Alumni Stories

Janos Fiala-Butora (LEGS ’04)

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Janos is a human rights lawyer, academic and policy analyst. He currently serves as Director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability’s Central Europe Program. He’s also done stints as visiting lecturer at CEU as well as a resarcher at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA). 

What’s the most rewarding aspect of your current position?

I think of myself as a human rights lawyer, arguing cases before courts. I’m trying to improve people’s lives in some way through human rights, which is a tool CEU gave me.

In Her Own Words: Maria Stanisheva

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Born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria and Kaduna, Nigeria, Maria Stanisheva (POLS' 03) is animation and documentary filmmaker splitting her time between Paris and New York.

In His Own Words: Craig Zelizer

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Craig Zelizer (SOCI '95) studied at the Prague campus during CEU’s early years. He has dedicated his life to being an entrepreneur and to creating a more peaceful world.

In Her Own Words: Elena Popa

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Elena Popa (PHIL '16, Ph.D ) is an Assistant Professor at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA), Kyrgyzstan. She was previously a CEU Global Teaching Fellow at AUCA.

Through the Global Teaching Fellowship Program, a selected group of advanced CEU doctoral candidates and recent doctoral graduates have the opportunity to teach at GTFP Partner Universities for one semester or one academic year. After completing her fellowship Elena was offered a permanent position at AUCA where she teaches philosophy. 

In His Own Words: Farhad Mukhtarov

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Farhad Mukhtarov (ENVS '09, Ph.D; ENVS '05 Msc.) is a public policy scholar specialized in studying water resources and the environment.