Name: Miles Strang
Honors and Awards: President’s List Winter 2018, Dean’s List Fall 2017, Spring 2018, University Honors College, Stuart and Barbara Hood Scholarship
Anticipated Degree(s): B.S. English, Writing Minor - 2019; B.A. Russian, Certificate of Advanced Proficiency in Russian - 2021
What do you plan to do with your fluency in Russian?
Professionally, I would love to either work for the Federal government or do something with the media. I’m not sure what exactly I want to do yet, but knowing the language will open doors.
What attracted you to RFP?
After speaking with a couple of members of the Flagship faculty during one of my orientation sessions, I knew this was something I wanted to do. I learned a little bit of Russian from my time in Kyrgyzstan in 2011-2012, and I wanted to expand upon the little I knew about the language. I knew the intensity of the RFP would help me a lot (and so far, it has!).
What’s the best aspect of being in RFP?
I love how this is a program where you see the results of hard work and dedication. I love the intensity of the courses and the frequency we use Russian. So far, every day since I’ve started I’ve had to either read, write, speak, or listen to Russian. I’ve gone from barely knowing the Cyrillic alphabet to have basic conversations with my professors about all aspects of life in less than a year. With regards to learning the language, this is the next best thing to living in a Russian-speaking country.
Why is fluency in Russian important to you?
Fluency in Russian is important to me for a couple of reasons. First, I’ve always wanted to be bilingual. Learning a second language has always been a dream of mine. Second, I believe the Russian-speaking world is full of beautiful art, literature, music, and culture, so learning Russian will help me appreciate it to the fullest.