Majors: Global Studies and Russian
Minors: Spanish and Political Science
Year: Senior
Hometown: Alma, NE
Why did you select your majors and minors?
When I was in high school, my family hosted exchange students from Kazakhstan and Ukraine. They both spoke Russian and I became very interested in the language, their cultures, and that region of the world in general. In 2019 I traveled to Kazakhstan and I really loved it. That is when I knew I wanted to major in Russian.
I have also always had a fascination with Spanish and Latin America. I took Spanish in high school and traveled to Peru in 2018. I declared Spanish as a minor my sophomore year because I realized how useful Spanish is in the workforce. However, since returning to learning Spanish, I have become more connected to Latin American cultures, especially Argentinian culture, and I absolutely love it. Majoring in global studies and minoring in political science has given me a broader perspective of Eurasia and Latin America. In my Russian and Spanish classes we learn about the regions from a cultural standpoint, but global studies and political science helped me learn more about the cause-effect relationships of these regions and the USA.
What is your favorite course you have taken?
My favorite course was Russian 301: Russian through art. In this course we discussed Russian art movements and learned about famous Russian paintings. We also learned Russian vocabulary through hands-on art projects and created artwork using virtual reality.
Who have been some of your strongest mentors or role models here?
My strongest mentor has definitely been my Russian professor Dr. Olha Tytarenko. She loves all of the students in the program and provides all of us with amazing opportunities. She has such a huge passion for the program and puts so much work into all of her students. Thanks to her I have surpassed my expectations for myself that I had my freshman year.
Another mentor has been Dr. Emira Ibrahimpasic. She has been advising me with my thesis and has encouraged me to apply for scholarships such as the Critical Language Scholarship. She is an incredible and passionate professor.
Research / Internship Experience:
I'm currently working on my undergraduate thesis about the Ashkenazi (Russian) Jews in Argentina. I love this topic because it combines my two regions of interest. I'm writing a historical analysis and analyzing the sociopolitical factors that led to anti semitism in Argentina. When I return to Buenos Aires in December, I am planning on conducting a few interviews.
I had an internship with Lincoln Literacy last spring. I was teaching English to Ukrainian and Russian immigrants here in Lincoln. Since their English level was novice, I had to use Russian to communicate ideas across and so they could make connections with English in their mother tongue. Majoring in Russian/Global studies helped not only with the language aspect, but helped me with cross-cultural communication.
Study Abroad Experience:
I studied abroad in Argentina in the Summer of 2022. It was absolutely incredible. I wanted to improve my speaking skills, so I was taking intensive Spanish language courses. It was difficult but I am so glad that I did it. Now I can speak Spanish with confidence and I tackled some of the most difficult aspects of the language. I loved exploring Buenos Aires and I also had the opportunity to travel to Uruguay. I fell in love with the Argentinian culture and dialect and I'm planning to return in December for the entirety of winter break.
I was supposed to study abroad in Russia in 2021 because I won the Critical Language Scholarship, but because of COVID the instruction was via Zoom. It was still an amazing experience and I would encourage everybody to apply.
Other Involvement:
Currently I am on the executive board of the Russian club. I help coordinate our events and lead our weekly discussion hour. I am also in the Peace Corps Prep program and have been involved in Model United Nations.
Post Graduation Plans:
I have a few plans after graduation. I recently applied for a Fulbright scholarship to teach English in Kazakhstan. If I win, I will spend about ten months there. However, I have plans to go to graduate school whether I win Fulbright or not. I would like to study International Relations and/or Russian. Over all, I would love to work for the Foreign Service in Public Diplomacy.
