Certification: Completed the National Language Flagship Requirements
Honors and Awards: PSU Delegate, The Language Flagship National Student Meeting (2014); Benjamin A. Gilman Study Abroad Scholarship (Summer 2014); College of Urban and Public Affairs Memorial Scholarship (2015-2016); WLL Undergraduate Scholarship (2015-2016); Boren Scholarship (2015-2016); Russian Overseas Flagship (2015-2016)
Military Background: Enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2005, and spent 5 years on active duty. Deployed to Afghanistan in 2009-2010, where he served as a crew chief on a UH-1Y helicopter, helping to eliminate the last Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province.
International Internship: TengriNews
What do you plan to do with your fluency in Russian?
Return to federal service, this time without a rifle and camouflage utilities. I hope to assist the State Department in some capacity, with the overall goal of becoming a Foreign Service Officer.
What attracted you to RFP? Did your military experience influence your reasons to join?
Before enrolling in the Flagship program I had taken a few semesters of language courses in Arabic and I found that my level of proficiency wasn’t where I wanted it to be. The Flagship Program provides for a more well-rounded learning environment that will hopefully put me in a higher proficiency bracket.
My military experience did not influence my reasons to join the Russian Flagship, but it helped me stay in it. My Flagship cohort, both my classmates and teachers, remind me of the camaraderie that I experienced in the Marine Corps. And I'm glad to have it back!
What’s the best aspect of being in the PSU Russian Flagship?
My cohort and my instructors. I have never been a part of a college program that cares so much about how well I am doing in my studies. My classmates ensure that nobody falls behind and we get together to study and help each other out far more than at any other time in my college experience so far. My professors have the same attitude and routinely provide extra assistance when we need it. Even the upper-level Flagship students look out for us by acting as informal tutors, taking the time to meet with us every week. I have never seen this kind of community before.
Why is fluency in Russian important to you?
I enjoy Russian culture and even if I don’t have the opportunity to use Russian in my profession, I would still love to visit the country and converse with native Russians wherever I live.