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Current Students in the Russian Department

Students who study Russian at Dickinson College participate in a small program where professors get to know each student very well and where students forge friendships through their shared experience of mastering a difficult language and being immersed in Russian culture. Outside of classrooms students participate in exciting activities through the Russian Club, such as Revolution Reenactment and Easter Egg Painting. They also watch Russian films, share meals with their friends and faculty at the weekly Russian Table gatherings, and take field trips to New York, Baltimore or Washington to attend Russian exhibits or eat in a Russian restaurant. Many of our students live in the Russian House, a cozy home-like dormitory where they can practice Russian with an exchange student from Moscow, or cook together borsch or bliny.

		Souder, Eric ‘10 souderer@dickinson.edu I began studying the Russian language due to my family's cultural ties to Russia and Eastern Europe. Although my maternal great-grandfather emigrated from the Russian Empire at the turn of the previous century, very few members of my family understand, let alone still speak, the Russian language. As a result, I desired to learn the language and study abroad in Russia to develop a greater understanding of the culture to which I felt personally attached.
		Kiffer, Philip ‘11 kifferp@dickinson.edu I wanted to study a language that would prove an invaluable tool in almost any professional field. I made the right decision.
		Ioannidou, Nina ‘11 ioannidn@dickinson.edu I wanted to unravel the mysterious riddle of this Europe-Asian country, because as a Greek-Russian I know how heavy the burden of duality is.
		Elder, Kara ‘11 elderk@dickinson.edu Honestly, I think I chose Russian because it has such a unique, pretty alphabet. Look at it: Я люблю Россию. For all you know I could’ve just insulted your mother, but who cares when it looks so COOL?! …so it might not be the most intellectual, awe-inspiring answer to the question, but I’m pretty sure the Cyrillic alphabet is what first drew me to Russian. I also became obsessed with Russian when I saw The Hunt For Red October – the song that plays during the credits makes me want to cry. In a good way.
		Weden, Alison ‘10 wedena@dickinson.edu I grew up in Russia and took the language my entire childhood. After moving back to the US, I stopped taking Russian. When I came to college and saw there was a language requirement, I decided to take the opportunity to start taking Russian over again and ended up declaring a double major in International Studies and Russian Language and Literature.
		Edwards, David ‘10 edwardsd@dickinson.edu Part of my family is of Croatian descent, and I first became interested in Russian because of the similarities between the languages. More recently, knowledge of Russian has helped me in my history thesis research, which deals with Russian Alaska.
		Hicks, Joshua ‘12 hicksj@dickinson.edu I choose to study Russian because I hated Spanish and because my high school Russian teacher came into my history class to promote Russian and I became interested.
		Hechtlinger, Laura ‘12 hechtlil@dickinson.edu I thought I was from Russia so I originally wanted to study Russian for that reason. Turns out I'm not, but I still find the language and culture fascinating!
		Ramsay, Sara ‘12 ramsays@dickinson.edu I began studying Russian because I am really interested in Russian politics and U.S - Russian relations and eventually want to work in the State Department.
		Jerome, Molly ‘12 jeromem@dickinson.edu I'm an economics major, and would like to work with international companies in Russia.
		Lynn, Rebecca ‘13 lynnr@dickinson.edu When I was a little girl I was very close with my grandmother, who spoke Russian. Her mother (my great grandmother) came over in the 1920's. I unfortunately never got to meet her, but my grandmother tried to speak to me. I always had a yearn for learning it.
		Ferington, Kimberly '11 feringtk@dickinson.edu I decided to study Russian because of my interest in Russian culture and how it is similar, and at the same time, distinct from that of the United States.
		North, Alexandra '13 northa@dickinson.edu I decided to take Russian because of my love for Vladmir Nabokov's literature. I read Ada; or Ardor, which had many references and passages in the Russian language and thought that it'd be really rewarding for me as a reader to be able to understand Nabokov's native language.
		Moriarty, Caitlin'13 moriartc@dickinson.edu I decided to take Russian because I wanted to study critical need language according to the U.S. State Department that will help me when applying to jobs in the public sector. The reason I picked Russian over the other languages of this type that Dickinson offers is because I find Russian culture fascinating and knew that I wanted to learn more about that as well.
		Heuser, Kelly'11 heuserk@dickinson.edu I started studying Russian because I want to be a diplomat, and Russia-US relations could always use better cultural understanding on both sides. In the course of my study, I also discovered that I have a passion for Russian literature and look forward to the day when I will be able to read Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina in its original language.
		Kearns, Martin'11 kearnsm@dickinson.edu The reason I am studying Russian is because of Pushkin. Studying in America you can understand Karamzin, Gogol, Lermontov, Turgenev, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky but Pushkin is a Russian secret.
		Petrov, Leni ‘11 petrovl@dickinson.edu In addition to my familial connections to Russia, I chose to study Russian because it will open up so many educational and career opportunities for me in the future. The Russian language is a cut above the more common Western European languages, in that it is extremely valuable in the areas of international relations and diplomacy--a field that I hope to get involved in.
		Vernon, Andrei ‘12 vernona@dickinson.edu Although my family has Russian roots, my grandmother is the only person in our family who speaks Russian. I would really enjoy speaking to my grandmother in Russian and as a result I thought taking Russian at Dickinson would provide me with that opportunity.
		Jordan, Andre ‘12 jordanan@dickinson.edu My entire family is Russian/Orthodox and it has been a great part of my life. I hope one day to be as fluent in the language as all my close friends and family. I also want to study in Moscow.
		Brennan, Lauren ‘13 brennanl@dickinson.edu I love languages, and I wanted to try something different and more challenging, as well as make a salute to my Russian heritage!
		Brown, Travis ‘13 browntr@dickinson.edu По-мoeмy, Вова Путин очень красивый.
		Klinedinst, William ‘13 klinediw@dickinson.edu I initially became interested in Russian because my mother studied it in college and loved it. What solidified my decision was reading Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" for a high school research paper. It is one of my favorite books and made me want to pursue studying Russian.
		McNamara, Leah ‘13 mcnamarl@dickinson.edu I decided to take Russian because I have been interested in Russian government since childhood. From the last czar Nicholas II with Rasputin and Anastasia to Putin and Medvedev the dynamic of politics in Russian have always fascinated me.
		Strapko, Melanie ‘13 strapkom@dickinson.edu I decided to study Russian because I am a native speaker, however I want to improve my reading and writing skills.I also want to study the culture of Russia today and be able to go to Moscow for a semester abroad. My own Russian culture greatly inspired me as well.
		Kotcherga, Dorianne ‘12 kotcherd@dickinson.edu Я изучаю русский язык, потому что очень люблю Россию и в один прекрасный день хочу туда поехать и говорить с моими родственниками на чистом русском языке.
		Iventichev, Grigoriy ‘12 iventicg@dickinson.edu Я изучаю русский язык, потому что я думаю, что знание трёх языков поможет мне поступить в хорошую “GradSchool” и поможет мне в бизнесе. Также я считаю, что каждый русский человек должен знать культуру и историю своей страны.