Alexandria Stratton is currently a junior at UIUC triple majoring in Political Science, Sociology, and World Literature! Under Prof. Cynthia Buckley’s supervision, Alexandria is now conducting research on Ukrainian migration patterns (the movement of Internally Displaced Persons, IDP in short) since the start of the war. In her research, she specifically looks at male and female comparisons by how the war is impacting both gender groups and their relations with one another. As a part of her study, Alexandria really enjoys going through individual surveys, but it is also the tedious part because she needs to sort through thousands of cells of information regarding changes and shifts in IDP numbers over time.

Alexandria was connected to the research program through her sociology advisor while she already had Prof. Buckley for one of her classes the semester before. Her research is guided and informed by Prof. Buckley’s own research questions and methods. Alexandria’s advice for students that want to get involved with research is to look for faculty members whom you have taken classes with or are familiar with. “Don’t be afraid to talk to them! Have some ideas in mind and go ask them if they would be willing to guide you in your research.” In her free time, Alexandria enjoys painting, reading, and traveling!