Galia Popov graduated in 2019 from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied International Relations and Asian Studies and was awarded departmental honors for her thesis on Chinese nationalism and science fiction. Prior to graduation, she spent two semesters studying and working abroad in Beijing, followed by an internship at the U.S. Consulate in Shanghai. She also spent time in Germany and Bulgaria, visiting family and working on her primary hobby, Olympic-style weightlifting. After graduation, she moved to The Hague and obtained a MSc in International Organization from Leiden University, where her research focused on the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in Bulgaria. At NYU, Galia hopes to pursue international law with a focus on immigration.