Students & Alumni

Alumna – Natalie Schott,

B.A. Classics, B.A. Russian, May 2025

What are your long-term professional goals?

– Right now, I am considering using my language skills in the field of law and legal studies. I am particularly interested in Human Rights law and working with nongovernmental organizations within the public interest sector, conducting legal reserarch to help advance and codify laws concerning international human rights.

What initially led you to study Russian, and how did that motivation change over time?

– Initially, I chose to study Russian because I wanted to challenge myself. Having taken Latin throughout high school, I discovered my passion for languages and translation work. Being eager to expand upon this passion in college, I chose Russian because it seemed much more unique than any other language I had previously encountered, and Russian culture intrigued me. Over time, as I started becoming more familiar with the language, I came to appreciate the intellectual beauty of Russian. There is nothing like a good Russian sentence to make you think and the cultural impact of Russian literature certainly testifies to this! Noticing similarities between the work I do for my Russian classes and the translation work I do for my Greek and Latin classes, I started to investigate the fields of philology and comparative linguistics. My research interests now include translation and interpretation across cultural lines. I am very grateful to RFP for its dedication to its students in every aspect of the program that has opened doors for me and many others!

What advice would you give to students considering enrolling in the UGA Russian Flagship Program?

– Don’t be afraid of hard work! Learning Russian is certainly a challenging endevor, but I like to think of it as similar to climbing a mountain. Only at that top can you see the best views. Learning Russian is an upwards climb (with a lot of slips and falls along the way) but once you’ve conquered each element of the language, you get the rewards of taking part in the rich life and culture of a whole new part of the world!

Alumna – Abby Herring,

B.A. Russian Studies, Certificate in Global Studies, May 2025

What are your long-term professional goals?

– My long-term professional goals consist of working as a diplomat to Russia.

What initially led you to study Russian, and how did that motivation change over time?

– I was initially attracted to studying Russian because it was listed on many government job sites as a critical language, and Russian really stood out to me, as I was particularly interested in the Cold War, Space Race, World War II, the Soviet Union, and the Romanovs as periods in history. I grew to become more interested in the culture and history, and, in high school, completed a State Department program called NSLI-Y, which solidified my interest in learning Russian.

What’s the best aspect of being in the UGA Russian Flagship Program?

– The professors and the friends I’ve made! The professors are so kind, and they genuinely care about their students’ success. They take the time to get to know us and to help us succeed in any way they can, which I appreciate so much. In addition, all of my best friends I have met because of the Russian Flagship Program. There is no other program like the Flagship at UGA.

What advice would you give to students considering enrolling in the UGA Russian Flagship Program?

– Take advantage of every opportunity, go to events, and go to your professor’s office hours. Your professors want to help you, and events and other things such as studying abroad with the Flagship provide you with so many great opportunities educationally, professionally, and socially

Alumna – Caroline Solomon,

B.A. Russian, B.S.E.S. Environmental Economics & Management, May 2024

What is next for you, academically or professionally? – I will be attending the Capstone Year Program in Almaty, Kazakhstan through the Russian Flagship program from August 2023 to May 2024, and then possibly complete a M.S. in Applied Economics degree program from George Washington University.

What are your long-term professional goals?

– Career-wise, I am interested in international environmental and energy policy, particularly as it relates to Russian-speaking countries. I would love to work in the federal government, at a think tank, or with a non-profit in the future.

Alumna – Natalie Navarrete,

B.A. International Affairs, Russian, Spanish and Minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, May 2023

Next year, I will be pursuing an MPhil in Russian and Eastern European Studies at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship. I will be researching the role of Central Asia in a new era of nuclear nonproliferation and international security strategy. I hope to build a career in international nonproliferation, working at the Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Smuggling Detection and Deterrence (NSDD) after completing my master’s degree. Boren Scholarship, Rhodes Scholarship, ACTR Post-Secondary Russian Scholar Laureate Award, Honors in Washington Program.While interning at NSDD, I witnessed, first-hand, how communicating with our partners in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in Russian promoted cooperation and collaboration. In a career in nonproliferation, I want to use Russian to build stronger and more genuine relationships with international partners. Take advantage of all of the amazing and unique opportunities that the Flagship offers you! Living in the Russian-language dorm introduced me to my best friends that have traveled with me to my Capstone year in Kazakhstan and been a key part to my success in the program.

Alumnus – Matthew Goldenberg,

B.A. History, B.A. Russian, May 2020

I am Matthew Goldenberg, a UGA alum and participant in the 2019-2020 Russian Flagship Capstone. Some of the most exciting times of my life were in Kazakhstan – skiing at Shymbulak, hiking the lush blue-green mountains around the Kolsay Lakes, staying at a resort nestled in the northeastern pocket of Kazakhstan from where we could into Russia, China, and Mongolia. Of course, participating in the Russian Capstone is not just about what you will see. Nonstop immersion in the Russian language was instrumental to elevating my language skills. A particularly special moment for me was the relationship I formed with my tutor, who became a friend, mentor, and family to me. Moreover, the connections I formed set me on the professional path I am currently on, with subsequent opportunities snowballing from the experience in Kazakhstan. Since completing my year in Almaty, I have acquired a master’s degree in Nuclear Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. I also recently spent two years working at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies – a job I acquired in large part due to my professional level of Russian language competency. While there, I alternated between English and Russian while researching, writing and publishing on misinformation about nuclear and radiological weapons, as well as issues of missile defense and nonproliferation diplomacy in Russia and the United States. Soon I will be attending law school, where I hope to continue to apply the skills I acquired in the Russian Flagship.

One particular highlight of being in Kazakhstan was learning to speak Russian with real native and near-native speakers outside of the classroom setting. Anyone who has ever taken a high school French class knows that it does not really prepare you for much more than ordering from a restaurant and asking for directions. The Flagship Program is different – while living in Kazakhstan, we became conversant in a number of topics such as artificial intelligence, economics, media theory, and a variety of complex issues that we would discuss with both our professors and tutors, and also local friends and host families. This level of professional language competency and ease has led me to form professional and personal bonds since leaving Kazakhstan in my career with Kazakhs, Bulgarians, Ukrainians, and Russians.

To those students currently in or considering participating in UGA’s Russian Flagship Program, let me say this: you will not regret it. There is no program in the country better suited to developing both hard language skills and the core intercultural competency necessary to use it. The UGA professors are dedicated to your learning and having participated in myriad other language programs in various parts of the world, I can say with utter confidence that our Russian Flagship Program is among the best-equipped to push your foreign language abilities out from the classroom and into the professional workforce.