Anya Tseitlin

Anya Tseitlin graduated from Wellesley College in May 2025 with a degree in Russian language and literature and peace & justice studies. Through her years at Wellesley, as well as a semester-long program in Belgrade, Serbia, studying democratic backsliding and her experience interning at the Children's Law Center of Massachusetts, the Asylum Protection Center, and the Anti-Corruption Foundation, she developed a keen interest in human rights, the roots of violence, and paths to peace. Her undergraduate thesis, titled "Beyond War and Peace: Tolstoy's Theory of Nonviolence," explores the development of Leo Tolstoy's commitment to nonviolence, paying special attention to the 1860s as a formative decade. She was awarded the Kathryn W. Davis Prize for undergraduate research for her presentation on this project at the Davis Center's annual Undergraduate Colloquium in 2025. Through the Americorps Legal Advocates of Massachusetts program, Anya's next step after Wellesley was to serve as the 2025-2026 fellow at Veterans Legal Services in Boston.