Russian at UH Student Spotlight: Meet Nina

The Russian program at the University of Hawaii is filled with people from all over the United States, even all over the world. Every person brings such a unique perspective and adds dimension to the program. Among my classmates, there are a multitude of different reasons for pursuing Russian, different skill-sets when it comes to learning the language, and a variety of post-graduate goals. Every month, I will interview a student in the Russian program and share some of their own personal story: Why they chose Russian, studying advice, what they plan on doing once they graduate, their other hobbies & interests, and what they recommend doing while living in Hawaii.

September 2018: Meet Nina!

She is a senior (only 1 semester left!), a double major in Russian and Philosophy. She was born in Belgrade, Serbia, and moved to the United States when she was about 5 years old. She is fluent in both Serbian and English, will graduate with a degree in Russian, and has also taken a few classes in French.

Nina at Waimea, Kauai, Hawaii: Waimea Canyon (Grand Canyon of the Pacific)

1. Why Russian?

Nina has a link to Russian -and linguistics in general- through her family: Her grandmother was a Russian professor, her mother grew up knowing Russian and teaches Italian, and her aunt is an English professor. Plus, Nina’s mother and grandmother also used to vacation in Russia, so Nina remembers seeing pictures of Russia from an early age. In this way, Russian has helped bring about closer relationships with her family, especially her grandmother.

2. What is your favorite memory so far in the Russian program?

Last year, Nina participated, along with a group of other Russian students, in “International Night,” on campus, where they danced wearing traditional Russian dress and sang traditional Russian songs. She remembers particularly practicing for the event outside of the East-West building. The group had no idea that a graduate conference was going on while they were singing and dancing outside, all dressed up. A professor came outside to see what all the commotion was, and it turns out it was one of her philosophy professors, now wondering what on earth his student was up to. She laughs as she tells the story, saying both the practice and the main event were a lot of fun, and easily one of her favorite memories as a Russian major.

Nina and other Russian students singing a Russian song at International Night

3. What has helped you succeed in class?

Not surprisingly, Nina states that taking a summer to study with her grandmother in Serbia helped her immensely. They bought materials from a well-known Russian bookstore there, and together they covered about a chapter a week. This even helped her test out of Russian 201 and 202, so she could pursue higher level language courses sooner. Knowing Serbian grammar has helped as well, as it is closer to Russian grammar than English is. Also, Nina states that she has learned a lot from making friends in class, or at least finding someone else to study with. Every person has different strengths and weaknesses and working together helps you learn quickly from each other.

4. What advice would you give Russian 101 students?

- Listen to Russian music. Apple music has a “Russian Top 100” playlist (so the music is current). It will help you with pronunciation, especially with where to put the stress on a word. Plus, it’s fun to recognize words in the songs, and it will keep you motivated.

- Watch Russian TV/Movies. There is a website – Yandex.com – which has a multitude of FREE shows and movies to watch. You can watch with or without subtitles. Nina recommends watching with subtitles in the beginning, but as you advance to the 200 and 300 levels, try to watch without them. Once you reach the 300 level, she thinks you’ll be able to understand about 80% of what you watched. (I can only hope, I understand about 5% now)

In Budapest, Hungary

5. How do you plan to use your Russian degree once you graduate?

Currently, Nina is applying for a fellowship with the government as a foreign service agent. Basically, they fund a 2-year graduate program, then you owe 5 years of service in an embassy type setting. (It’s called the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.)

She is also considering applying to graduate school, with human rights as her focus. Either way, Nina feels that Russian will be necessary for her to make a real impact in the sphere of human rights and/or improving relations between different countries/regions/cultures.

6. What is something that someone MUST DO in Hawaii before they graduate?

- For something Russian related, she suggests checking out Ft. Elizabeth on Kauai. It was a trading post between the King of Hawaii and the Russian Empire.

- Go to Molokai, one of the islands. She says is has the best beaches- it’s like “no one has even stepped foot on the sand there” and they feel like private beaches. Plus, it’s only about 100 dollars round trip, and something easy to do on the weekend.

Me and Nina after the interview

7. Other interests and hobbies?

Nina loves philosophy – it is her second major- and she loves to read. She likes 19th romantic novels, like those written by Jane Austen. As she says, and I quote, “I love love.” =) She also likes Tolstoy, especially his short stories.

8. What is your job in the Russian department?

Nina is highly visible in the Russian department, as she has an internship with the department. She runs the Russian club, helps the teaching staff with completion of different tasks, assists with Russian 101, and also does tutoring outside of class for those who would like extra help.

In Belgrade, Serbia

In New York, New York, at a Serbian Restaurant named Kafana (Serbian word for restaurant/bar/cafe) in East Village

In Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, protesting against the separation of immigrant families