Taylor Nydam

Ms. Taylor Nydam received her Bachelor’s in Russian and Homeland Security and a Master’s in National Security Studies from the University of New Hampshire in the United States.Ms. Nydam’s background in Russian and volunteer work resettling refugees from Ukraine into the United States during the Russo-Ukraine war led her to pursue independent research on Russian migration to Kazakhstan. Before being awarded the Fulbright grant, Ms. Nydam was studying in her master’s program and was a research assistant. Ms. Nydam and her master’s research team have recently published an article in the American Intelligence Journal. She aspires to pursue a career in humanitarian policy focused on refugee and migration issues.

Ms. Nydam’s Fulbright project aims to study the impact of the recent influx of Russian migrants, driven by the Russo-Ukraine war, on Kazakhstan’s central cultural value of hospitality. Hospitality is a fundamental element of Central Asian culture, and this research aims to provide insights into how Kazakh society responds to large-scale migration from a nation with which it shares a deep and complex history. Simultaneously, the study explores the role of hospitality in facilitating the integration of Russian migrants into Kazakh society.