Valerie Shatilov is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Security Policy Studies at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs and holds Bachelor's degree in International Studies from Fordham University. She has interned and worked for various cross-cultural and non-profit organizations, focusing on transatlantic relations, geopolitical analysis, nuclear weapons and nonproliferation. She has also written a thesis on far-right politics and the rise of right-wing parties in modern Germany.