Elena Poliakova is a Ph.D. candidate at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. Her primary research interests include the role of language in international business and intercultural negotiations. Elena’s research also explores brand storytelling, cross‐cultural management, international marketing campaigns, and diaspora investment promotion. Her research has been presented at various international conferences and published in academic journals, such as the Journal of International Business Policy and the Journal of Cross-Cultural and Strategic Management. Elena is a recipient of GW-CIBER 2018 and GSU-CIBER 2020 summer scholarships. A native of Moscow, Russia, Elena earned her Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Linguistics at Lomonosov Moscow State University. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked in the spheres of marketing and education in Russia, Germany, and the United States.