Russian

 

Aaron Schimmel ’18, History Major, Russian Minor

 

Aaron Schimmel’s interest in Russian began in High School when he picked up Aleksander Solzhenitsyn’s novel Cancer Ward. From that point on he became interested in Russian culture and history, and decided to study the Russian language in college. He spent Fall 2016 studying abroad in St. Petersburg, Russia, where he lived with a host family and experienced everyday Russian life. His time in Russia gave him the opportunity to improve his Russian, experience living in a different country and travel places he never imagined he would go, like Estonia and Georgia.

 

 

Justin Schaefer ’18, Computer Science Major, Russian Minor

 

Before coming to Lewis & Clark, Justin knew almost nothing about the Russian language, culture, or history beyond what he had read in One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. He decided to study Russian in college almost on a whim, as there was a foreign language requirement and Russian seemed like an interesting option. However, within weeks of his first Russian class, he fell in love with the language and discovered that the culture and history of Russia was even more interesting than he had expected. Unfortunately, Justin was unable to study abroad in Russia during his time at Lewis & Clark, due to switching majors at the end of his sophomore year, but he hopes to visit Russia and its neighboring countries at least once in his life. After graduating, Justin will stay in Portland to work as a software analyst for Huron Consulting, and while he will not immediately be using Russian in his career, he wants to keep up his language skill in his free time.

 

Rosemary Arends ’19, Computer Science/Mathematics Major, Russian minor

 

Growing up in Moscow, Russia, Rosemary was introduced to Russian culture at a young age and instantly felt a connection.  In fact, the prospect of studying Russian was the driving force behind her decision to attend Lewis & Clark College.  From relearning the alphabet to analyzing Russian film, Rosemary has enjoyed her coursework and experience in the Russian Department at Lewis & Clark.  She was able to study abroad in Saint Petersburg during Summer 2017 and absolutely fell in love with the city’s bright lights and big bridges.  Rosemary yearns to return to Russia and, while she is currently planning to stay in Portland for a bit after graduation, she is excited at the prospect of returning to Russia and Central Asia in the near future.

 

Joseph Walsh’17, Computer Science/Mathematics Major, Russian minor

 

Joe first encountered Russian culture through the musical works of composers such as Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, which motivated him to learn more about Russia.  By the time he started college, Joe already knew which foreign language he was interested in studying.  During his junior year, Joe traveled to Russia for a semester abroad.  There, he immersed himself in a foreign culture, made new friends, and experienced the chaos of daily life in the city of six million people.  Jose is currently contemplating a career as a lawyer.