My name is Maria Kardashevskaya but I go by the name Masha. I am a PhD Candidate in Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of Manitoba, Canada. My research topic is about the gendered nature of nonviolent resistance. I have been involved with the work of activist organizations since graduating with my MA but later I decided to pursue a PhD due to my deep desire to learn more and my passion for constructive social change. I am hoping to graduate in October 2020. I believe that this opportunity with WLUML will be another great learning experience for me. It is an honour for me to work for an activist organization that promotes the values I cherish. Feminism has been playing an important role throughout my activist life since I first got exposed to it through a friend of mine, while working in West Papua. Today, feminism is very personal to me, it inspires me to question the assumptions that I grew up with and that have been passed onto me possibly trans-generationally. Constructive (or maybe a feminist) social change for me is fundamentally about a cultural change and I hope to contribute to this and also develop a deeper understanding of this through my experience with WLUML.