Hello! My name is Camilla, and I am a Ph.D candidate in the History Department. I am originally from Moldova, and prior to joining Princeton, I lived and studied in multiple countries. At Princeton, I study the history of the Ottoman Empire and Eastern Europe. In particular, my research focuses on the Orthodox communities and institutions in a trans-imperial context. When not working on my dissertation, I like to spend time working out, cooking, reading books “for fun” (history books that I don’t feel the urge to highlight), and tending to the long-distance relationship with my two cats.

Although, as a graduate peer coach, I will do my best not to impose my own experiences in and outside of grad school on my peers, I believe that these experiences and background are nevertheless formative in my identity as a coach. My graduate school experience is informed by the fact that I am an international student who, before joining Princeton, spent a decade studying, working, and conducting research in six different countries, chasing stipends and opportunities for academic development. Thanks to this experience, I believe I can be a great thinking partner to international students, students in Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as people whose graduate school experience was informed by economic hardship, cultural uprooting, perfectionism, fear of missing out, anxiety, and strife to over-achieve.