Elizabet Valcheva is an M.A. candidate in International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame. She holds a B.A. in political science and journalism from the American University in Bulgaria where she is from. Elizabet has interned with social justice and interfaith NGOs in Cape Town, South Africa, where she took part in gang violence reduction and urban development projects. Throughout her studies, she has also pursued training in human rights with a focus on minority rights. Elizabet's academic and professional interests include gang violence reduction, policy design and advocacy, social movements and political change, and project monitoring and evaluation.