Category: Russian

  • Thomas Burns, seated on a staircase, hands folded, looking at the camera
    Alumni Updates
    By Thomas Burns, RLASP alumnus

    Perspective: Thomas in Russia

     In 1996, Thomas Burns decided to take his study of the Russian language to the next level by spending a semester in St. Petersburg and what is now the Russian Language and Area Studies Program. Since then, he's lived and worked in several other countries while building his career as a visual storyteller. Today, he is based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
  • The Spawn family, including son Kyle and mother Carla (right), are all smiles with the rest of their family pose for a photo (including their cute puppy!)
    Across the Globe
    By Alexandra Stepanov

    Like Mother, Like Son

    When Kyle Spawn decided to study abroad in Moscow in 2018, he already knew a thing or two about living in Russia.

  • Tanya, headshot, with a seaside background
    Alumni Highlight
    By American Councils Editorial Staff

    An Enduring Friendship Through Exchange

    Caroline and Liza haven’t met yet, but the nearly two-year-olds have been destined for friendship since before they were born. Their moms, Laura Carll and Tatyana Movshevich, have helped them become pen pals, shipping care packages between London and Erie, Pennsylvania. (The toddlers are not yet ready to write their own letters, but they do enjoy remote playdates through video calls.) Nurturing their daughters' friendship was a natural next step for the moms, best friends who have known each other since Ms. Movshevich's high school exchange year in America.  Liza's mom met Caroline’s mom on her first day of high school in 2004, in Blandon, Pennsylvania, shortly after the school assembly that introduced Ms. Movshevich as an exchange student visiting from Russia.
  • Jeff and his friend, Tom, at the Blair House, dressed in suits for the ambassador's farewell gathering
    Across the Globe
    By Jeff Lilley, Director of Monitoring and Evaluation

    AC Insights: From Russia, With Friendship

    When the outgoing Kyrgyz ambassador to the US invited me to join him at his farewell reception in January, I gladly accepted.

  • NSLIY Moldava
    Alumni Updates
    Alumni Highlight
    American Councils Editorial Staff

    Morgan in Moldova: Building a Community of Support Abroad

    When a speaker presented on NSLI-Y at her school in Texas, Morgan was immediately intrigued. She had enjoyed studying Greek and Latin but wanted a new challenge.