By Caleb Mulugeta, Undergraduate student in the UT Government Department and Economics Department
If I had to use one word to describe my time in Armenia, it would be resilience. I do not mean resilience on my part, but rather the resilience of the Armenian people. Armenians have repeatedly been dealt a difficult hand by history, enduring systematic attacks on their culture and attempts to eradicate their presence from portions of their ancestral homeland. For centuries, Armenians have faced invasion, foreign domination, and political upheaval while nevertheless preserving a distinct language, faith, and cultural heritage. My work with the NDI Armenia placed that resilience on full display by allowing me to engage with different parts of Armenian society through election observation, public opinion research, discussions with parliamentary staff and civil society representatives, and my own research into parliamentary oversight of the executive.
Continue reading Building Parliamentary Oversight in Armenia →
By Meera R Hatangadi, Graduate of the UT International Relations and Global Studies Department and Plan II Honors
While Armenia was completely new to me before starting this program, I left Armenia with reminiscences of fascinating work, warm colleagues, gorgeous landscapes, beautiful culture, and memories to last a lifetime. As a part of the Embedded Scholars program, my fellow scholars and I interned with NDI Armenia. We had the privilege of not only working alongside intelligence and dedicated NDI employees, but also being able to have unique interactions with democratic institutions in Armenia.
Continue reading Elections and the Future of Democracy in Armenia →
Three 2026 Embedded Scholars spent their summer internships aiding democratic efforts in Yerevan, Armenia, where they observed elections, analyzed public opinion data, worked with the Armenian Parliament and civil society, and researched a range of democracy issues at the National Democratic Institute in Armenia.
Continue reading NDI Armenia Team Wraps Up Summer Internships →
By Eva White, Undergraduate student in the UT Slavic and Eurasian Studies Department and Government Department
Having long been immersed in academic study of the post-Soviet space, interested in energy policy and nuclear transition, and seeking to grow my Russian language skills in an immersive environment, I was completely thrilled to be selected for the National Democratic Institute’s fellowship program in Yerevan, Armenia. I boarded the plane, a 23-hour travel day ahead of me, excited to address challenges to democratization and explore international relations and domestic politics in Armenia as an NDI research fellow. Beyond that, I hoped to have the opportunity to nurture my personal academic interest in energy security. Concomitantly, I was looking forward to diving into the history, culture, and atmosphere of a region entirely new to me and learning as much as possible outside of the office as well.
Continue reading Democracy and Energy in the Former Soviet Union →
The University of Texas at Austin’s Embedded Scholars program is sending its 2026 cohort to the Balkans, Eurasia, and Latin America this summer to support democracy and electoral assistance programs abroad this summer. In Latin America, the fellows will work in the CID Gallup headquarters in Panama, and in International IDEA’s Chile Country Office. In the Balkans and Eurasia, the fellows will work with the National Democratic Institute’s offices in Albania, Armenia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Ukraine.
Continue reading 2026 Embedded Scholars Head to Balkans, Eurasia, Latin America →
A research exchange program at the University of Texas at Austin supporting student work abroad in democratic and constitutional development