Polina Tsurikova 2024-25 USC Scholar

Polina Tsurikova is a Robert Peterson scholar in the LSE/USC dual-degree global media and communications masters program. From Massachusetts, USA, her early passions for sports and music shaped her academic and career path.

She earned a BA from Leiden University College in The Hague, The Netherlands, specializing in culture, history and society, then studied at Yonsei University in South Korea. With deep ties to her Ukrainian heritage, she spent significant time volunteering with refugees in the Netherlands after 2022.

Her LSE thesis research examined female representation in Formula One and the Drive to Survive BBC/Netflix documentary series. At USC, she explores F1 from an industry perspective, sports media, strategic communications and entertainment — with the goal of a career in the motorsports industry. She also works as a teaching assisant with Professor Geoffrey Cowan at the USC Center on Communication, Leadership, and Policy. Polina has worked in media and marketing consulting, including with Elimu Informatics.

Advice to applicants: Broaden your horizons as much as possible while pursuing a true passion, and don’t shy away from daunting opportunities.

Maria Victoria (Mary) Borghi 2023 scholar, USC

Born in Milan, Italy, Maria Vittoria (“Mary”) Borghi drew from her parents’ backgrounds in engineering and media relations to pursue a career in tech communications. Her global outlook was shaped by her love for travel and languages. She’s lived in Germany, the UK and the US; is fluent in Italian, English and German; and also speaks some Spanish and Japanese. She is currently an account coordinator at a US-based tech PR agency.

Before joining the LSE/USC global communications track, Mary earned a bachelor’s in business communications in Berlin, Germany (3.7 GPA), and gained industry experience at FTI Consulting and Rekoo Health. While at LSE, she wrote for The Beaver, LSE’s award-winning student newspaper.

Recent volunteer work includes serving as social media manager at Codetekt (an NGO fighting German-language disinformation via a community-based platform), and as US country assistant at VIOLA (a startup combating gender violence).

Advice for applicants: Be intentional about networking. For Mary, this included coordinating a USC visit from Melissa Fleming, UN under-secretary-general for global communications—a highlight of her scholarship year.

https://annenberg.usc.edu/news/spotlight/international-student-pursues-global-communication-through-masters-degree-program

Karly Zrake, 2022-23 USC scholar

Born and raised in San Diego, California, I’ve had a lifelong dedication to advocacy, service and creating spaces where people feel heard and valued. Graduating in 2018 from the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas – summa cum laude with bachelors degrees in anthropology and human rights. I was active in several student organizations, programs and research fellowships.

After graduation, I worked in higher education consulting and recruiting before pursuing the LSE/USC master degree in global media and communication. As a Robert Peterson scholar, I had the incredible opportunity to attend the Global Communications Development Network’s roundtable in London, connecting with communications leaders from global companies. This experience and the masters program sharpened my ability to meaningfully engage with the global community and people of different backgrounds. These are key skills for both my current sales role and as a volunteer board member of global nonprofit Kids for Peace.

Advice for applicants: Don’t be afraid to advocate for yourself and communicate your value. As much as you will learn from others in the Peterson community, you also offer unique strengths and perspective. Learning to communicate these qualities is an important lesson on your way to becoming a (global and local) leader.

Ziyad Ejbaei, 2022 scholar, LSE

As a working-class native Londoner with Middle Eastern roots, I saw graduate studies as a gateway to social mobility. My deep passion for global issues, having also lived briefly in Nigeria, UAE and the US, made the LSE - a leading school in social sciences - the perfect fit.

I earned a bachelors in marketing from Goldsmiths in London, founding the first student-run business organization and interning in PR and marketing during the pandemic. As the 2022 LSE Peterson Scholarship recipient, I supplemented my masters studies with an Arabic language course and research assistant volunteering at LSE’s media think tank, Polis. Both my studies and masters thesis earned merit recognition.

In nearly two years at London strategic communications agency Freuds, I’ve worked with clients across government, global health, social impact and the arts. Supporting clients such as AstraZenca, BUPA, Cancer Research UK, Deloitte, TikTok and the WHO Foundation has further expanded my global perspective — involving as well the World Economic Forum and the UN General Assembly.

Advice for future applicants: Highlight your achievements, ambitions and unique perspectives. Show how the scholarship will assist your journey and making an impact.

Deana de Menezes, 2022-2023 scholar, Geneva Graduate Institute

Today, Deane de Menezes is an operations analyst at the World Bank’s Gender Innovation Lab, and active as the founder of the India-based non-profit women’s health initiative ‘Red is the New Green’ (RING). At the World Bank her projects help close gender gaps and shape scalable global interventions. She leverages strategic communication to ensure development solutions are both impactful and sustainable.

Following a BSc in math and sciences from St. Xavier’s college in her native Mumbai, she pursued a master's degree in development studies at the Geneva Graduate Institute, supported by the Robert Peterson scholarship. The degree included an exchange semester at the Univervisity of Ghana, working with UNICEF on adolescent girl empowerment. In 2016 she founded RING to tackle period poverty in India through education, product access and sustainable waste management. The initiative was recognized in 2017 with a Queen’s Young Leader Award – presented by the late Queen Elizabeth ll. In 2019, Forbes Asia included Deane in their “30 under 30” list. Her career trajectory also includes research roles at CRISIL and UNCTAD.

https://www.redisthenewgreen.org

Advice for future applicants: Give it your best shot. The Robert Peterson scholarship provides both funds and a rich network of some of the best minds in the communications space.

Shaina Hasan 2019-20 scholar, Geneva Graduate Institute

Shaina Hasan, the inaugural recipient of the Robert Peterson Scholarship, was born and raised in Bihar state in India. Her early life and supportive family fostered her academic ambitions and sense of independence. From an early age she felt a responsibility to maximize the opportunities she was unusually being offered as a girl.

Shaina pursued degrees in economics – earning Scholar’s List recognition – and in media and communications. After private media sector experience in India, she earned a masters degree with distinction in development studies at the London School of Economics, then worked at United Nations offices in Bangkok.

Seeking to increase her econometric skills and opportunities, she enrolled at the Graduate Institute in Geneva, supported by the Robert Peterson scholarship. After completing a PhD in International Economics in 2025, she intends to continue working in international development, where female economists are under-represented. She currently also works with the International Telecommunications Union, helping establish ITU’s Dehli innovation centre.

Advice for applicants: Believe in yourself and highlight your achievements, whether big or small. Her proudest achievement is not her academic medals but a successful campaign advocating for women’s rights in India, which she believes the scholarship jury appreciated.