Erielle Sakrekoff Delzer ’16

I’m Russian-American, born in California, and raised in Dallas, Texas. When I arrived at AUP, I was sure of only one thing: I was going to be an international journalist. After speaking with professional journalists, who advised me to get my BA in an area that would enhance my overall expertise and knowledge, I realized that my cultural background put me in a unique position to help the US while also gaining a better understanding of Russia. I embarked upon a Russian Studies degree, with an International Relations component, which allowed me to spend a summer studying at the European University in Saint Petersburg, Russia, where I was able to bring together my Russian heritage, my American upbringing, and my love for Europe.

The more you put into AUP, the more you get out of it. I remain grateful to the professors and staff members who consistently challenged me and helped me see things from new perspectives, through classroom training, seminars, conferences, lectures, and study trips to incredible places like NATO Headquarters and the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium and UNESCO headquarters in Paris. My friends from high school were lucky if they got to study abroad for a semester or two, while I got to live in Paris, as a local, while also traveling to countries around the world!

Paris is an unbelievably international location and I love how no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you like to do, you’ll always be able to find a niche for yourself here, as well as plenty of opportunities for internships, travel, and language acquisition.

After graduation, I found that my interviewers were eager to discuss my AUP education and had positive reactions to it. I truly think that if I hadn’t gone to AUP, I wouldn’t be where I am today, already working at my dream job! I am now the Russia and France editor with Periscope, the livestreaming app owned by Twitter, where I help curate livestreaming content from the two countries, while also focusing on the Americas, where I’m based. My job requires me to keep on top of constantly changing information, often in different languages and emerging from vastly different cultures. As you can imagine, AUP has prepared me well!