Alumni

“Attending SDRS, was like stepping into a small version of the country of my culture. I have never been to Russia, but SDRS made me feel Russian, and a part of the Russian Community. SDRS gave me what simply speaking Russian and reading Russian books at home, did not. It gave me the chance to learn in Russian and discuss topics in Russian. American schools tend to only briefly touch upon the history of Russia and the rest of the world. SDRS not only gave me the chance to learn Russian history in detail, but to see the rest of the world with a different perspective. What I especially loved about the Russian History lectures, was that everything we learned was immediately connected to geography. SDRS is where I realized the importance of the tie between geography and historical events. Now when I read about current political events, I always keep the relationship between different geographical areas, in mind. At SDRS I also thoroughly enjoyed the Russian Literature lectures and discussions. There are many pieces of literature that we read, but the two that resonate the most with me are “Ася” by Тургенев and “Евгений Онегин” by Пушкин. I am not exaggerating when I say that these two novels impact my life to this day.
Besides all the Russian related opportunities that SDRS gave me, it was also through SDRS that I got my first internship. During the summer before my sophomore year in high school, I interned at the UCSD San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC). My task was to organize data from different branches of environmental science, this was then used to create a database system for researchers. Being a small part of this project, gave me my first chance to be part of something that could impact the world. This was also my first experience working with adults, an experience that is important ‘in the real world’, and an experience that colleges look for when accepting students. The most important thing that SDSC gave me, was the realization that I need to reach out to directly experience and independently learn about things in order to find my passion. I am now majoring in linguistics with a focus on neurology at UCSD. If it was not for the SDSC internship and SDRS, I would not have even thought of majoring in something not directly related to science. I am forever grateful to SDRS for supporting me and my Russian. The knowledge of Russian was definitely crucial to deciding my major. Finally, I can not wait to take advantage of everything SDRS taught me, and finally study abroad in the country of my family.”