Henos was a founding member of the investment team at Africa50, a pan-African investment platform based in Casablanca, Morocco. He began his career in Citi’s M&A investment banking groups in New York and London, helping launch the latter. Henos holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in Economics from Yale University. Outside work, he is a soccer enthusiast (himself a former elite player), and enjoys traveling, mentoring, and learning new languages.
Ella Partanen, Finland, is a junior-year Acting student at the University of Oklahoma, supported by a full scholarship as a Davis UWC scholar. Living in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ecuador before moving to the United States sparked her curiosity and passion for social justice and international relations. At the University of Oklahoma, Ella has taken courses in Women and Gender Studies, Global Politics, Spanish, and Arabic and wishes to bring about social and political change through Fine Arts. Aside from her academic studies, Ella is involved in student organizations and volunteering activities and likes to spend her time reading, hiking, and working on projects, such as short films and writing scripts for short plays.
Victoria Pihl Sorensen (she/her/hers), Denmark, is a Ph.D. Candidate at Cornell University in the Department of Performing and Media Arts minoring in Science and Technology Studies. Her research examines media in public health and “social hygiene” initiatives in early 20th century Denmark from a feminist and materialist perspective. She asks what this eugenic legacy can tell us about the functions of contemporary social democracy, its myths and its meanings, in Denmark as well as in the United States. Victoria holds an MA in Women’s and Gender Studies from The CUNY Graduate Center and approaches her scholarship from a perspective that takes critical analyses of race, gender, sexuality, and class as its focal point. Her research has been supported by the Thanks to Scandinavia Scholarship (2019), the Sage Fellowship (2020), and the Institute for Comparative Modernities (2020). Outside of her academic work, she bakes cakes and cares for two amazing canine companions, Hugo and Jolene.
Timo Rautiainen, Finland, is an M&A lawyer based in Helsinki who advises clients on corporate transactions. He is pursuing a master’s degree in law at Columbia University and is fascinated by the complexities of corporate law and the contractual structures governing corporate transactions. Timo holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen Mary, University of London and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Helsinki. He has been practicing law in Helsinki for 5 years and is excited to return to his academic interests at Columbia.
Maryelle Steffansson, Finland, is a Swedish speaking Finn with a bachelor’s degree in music education. Thanks to the Thanks to Scandinavia Scholarship, she will embark on pursuing her master’s degree in Songwriting and Production at Berklee NYC. Her hope with her studies is to fully commit to and pursue her passion and grow and excel in every aspect of songwriting. Her goal is to create work that helps people feel seen and comforted as well as evoke a new perspective.
Ossi Tanner, Finland, is a Finnish concert pianist. He will be studing towards his Master’s in Classical Piano Performance at the Manhattan School of Music. He has performed with all the leading orchestras and festivals in Finland. In addition, he has performed in over ten European countries, as well as in Canada, Israel and the US. In his spare time, Tanner enjoys golfing and ice swimming, reads novels, and devours all kinds of movies.
Kevin Tao, Finland, is a third year Ph.D. student in Cornell University, studying Statistics and Data Science. He is interested in exploring Causal structures and estimating causal effects in large scale data using methods in nonparametric regression. He is currently advised by David Ruppert, and Y. Samuel Wang. Prior to going to Cornell, he completed his B.A./M.A. joint degree program in Statistics in Boston University.
Eli Tausen á Lava, Denmark (the Faroe Islands), is a composer and pianist with a bachelor’s degree in music composition from Lund University, where he studied with Rolf Martinsson, one of Sweden’s leading composers. He is now pursuing a master’s degree in music theory and composition at New York University, where he’ll have the chance to study with a variety of high-profile composers, such as Julia Wolfe, Michael Gordon, and Caroline Shaw. Since he first stepped onto the classical music landscape in 2015, Eli Tausen á Lava has quickly developed a unique and recognizable artistic voice. Described by Danish classical music journalist Jens Cornelius as “the new minimalist of the Faroe Islands”, Eli Tausen á Lava has a deep appreciation for stillness and simplicity in both music and life. (photo credit Dánjal Arge)