Nikolai studies Sino-American relations and East Asian nationalism in the Global Business and Finance concentration. Prior to MSFS, Nikolai received his B.A. in East Asian Languages and Civilizations from the University of Chicago. His program of study, including various foreign stints and travels, has contributed to his overall approach as a comparativist and contextualist.

As an undergraduate, he had the opportunity to study abroad on several occasions, starting with the State Department’s critical languages program where he spent in the industrial hub of Zhuhai, studying Mandarin and living with a host family. He also studied in Beijing (summer 2014), Hangzhou (summer 2016), and Hong Kong (summer 2018). A Vienna program on human rights in spring quarter 2018 further piqued his interest in the field of international law and justice.

Nikolai grew up in Washington, D.C.. He has studied an array of languages including Mandarin, Cantonese, Russian, Danish and German. His hobbies include cartography, bullet-journaling, and tennis.

"I chose the MSFS program because I believed it would be an ideal place for me to learn more and to excel in the service of others. The program allows me to pursue the study of comparative contexts, which lends itself to more robust critical thinking and deeper appreciation of what can unite humanity."