Yuliya’s long-term vision is to cultivate spaces—both academic and community-based—where social work challenges entrenched systems of violence and advocates for human dignity.

Yuliya Shyrokonis is pursuing a joint PhD in social work and social science at U-M Ann Arbor, where her research examines militarism through the lens of critical military studies. Yuliya’s dissertation interrogates how military norms, institutions, and expenditures are normalized and uplifted—and how they can be challenged—while grounding scholarship in the lived realities of communities most affected by conflict.

Yuliya’s path through graduate school has been marked by resilience. Beginning her program in 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, she navigated remote learning during a time of institutional disruption and limited support. In 2022, the Russian invasion of Ukraine profoundly altered her trajectory. As a first-generation Ukrainian immigrant with deep family ties to the region, Yuliya facilitated the evacuation of her grandparents and other relatives, accompanying them across Europe and ultimately helping them resettle in the United States. This experience sharpened her commitment to research that bridges academic inquiry with lived experience, focusing on alternatives to military solutions.

Family responsibilities continue to shape Yuliya’s perspective. In 2023, she relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to support her refugee grandparents, and in 2025, she helped provide constant care for her grandmother following a traumatic brain injury and stroke. Balancing caregiving with scholarship, she remains committed to completing her dissertation by 2026 and pursuing an academic career in social work, with the goal of teaching, mentoring, and building community-driven research initiatives in Tulsa.

Beyond research, Yuliya is dedicated to public-facing scholarship. She has written op-eds on social work issues, guest lectured on interpersonal violence and militarism, and attended the Communicating Science Conference to strengthen her ability to make research inclusive and accessible. Yuliya’s long-term vision is to cultivate spaces—both academic and community-based—where social work challenges entrenched systems of violence and advocates for human dignity.

CEW+ commends Yuliya for her perseverance and ongoing commitment to human rights and names her a Christine Khan Black Scholar.