about the project

Melissa Randall, an aspiring anthropologist, writer, traveler, and graduate student at NYU, is the Project Manager and Creator of Ukraine Abroad. Melissa was inspired to start this project and apply to graduate school after studying her family genealogy. Her maternal great-grandparents were all Ukrainian and immigrated from Galicia around 1910 to the Philadelphia area. She was particularly motivated by her great-grandmother, Pauline, who left home and traveled around the world to a new country. Pauline passed at just 22 years old during the first pandemic.

With 10+ years of professional experience in writing, websites, and project management in eCommerce, B2B, and higher education, Melissa is pursuing a dual MA in Food Studies and MSLIS in Library Science. She also serves as the Website Copywriter and Content Strategist for New York Film Academy and is a team member of the Hillingdon Food Stories graduate project based out of SOAS University of London. She currently splits her time between Philadelphia and New York.