Katrina Simanovska

Katrina Simanovska is a current M.A. student in European and Russian Studies at Yale. Originally from Latvia, she holds a B.A. in Political Science and Government from Sciences Po Paris, with a year abroad at King’s College London. She is fluent in Latvian, English, and French, and conversational in Russian. Her research focuses on disinformation and information manipulation in Eastern Europe, the role of historical memory in shaping political narratives, and strategies for strengthening democratic resilience in the post-Soviet and Baltic region.

Her undergraduate thesis examined how Eastern European states can inform EU-wide strategies for countering disinformation, drawing on their historical resilience and regional expertise. She previously worked at Latvia’s State Chancellery Strategic Communications Department, where she also hosted the Latvian government’s official podcast Melns uz Balta, aimed at raising public awareness about information manipulation and media literacy. Katrina has also worked as a debate teacher, mentoring students through international organisations such as Debate Mate and Papillon Academy, which focus on expanding access to debate for underrepresented youth.

At Yale, Katrina intends to deepen her research into how historical memory is used to legitimise political narratives and to explore how policy frameworks can respond to the challenges of information warfare in Eastern Europe.
 

Department: European & Russian Studies