Alexander Alon
Hello, my name is Alex Alon. I am a student at California State University, Northridge majoring in biochemistry. My parents immigrated to the United States from the Soviet Union. As a first generation American, I grew up filled with a sense of pride for Russian culture but never became fluent in Russian. To remedy this situation, I began taking Russian classes and joining the STARTALK program. My long-term goal is to become a physician, a field where the more languages you know, the better for your patients. The STARTALK program has absolutely increased my confidence and ability to speak Russian with my family and native speakers in general.
Tai Armstrong
What is language but sounds? Some slightly nuanced yet profound. All while being bound by grammar, until the speaker gains a strong enough vocabulary to operate within the grammatical boundaries and effectively communicate with others. Language is an interesting and intrinsic characteristic of humanity. The sole purpose of language is to express. This is not confined to a simple need or want, and it truly is pervasive in all aspects of life. Humans use language to produce anything from magnificent orchestras to tyrannical governments because they feel that language is the great equalizer that can allow one to simply create what once seemed difficult to even perceive.
When we use language to communicate with others, we are not only showing respect to their native tongue but we are constructing an idea of being able to connect with someone on a deeper level. Language is a mass facilitator of everything, in order for anything to be done it must go through language first. Although it may seem English has become the universal language that everyone should know across all borders it must be noted that it isn’t the only important language in the world.
My name in English is Tai Armstrong, but in Russian its Тай Армстронг. It is through the STARTALK Russian Cultural Immersion program that I have unlocked the ability to speak Russian at a high level than I had before the program. The program forces its residents to speak, read, write, and of course breathe, only in Russian. It is necessary in order to immerse oneself fully and progress well beyond one’s normal limits. I am majoring in linguistics and business administration. I believe that language has an innate beauty, which is why people decide to learn many different tongues. I want to be a master of tongues so I may apply my abilities in International Business. I have significantly increased my knowledge of Russian culture, behavior, and vocabulary. This program is one of the best choices for personal development and Russian language development. If anyone is seeking a program that can take their Russian to the next level, look no further.
Jason Bellmore
Здравствуйте! My name is Jason Bellmore. I’m from California, and I currently attend CSUN, majoring in Construction Management with a minor in Russian. Before taking this program, I had taken two semesters of Russian at CSUN with Dina Mokhnatkin. Other than that, I had no exposure to Russian before college; the only other language learning I had done was 4 years of high school Spanish. I am very glad that I was able to be in this program because it has dramatically improved my Russian and it has been enjoyable and inspiring. I have also learned about Russia’s fascinating culture and history. I am not sure specifically what career path I want, but I am sure that knowing another language will be a valuable skill. Большое спасибо to the STARTALK Program for giving me this opportunity.
Ekaterina Boucher
Major: Russian Language
College: University of Iowa
I was adopted from Pskov, Russia when I was about 11 months old and I've grown up wanting to learn more about the country where I came from as an infant. I have always found the idea of speaking another language incredibly fascinating because it is something that connects us as human beings; everyone is communicating the same way speaking another language. I have always been interested in the Russian language, history and culture. I have been most fortunate to meet and work with many people who are from Russia who have helped me learn more about this amazing country. If you ask me what fascinates me the most about Russia, it is the people that bring the country together as well as the pure joy that a Russian has when they get to speak about their beautiful country of Mother Russia.
I plan to use the Russian language in the future to become an interpreter where I can travel and meet fascinating people around the world. I also want to become a role model for the younger generation of individuals in America and all over the world who want to learn how to speak Russian! My main career goal would be to attain a leadership role, increase my connections internationally and just enjoy meeting new people and sharing our culture and language and always learning new things about people, language and culture.
The STARTALK Program has been absolutely amazing for me. I am from Texas originally and I have studied the Russian language in Texas, Minnesota, Iowa, and I had the wonderful opportunity of traveling to California to participate in this program. I always love it when I can meet other people my age with the same desire to learn this wonderful language no matter what state they come from. The immersion is absolutely amazing and I love it when I can recognize that I am learning and actually understanding Russian! With the full immersion of the Russian language at the STARTALK Program, I also had the opportunity to travel to many places in California. I never imagined than the Russian culture was so gigantic in California and I was able to witness beautiful museums, Orthodox churches and even visit an area with actual Russian stores! I enjoy having the opportunity to speak only Russian all day to my classmates and professors, expanding my knowledge of the Russian culture and language one day at a time. These are the days that I will remember for the rest of my life and always look back on when I become an interpreter internationally. It is a challenge to put yourself out there to learn a new language at this age, and to see and witness and even feel all the dedication in the students and teachers gets me excited for my future and career. I was able to do what I love most with this amazing group of people, which is speaking Russian.
Elijah Cohen
Здравствуйте! My name is Elijah and I just graduated from Biola University with a degree in Intercultural Studies. I was introduced to Russian as a junior in college. At first, I just needed to choose a language to study at school, but I quickly fell in love with the language and the culture.
My plan is to continue studying Russian language and culture, hopefully with a Fulbright Scholarship, with the end result being working for an international non-profit that addresses peacebuilding issues. I am particularly interested in inter-denominational conflict in Russia and intercultural and inter-religious conflict in Israel. Israel has a very large Russian-speaking population and I hope to use my abilities in Russian to improve my impact in the nonprofit world I’m moving toward.
I have learned so much in this program and I would recommend anyone who wants to learn Russian to apply without hesitation!
Margarita Delcheva
Margarita Delcheva is a graduate student in Comparative Literature at UC Santa Barbara, where she was the 2017-18 Writing and Literature Fellow at the College of Creative Studies. Margarita’s research interests include Russian Absurdism, Russian poetry, poetics, conceptual art, and unofficial Eastern European art during the Cold War. She has taught at New York University, UC Santa Barbara, The City University of New York, and others. Margarita also holds an MFA in Creative Writing from New York University. Her recent poetry has been published in Drunken Boat, NAT. BRUT, BOMB Magazine, and Brooklyn Poets Anthology. Documentation of her performance art has been included in Emergency (Performance) Index 2016. Her poetry collection, Kontsert za Osem Prusta, was published in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 2010. Margarita plans to use Russian in her doctoral research and future teaching opportunities.
Ivy Donley
My name is Ivy Donley, and I am an undergraduate student of Brandeis University, where I am pursuing majors in Politics, Global Studies, and Russian, as well as a minor in Peace Studies. I began studying Russian four years ago, when I moved abroad to Armenia for two years to study at the United World College of Dilijan. At the time, my only intention was to study a language that would be useful to me in my new home, as well as one that would have been more difficult to learn in the United States.
However, while I lived in Armenia I discovered my passion for Peace, Conflict, and Coexistence Studies, and the language I was learning took on new meaning. I intend to work to transform international and interethnic conflict, potentially as a diplomat, and I hope to use my knowledge of Russian to further these goals. STARTALK has helped me to communicate more comfortably and confidently in Russian; where before I could hold basic conversations, now I can discuss my plans and aspirations for the future, in a language I hope to then be using.
Dalton Heffernen
The STARTALK Russian Immersion program at CSUN has been a great experience all around. I have increased my skills greatly in speaking and understanding the language. The program has helped a lot with speaking which I have had little practice outside of my classes. I have also gained a useful amount of vocabulary and I know the structures of the language a lot better since not everything translates word for word. Other things that have become more ingrained and easier are the conjugation of verbs and the declension of nouns and adjectives in speaking and writing. I have learned a lot more about the culture as well through many activities. This kind of experience is not common and I am glad that I was accepted.
Haley Hsu
My name is Haley Hsu, and I am an uprising sophomore at the University of Southern California with a major in Mathematics and a minor in Linguistics.
My journey with Russian began in high school. I was first interested in taking the language because of my love for the cartoon film "Anastasia," not realizing just how incredible and enriching the Russian language and culture truly are. I continued my studies as I began attending USC, where I had some of the best (and very persistent) professors from our Slavic Department inspire me.
Before attending this program, I was anxious. I was unsure of what kind of "weirdos" would sacrifice six weeks of their summer to studying Russian; however, I soon discovered these "weirdos" were some of the most intelligent and dedicated professors and students I have ever had the chance to work with. From studious scholars to talented TA's to passionate professors, our common strive and dedication quickly shaped our group's dynamic, enabling each of us to contribute benefits to this unique program.
STARTALK at CSUN has been such an incredible experience. I hope that the program continues to prosper and allow students the opportunity to expand their knowledge and love to Russian, as it has allowed me to do this summer.
Yiting “Voz” Liu
My name is Voz Yiting Liu. I am a Linguistics major currently studying at Pasadena City College. I first became interested in the Russian language because it is the mother tongue of my Godmother. To better understand and communicate with her, I embarked upon the journey of learning this wonderful language.
I plan on pursuing a career in freelance journalism, with hopes of become a newscaster sometime in the future. Because Russia is still very much a modern day superpower and a country rich in culture, history and global impact, improving my Russian language is a crucial part in my long-term ambitions.
My experience at STARTALK has been absolutely wonderful. Given the intensive nature of STARTALK, I felt extremely productive and immersed throughout the entire duration of the 6-week program. With extremely competent teachers and staff, highly motivated peers, and a rigorous curriculum, STARTALK is absolutely one of the best experiences I have ever had the privilege of being a part of. I strongly recommend this program to any serious student of the Russian language, and I know they will share my sentiments exactly.
Eugene Moon
Greetings, my name is Eugene Moon. I have been interested in the Russian language for a long time since I was a child. However, I never had the opportunity to formally learn the language as I had largely taught myself how to read and write Cyrillic and listening to a couple of Russian music. It was after my visit to Almaty in Kazakhstan that it greatly influenced me and strongly shifted my interest in learning the Russian language. Not only am I interested in learning the language, I am also interested in the music, culture, and history of Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and the Caucasus, which has been greatly influenced by Russian culture and language, as Russian remains the primary language of communication.
Music, culture, history, and language are the subjects I have studied and read for leisure and they have propelled my interest towards Ethnomusicology, which is like cultural anthropology with music. My goal now is to apply for a graduate program in Ethnomusicology. I have looked at schools that specialize in that program and the program directors recommended me to study music and language. What better school to take classes in both music and Russian than Pasadena City College? I was thrilled to discover that school is one of the few schools that teaches Russian and I have discovered the STARTALK Program through both Tatiana Chapman and Dina Mokhnakhina. They have been both supportive and helpful in teaching the classes the grammar, structure, and intricacies of the Russian language, which I admit is not a simple feat. However, the complexity and expressiveness of the language makes it both soulful and creative. I am most grateful for them informing me and helping me to get into the STARTALK Program, as I was able to utilize the language I learned and passively absorbed throughout these years on a day-to-day basis. I have acquired a better understanding of the grammar, comprehension, and speaking that I can converse in sentences rather than just a phrase. I have also learned about the aspects of Russian culture and daily lives of the people as well.
STARTALK is a great language learning and immersion program that no one should miss. I plan to utilize the language in not only my studies, but also when I travel and work within areas of my interest of ethnomusicology as well as in other parts of Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Sharing the music, culture, and history of the region to people unfamiliar with them is my goal and a better way to serve as a bridge between two worlds is through the Russian language.
Aaron Murphy
Привет! I’m from Louisville, Kentucky and study mathematics at the University of Louisville. I am also a Kentucky Governor Scholar and Kentucky Commonwealth Ambassador. I became interested in Russian at first because it was the first foreign language I heard in several games I played and the interest stuck to me. I am also required to take up to an intermediate level of a foreign language at my university so of course I chose Russian. Another language I would like to learn is German, mainly because I already have a very small footing in it. Being a mathematics major, I could use the Russian language for purposes such as government or business and work with international programs and business. I could also use it to be either a tutor for struggling Russian students in my community or even work as a teacher and serve as a local translator. The STARTALK Program is an excellent program for individuals wanting to learn a language. Its great learning from native speakers and the immersive properties really show in our ability to speak and understand the language. I’ve noticed myself that I began making fewer and fewer mistakes as time passed. We are also surrounded by a many nice individuals with a wide range of ability.
Hannah Rachlis
Hi! My name is Hannah Rachlis and I am from Chicago, Illinois. I am currently a sophomore at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. In Urbana-Champaign, I am pursuing majors in Environmental Studies and Russian. I see these drastically differing majors as intrinsically connected because when I graduate, I plan to devote my time to striving to alleviate environmental issues within Eastern Europe. This would not be possible without a working knowledge of the Russian language. Besides my professional interest, I am also personally connected to this language because not only my family but also my boyfriend are fluent speakers. I want to be able to connect to the people closest to me in their native tongue, while also being able to effectively communicate with locals in trying to find the best solutions for environmental concerns within their community.
Mariam Roe
My name is Mariam Roe and I am a student at Southern Utah University majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in Russian ballet training and ballet pedagogy. After studying ballet in Russia for over a year, I was looking for a summer program where I could continue to advance my skills in Russian. The STARTALK Russian Program at CSUN was just what I was looking for. This immersion style program has helped me to improve my Russian speaking skills. After this program, I intend to return to Russia to continue my ballet studies.
Megan Ryan
Привет! My name is Megan Ryan and I am from Rockford, Illinois. I just graduated from the University of Iowa, where I studied History, Russian & East European Studies, Ancient Civilizations, and Museum Studies. After completing the STARTALK Program, I will be continuing my education as I pursue my MA in Russian & East European Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I was mostly attracted to the Russian language due to my desire to study the history of Russia, but I also love to read classic Russian literature (Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Gogol, Chekov, Pushkin), watch Russian TV shows (Кухня), and listen to Russian music (Кино, Наутулус Помпулус). I hope to use my language skills to work as an archivist or curator working with Slavic materials in a library or museum someday, but I am also interested in diplomacy work. I want to improve international relations by communicating information about Russia to the next generation of Americans. Regardless of where I end up working, I'm excited to better my Russian language skills in order to better understand a people with whom Americans have become so estranged.
Joseph Shanahan
Hello, my name is Joseph Shanahan; I go by Joe. I was born in Virginia, spent my younger years in Maryland, and graduated high school in Pennsylvania. I was in Boy Scouts in my youth, on the swim team and in choir in high school. I am a huge hockey fan and Washington Capitals fan. I currently attend University of Iowa and I am entering my fourth year of college. I am an economics and Russian major.
After I graduated high school, I attended my local community college in Gettysburg, PA. I had no idea what I wanted to do or be. I knew I had to do more and be more. Attending community college was one of the best experiences of my life. I had great professors and teachers that believed in me. Even though I still did not know what to do, I was growing. I took an economics class because it fulfilled a general education requirement. I loved it. My professor was powerful and truthful.
After three semesters at community college, I transferred to University of Iowa. At University of Iowa, I still did not know what I wanted to do but I continued with economics. I took Russian because it was a general education requirement and I thought why not? University of Iowa has been an immense learning and growing experience. Russian has challenged me the most in my academic pursuits, but it has been a greatly rewarding. I'm eager to work hard and see what the future hopes.
Bobby Simmons
My name is Bobby Simmons; at the time of writing I am twenty years old and a sophomore studying at the University of Mississippi. I am a member of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College and the Croft Institute for International Studies there as well. Through Croft I am working towards a major in International Studies; its foreign language requirement pushed me to study Russian, as well as to seek out this fantastic program. I would very much like to work for the federal government in some capacity, and I feel that proficiency in Russian will be a useful asset for such a career. Being involved in the STARTALK Program has certainly accelerated my linguistic goals, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone looking to learn improve their skill in Russian.
Gianni Sottung
Hello everyone, my name is Gianni Sottung. I am currently attending California State University Long Beach in order to obtain a degree in criminal justice and a minor in Russian language. For a long time, I have been very interested in Russian history, culture, and music and I plan to use the Russian language in my career as a law enforcement officer or FBI agent. I hope to make a difference in the lives of crime victims while potentially working with Russian speaking communities in the United States. STARTALK was a fantastic opportunity to learn Russian and I know I will keep what I have learned here, and the new memories I have made while at the program close to me in life.
Alexander Wheeler
I was born and raised in Mississippi. I was home-schooled for most of my education, but in the tenth grade, I applied and was accepted to the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science (MSMS). MSMS is a public residential high school for academically gifted students in the eleventh and twelfth grades. It was at MSMS that I began studying Russian. I have a desire to become a polyglot and learning Russian was on my bucket list so I decided to take it. I graduated from MSMS in 2017 and went on to study at the University of New Orleans. My major is naval architecture and marine engineering, and I have minors in mathematics and computer science. My goal is to pursue a career in autonomous ships. I believe that having a knowledge of Russian will allow me to better communicate with other researchers and clients. I really appreciate the opportunity I have been given to continue my education at the STARTALK Program, as my university doesn’t offer Russian courses. It was the only program of its kind I would be able to attend. I really enjoy being able to speak in Russian with the other students at the program and learning about everyone’s backgrounds as we came from all over the country.
Mackenzie Yanez
My name is Mackenzie. I am majoring in Criminal and Justice Studies with a minor in Russian language and Cultural Studies at California State University, Northridge. I became interested in learning Russian because of my current job. I work as a lifeguard and swim instructor and where I work there are many Russian speaking staff and members. Learning Russian would have me become a more efficient employee as well as provide a service to my community. I plan on working for the government after college. A dream job of mine is to work for the United Nations. I know Russian is a highly sought after skill in my career field and I plan to use it to my advantage. I plan to work for the naval police force in San Francisco or the naval criminal investigative service.
The STARTALK Program has been incredibly helpful. I entered this program with a very minimal understanding of the Russian language and I can already see a vast improvement in my language skills. I can read and write in cursive in the Russian language and read at a significantly higher level than before. I recommend this program to anyone who wants to improve their language skills.