Kier learned about the essay contest in Foreign Policy from Professor Prokhorov in the Russian/Post-Soviet Studies Department, who emailed Russian students and encouraged them to apply. She decided to submit an essay, “The United States and Russia Must Work Together on Nuclear,” because she wanted to share her thoughts on nuclear cooperation and nuclear issues generally. Having interned at a nuclear think tank in Moscow and in the United States, this issue is an important one for Kier, who also hosts a podcast about nuclear topics called Big Nuke Energy. Given the pressing nature of nuclear weapons, Kier decided to focus on this topic in her essay.
In the future, she hopes to continue working on both nuclear and Russia issues. Kier is grateful for the continued support from the College she has received in order to pursue both of these interests. She received merit scholarships to study abroad in both Saint Petersburg and Moscow, and has enjoyed being a part of numerous Russian-related activities on campus. She looks forward to using her knowledge and skills she gained at the College in the future.