Madalina Gilca is a first-year MA student at Columbia University, pursuing a degree in Regional Studies — Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe (MARS-REERS). She grew up in Moldova and graduated with a double major in Philosophy and English and Comparative Literature and a minor in History from the American University of Cairo (AUC). Her current academic interests include the formation of national identity in Moldova and Romania, particularly as it manifests in fiction, and exploring postcolonial frameworks for formerly Soviet countries by drawing parallels between their historical experiences and those of former colonies.