Trayana Kaleycheva

Hometown: Sofia, Bulgaria

MA in Media and Communication Studies

Fulbright Scholarship

Educational and Professional Background

I have a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Sofia University, Bulgaria (culminating in a thesis on propaganda and the persuasion power of media during WWII) and a Master’s in Media Management from The University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. I have just earned my Master’s in General Psychology at Sofia University summa cum laude. Moreover, a holder of the Fulbright scholarship nomination, I was also awarded the Erasmus mobility grant that provided me with the invaluable opportunity to spend a semester at the University of Berlin. Also, I have been working in media for the past ten years, occupying successively the posts of reporter, radio host, editor, blogger, and more recently – digital media and marketing manager.

Research and Teaching Interests

I am currently seeking to obtain a Master's in Media and Communication Studies from Florida State University, specializing in the psychology of digital media use and its effects on individuals, groups, and society as a whole. With this I aim at increasing the awareness about the impact hyperconnectivity – the rising digital interconnectedness of people and things – has on human emotions and behavior, on our psychological well-being, and particularly on our social and adjustment skills. Moreover, I believe that communicating this scientific knowledge to the larger public can bring significant social change – the ultimate goal of the positive media literacy movement I look up to.