Cohort 2019 - Students

Madina Azamova

Hello, my name is Madina Azamova. My last name kind of hints at my background. I was born in Uzbekistan and attended school in Russian until fourth grade before my family moved to the United States. After moving here, I completely abandoned Russian speaking Uzbek at home and English at school. Currently, I am a rising junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in International Relations and Spanish. After a decade of abandoning Russian, I decided to revisit the language. I wanted to participate in CSUN’s Russian Language and Culture Immersion Program to enhance my Russian and know more than just the basics. When I tell someone I know Russian, I want to truly mean it. I want to be able to utilize Russian to express my thoughts fully and clearly not only in everyday life, but in politics, business, and in all other aspects of life.

My long- term goal is to work as an international business lawyer a career in which effective communication with your clients is essential. In the international arena, knowing Russian is strategic because it’s the most widespread language in Eurasia and the second most widespread language on the Internet after English. Not to mention that it is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. The STARTALK program has helped me to regain my confidence in speaking Russian, and I can’t wait to read “Crime and Punishment” in Russian. Even more than being strategic, Russian challenges me to keep on learning. As Basil Lanneau Gildersleeve said, “It is astonishing how much enjoyment one can get out of a language that one understands imperfectly.”

Jason Bellmore

Здравствуйте! My name is Jason Bellmore. I’m from California and I currently attend California State University Northridge (CSUN), majoring in Construction Management with a minor in Russian. I have previously taken three semesters of Russian Language classes at CSUN with Dina Mokhnatkin. This is my second year in STARTALK and I am very grateful for the opportunity to return. Before college, I had no experience with Russian but discovered my interest when I took my first Russian class.  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. In addition to the language, I  have also learned about Russia’s fascinating culture, and history. Knowing Russian will be a major benefit to my future career.  Болшое спасибо to The Startalk Program and Dina Mokhnatkin for giving me this opportunity.

Max Brady

Hello, my name is Max Brady. I attend the University of Louisville, majoring in International Affairs and minoring in Russian. The STARTALK program has been immensely helpful in my Russian skills, as thus far I have only taken two semesters. Through a scholarship program at my college, I work graveyard shift at the airport every night, so I do not have the opportunity to fully focus on the language. Fortunately, this program has propelled me forward in my fluency and comprehension an unbelievable amount considering the short duration of five weeks. I wholeheartedly recommend this program to anyone who considers learning the language, despite any perceived lack of proficiency or experience. I thank STARTALK, Professors Dina Mokhnatkin and Ksenia Pavlova, and my fellow students for this unique experience, and look forward to using my skills in my future government career.

Christopher Evan Clark

I am a rising senior at the University of Louisville, although my hometown is Owensboro, Kentucky. At my university, I am pursuing three majors – History, Spanish, and an individualized major in International Relations. Russian classes form one of the components of my International Relations major. My interest in learning Russian goes back to the first year of my studies at the University of Louisville when my growing interest in Russian politics and Russian-American relations motivated me to begin studying Russian independently. I knew that if I learned Russian, I would not only be able to travel throughout the Russian-speaking world, but also would wield immensely valuable knowledge of a critical language that would open numerous doors for future opportunities. For instance, I would like to study both International Relations and international law after my undergraduate studies are complete. Advanced skills in Russian would be an excellent asset in a career as an international lawyer, a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. State Department, or as a university professor of International Relations. Having studied Spanish since middle school and French during my senior year of high school, I also wanted to challenge myself by learning a language that many consider to be difficult for native English speakers to learn and that makes extensive use of grammatical cases.

After taking two years of Russian at my university, I applied for the STARTALK Russian Language and Culture Immersion Program this year, knowing the program would offer me a unique immersion experience that would consolidate my Russian skills and greatly improve them. Now that I have been able to practice Russian extensively and daily through Russian lessons and dialogues about culture and schools, my Russian vocabulary has widened and diversified, and my grasp of the Russian cases is steadily improving. Cultural activities in which I have been able to make blini with the other student participants, attend a Russian Orthodox Church service, and visit the Los Angeles County Museum of Art have enriched both my experience here and my knowledge of Russian culture. They have also helped me consolidate what I have learned in my STARTALK class and have provided me an opportunity to practice my Russian with the other students in a vibrant cultural context.

The STARTALK program has not only exceeded my expectations, it has also connected me to a new group of friends who share my passion and dedication to both language learning and international careers. I am grateful for all of the excellent activities and classes throughout this program, and I am now more determined than ever to continue to hone my Russian knowledge so I may apply the language in my future career. If you are a high-achieving student who loves to study Russian and who plans to use it in your future studies and your career, I trust you will find this STARTALK program to be just as valuable of a language-learning experience for you as it has been for me.

Josephine Claus

My name is Josephine Claus. I am a first-year Masters Candidate studying German Theater, Literature, and Russian at California State University, Long Beach. I have been dancing Ballet for 6 years and received my point shoes five years ago. There are five methods of schooling and technique training in Ballet, and my primary interest lies in the Vaganova method (or Russian School). I appreciate the Vaganova method for the types of strong, beautiful dancers it trains, as well as for the structure it teaches.

I began learning Russian because of my interest in structure and grammar. My continued interests in the language stem from curiosity about the cultural connections between Russian and German. I hope to create art and theater productions incorporating Russian and German themes and approaches. 

Kieran Fendt

I am a student at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee studying art history and Russian with minors in comparative literature and Arabic. Growing up bilingual in English and Japanese, I have always had an interest in language and decided to pursue Russian during my undergraduate studies. Returning to the language after several semesters without formal language instruction has been difficult, but the rigorous language instruction and the cultural immersion have been immensely helpful. The STARTALK program has been an excellent opportunity to improve my speaking and listening skills and meet other Russian learners from across the country.

Tarik Germovic

Здравствуйте! My name is Tarik Germovic and I am currently a student at the University of Iowa. I am studying Russian and Spanish with a minor in translation. This will be my last year at the university this fall. I chose to study Russian because I have always been interested in other Slavic languages. At home, my family and I speak Bosnian which is what sparked my interest in Russian. Throughout this program, I have noticed that my speaking abilities have grown tremendously and I have much more confidence maintaining a fluid conversation in Russian. My reading and writing skills have also reached a higher level than they were when I first came to CSUN STARTALK. I have met some great people during my time with this program and have also really connected with my professors as well. This program will definitely help me in the future with my career as a translator and other pursuits with Russian language, culture and people.

Zahra Ghannadian

My name is Zahra Ghannadian, but I go by “Zara.” I just graduated from San Diego State University with majors in Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Russian. In fall 2019, I will start my master’s degree in Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh.

After going to an international high school where it was common for students to speak up to three languages, I made it a goal to use my time in college to learn a new language. I initially picked Russian because it was a critical language, but continued studying it because I really felt that the Russian language and culture resonated with me.

I’m very interested in social inequality, and in the future, I would like to work for an NGO or an international organization in Russia or Eastern Europe or to conduct research on the region. The invaluable instruction I received through STARTALK will help me better serve the populations I work with by being able to more effectively communicate with them and to take Russian/Slavic culture into consideration when working on matters of policy.

My time at CSUN, called “C-Sun” by the locals, has been a great experience, even if that sounds cliche. It’s been incredibly fun to spend five weeks with helpful instructors and a cool group of students who all share my interest in Russian. My favorite activity has been speaking Russian together in public and eliciting strange looks from passersby. I would do it all over again next year if I hadn't only heard about this program as a senior.

Robert Herrin

Hello, I'm Robert Herrin. I'm a Political Science and Russian Major at UCLA. I began trying to study Russian in high school with a friend but never learned more than a few words. When I went to Pasadena City College I learned that they had a Russian program, and began taking all the classes that they offered. I plan to keep taking all the Russian classes that I can possibly take, and participate in UCLA's Russian Flagship study abroad program. In the future, I plan on going to law school and studying international law. I hope to work for either the State Department or for a private business firm. 

Jessica Juarez

My name is Jessica Juarez and this year I graduated from California State University, Northridge with a B.A in History and a minor in Jewish Studies. I am fluent in English and Spanish, and also studying Arabic and Russian. I chose to apply to the STARTALK Program because immersion is the best way to learn a language; and also, the fact that it’s free. I am very happy to have been a part of STARTALK, I’ve met great instructors and new life-long friends.

My long-term goal is to join the Foreign Service to become an FSO and serve in countries where my language skills are an important asset. I believe life should be spent enhancing one’s knowledge whether that is through learning a new sport, history, or learning an entirely new language. My short-term goal is to go to graduate school in the fall of 2020 and pursue my master’s in International Affairs. I am one hundred percent determined to become one of the best international diplomats and make an impact in the world.

Nadia Matin

My name is Nadia Matin, and I am a rising sophomore at Vanderbilt University studying English and Russian. After reading the works Russian writers such as Nabokov, Tolstoy, and Dostoevsky, I found myself obsessed with the soulful content and stunning phrasing in even the translations of these Slavic stories, which inevitably led to a desire to learn more about the Russian language and culture. My own writing, previously published in the Blotter Literary Magazine and the Jellyfish Review, is continually strengthened by reading writers whose style and content I love. Learning the Russian language was the next step in improving my voice, and has given me the opportunity to work with intelligent and fascinating people. Teachers and students at my university as well as those here at STARTALK have pushed me to write better fiction and have given me a wonderful community along the way.

Jadie Minhas

Всем привит, my name is Jadie Minhas or Жади which is my Russian nickname. I am a student at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. However, I am from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and as one of the biggest cities in the U.S. I grew up with a constant exposure to and an interest in a variety of cultures. I studied German and Italian in high school and when I got to college, I decided to study Russian due to the increasing political interest in it and the historical precedence of Russian being a vital language to know in international relations. 

I studied Russian for two and a half years and even spent a semester abroad in Saint Petersburg, Russia last fall. I joined the STARTALK program to help upkeep my language skills since I haven’t consistently spoken or studied Russian since I left Russia in December. I hope to work in international relations and political one day, for the State Department or another branch of the government and Russian is a critical language to know in this sphere. The STARTALK program has reinforced my ability to speak Russian and increased my confidence and vocabulary of more nuanced and everyday jargon that native speakers know."

Lucien O’Brien

My name is Lucien O’Brien. I am a freshman majoring in Political Science and Russian Language at Macalester College. I became interested in learning Russian through my interest in Russian film and current events. In addition, I believe that reaching proficiency in Russian language will open a wide variety of doors within my career field.

The STARTALK Russian Immersion Program has been extremely helpful in my pursuit of proficiency. Even after a few weeks, I feel that my skills have increased drastically, and, in turn, my confidence. I am now able to engage in many practical conversations, and, by spending so much time with native/experienced speakers, my listening comprehension is much higher than I had anticipated it would be at this point in my Russian language journey. I am very grateful for the opportunity I have been given and would recommend this program to anyone wishing to further their Russian skills. 

Rebecca Kerns

Hi, my name is Rebecca Kerns. I am an undergraduate student from Massachusetts majoring in Russian and Psychology at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota. My research interests include the cultural and ecological impacts of Sovietization in Central Asia, propaganda studies, and diplomatic relations between Russia and the Nordic states. I’m also really interested in the works of Isaak Babel, Vladimir Nabokov, and Elena Shvarts.

Amelia Parkes

Всем привет! I am a rising junior at the University of South Carolina majoring in Russian and French. I started studying Russian with a tutor when I was in high school and have never looked back. I am currently planning to pursue a career as an academic librarian specializing in Russian literature. So, as you probably guessed, I love literature, and my Russian literature classes have been some of my favorite classes in college. Reading and discussing the great works of Russian literature in their original language is on my bucket list, and I definitely think STARTALK has helped me get closer to reaching that goal.

During my freshman year of college, I was not able to take any Russian language courses, and in that time, I lost so much of what I had known. When sophomore year came around and I took my first college Russian language class, I really felt just how much I had forgotten. While my classes helped refresh my memory, I lacked conversational skills because I have always been shy about speaking in Russian. Participating in the STARTALK program has significantly improved my listening comprehension and broadened my vocabulary, but most importantly I am now more comfortable speaking in Russian. 

Moah Pollas

I am a senior International Relations major and Russian minor at Howard University. I study Russian language because it is beautiful and challenging. I plan to continue my Russian studies in the future and study abroad. STARTALK has given me a truly life-changing experience. This program has pushed me and motivated me to never stop learning. This program has shown me what I am capable of and stretched my Russian skills past their limit. Once insurmountable hurdles are now simple tasks. Thanks to this program and my wonderful Professors, I feel confident I can speak Russian and continue to improve. I would recommend this program to anyone who has a passion for Russian language and culture and wants to see growth in both within and without. 

Destiny Randall

My name is Destiny Randall and I study 3D Media with an emphasis in Fiber at California State University, Long Beach. As an artist, Russian culture, especially Russian architecture, has always fascinated me. The intricate designs—reminiscent of the cultures surrounding Russia, yet retaining its own vibrant originality—have inspired me to create many different works within the medium of textiles. Besides my interest in the artistic aspect of Russian culture, I have long desired to learn the language, as well as travel to Russia and all around Eastern Europe. I plan on using the knowledge of Russian language and culture I have gained throughout this program to assist me in my travels, as well as my future career in Russia.

Mackenzie Yanez

My name is Mackenzie Yanez. I am a student at California State University. I am studying Criminal Justice, Geographic Informational Sciences and Russian language.  I plan on continuing my Russian studies and being the Russian club president. Knowing another language enhances one’s impact on a community. My knowledge of Russian even just basics makes me a better advocate in my community. After university, I plan to attend graduate school studying Russian language and politics.  This program has offered so much for me. Making great friends who are all equally passionate about learning Russian. As well as giving me the best environment to study and enhance my Russian language.