NOW
I've joined the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the U.S. Department of the Treasury. As a Sanctions Compliance Officer, I support OFAC in its mission to administer U.S. sanctions programs against targets including foreign regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, and those engaged in the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
My experiences in the Russian Flagship Program at PSU and as a Boren Scholar to Kazakhstan were invaluable to reexamining my career goals. PSU faculty and staff truly went above and beyond to help me navigate my journey while I was a student and in my post-graduation job search. Thanks to the support of many, it is with great excitement that I embark on my next adventure in Washington, DC.
THEN
Certification: Language Flagship Certified Global Professional with Distinction
Honors and Awards: CLS Recipient 2018, Boren Scholarship 2019
What do you plan to do with your fluency in Russian?
After completing the capstone year in Kazakhstan, I plan on meeting the Boren federal service requirement in the area of cultural policy and national security and enter a doctoral program to conduct research on aesthetics in Russian and post-Soviet contexts.
What attracted you to RFP?
I transferred to PSU’s Russian Flagship Program from Portland Community College. There are only a handful of Russian Flagship programs in the US, and PSU’s program is especially well-established (running 10 years strong now in 2019) and student-centered. Meeting with the program director, Dr. Comer, also confirmed that PSU’s program would be a good fit for me.
What’s the best aspect of being in RFP?
The professors are truly outstanding. They go above and beyond to address student needs in language learning, and the courses are excellent each in their own way. There’s a strong sense of community and support from students and staff as well. There are also so many opportunities within the program to develop yourself professionally — I presented at two conferences this year (in Russian and in English) and am completing the capstone year fully-funded.
Why is fluency in Russian important to you?
I believe that learning the language of a foreign culture provides greater insight and cultivates empathy in building genuine human connections. The foreign language skills I have worked on in the program —public speaking, colloquial registers, slang, subject-specific vocabulary, academic constructions, etc…— are all immensely useful not only in Russian but have opened up my perspective to communication in my native languages as well. Deepening my understanding of this human component in language acquisition is key to my future career path considering the various uses of language that are valued by federal agencies and in research.