Congratulations to the College of Humanities’ Outstanding Senior for Fall 2019, Frances Lee-Forbes!

Lee-Forbes is graduating with a double major in Russian and Linguistics, 3.95 GPA. She has studied abroad thrice, has been a member of the Russian Club and worked as a legislative intern at the Arizona State Senate.

In a convocation speech to her fellow graduates, Lee-Forbes said a formative gap year before starting college, during which she spent four months in the Czech Republic, led her to major in Russian.

“I learned how to adapt, to take care of myself in a country where I knew no one and had a limited grasp of the language. This is where I first truly sensed how studying language and culture was necessary for a broader understanding of the world,” she said.

After starting her Russian major, Lee-Forbes spent two consecutive summers studying abroad in Kyrgyzstan.

“That was incredibly challenging, but the feeling of accomplishment that comes with succeeding at something difficult is unparalleled,” she said. “From the very beginning, I have been invested in carving out my own path, one that would not only take me to places I wanted to be, but would also be wide enough to allow for exploration.”

Suzanne Thompson, Assistant Professor of Practice and Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies, nominated Lee-Forbes for the honor, calling her “a superlative student, a fabulous writer, and a probing student of language, literature, and culture.”

“She will excel in the years to come and launch into the world as a sterling example of the best alumni that the College of Humanities has nurtured,” Thompson wrote.

Professor Colleen Lucey (Russian and Slavic Studies) was awarded the Association for Women in Slavic Studies (AWSS) Honorable Mention for best article in Slavic women's and gender studies for her recent publication, "Fallen but Charming Creatures: The Demimondaine in Russian Literature and Visual Culture of the 1860s," The Russian Review 78, no. 1 (2019): 103-121. 

The AWSS Awards Committee announced the prize at the 2019 ASEEES National Convention in San Francisco with the following commendation: 

"Through a meticulous reading of Vsevolod Krestovskii’s short story, “A Fallen but Charming Creature,” and an innovative exploration of an unknown album of lithographs for which Krestovskii wrote the captions, Lucey uncovers nineteenth-century public attitudes and imaginings about a new class of St. Petersburg women, the demimondaine. Lucey juxtaposes Krestovskii’s short story which depicts these women as “fallen” with a visual culture glorifying demimondaine as women who have sexual and financial agency. The article demonstrates the necessity of reading culture not only through literary sources but also to take seriously the role of visual culture in shaping the public’s attitudes and imagination. The article makes extensive use of the lithographs making this article accessible to scholars and students alike." 

The full version of Prof. Lucey's article is available here.

University of Arizona students from underrepresented backgrounds majoring in Russian and Slavic Studies joined peers from Howard University and the University of Puerto Rico in Washington, D.C. as part of a multifaceted effort to increase diversity in the field.

The October conference was the first in a series of events, supported by a grant from the U.S. Russia Foundation, to connect students at minority serving institutions with one another and working professionals in government, academic and nonprofit careers.

“This is the first time a program like this has happened,” said Colleen Lucey, an assistant professor of Russian and Slavic Studies and one of the faculty leaders on the program. “Normally, this type of work is done at just one university. Here, there’s coalition building between institutions to foster a collaborative environment for students of color. We want the students to have a network post-graduation they can rely on and utilize to make a difference in the field.”

The Washington trip, organized by Howard Professor Amarilis Lugo de Fabritz, included trips to the Library of Congress, the Institute of Peace, the U.S.-Russia Foundation and Georgetown University, as well as the conference hosted by Howard. As an experienced instructor of Russian language and culture, Lugo de Fabritz has inspired academics across the United States to create a more inclusive environment for students of diverse backgrounds entering Russian programs and participating in study abroad.

“One of the major goals of the grant is in order to create long-term support for students of color, we have to build connections between universities, both in the U.S. and in Russia,” Lucey said. “We also got to connect with UA alumni in the D.C. area who have a ton of experience and have gone onto illustrious careers, in the state department, in nonprofits and in private sector work and speak to how they mobilized their degrees in the humanities to actualize their potential on the job market.”

The next phase of the collaborative grant program will be a study abroad trip to Russian in May for students from underrepresented populations. University of Arizona students will travel together with students from Howard University and the University of Puerto Rico for an immersive cultural experience in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Novgorod.

Ally Felix, a Russian and Microbiology double major, said meeting fellow students who represent minorities in the Russian and Slavic Studies field was eye-opening, especially hearing Spanish and Russian spoken in the same room, and made her feel less alone pursuing a degree in Russian.

“Seeing such diverse students studying Russian proved that Russian is still a valuable and important subject and language. I was also able to make connections with these students that I feel will last well past our undergraduate degrees,” she said. “As far as professional growth, it was exceedingly beneficial for me to meet so many Russian majors who now have careers in the real world.”

Jahnavi Akella, a double major in Russian and Political Science, said connecting with others who shared a similar experience was an energizing and fortifying experience.

“At this conference, I was able to find community I didn’t explicitly know I lacked. As POC, we often don’t realize on a conscious level that we are missing community in our professional circles until we meet others who share our experiences,” she said. “Getting exposure to new opportunities, networking with high-level professionals, and exploring new scholarship in Russian and Slavic studies from diverse perspectives made this conference truly life-changing and exceptional.”

Dana Brouillard, double majoring in Russian and Political Science, said the experience gave her more direction and focus as she considers career options.

“This workshop was transformative for me for so many reasons. It was incredible to get to see the diverse interest in Russian and Slavic Studies and to see that different backgrounds shape opinions and views,” she said. “I will always be grateful for the people I got to meet and the experiences we were able to have. I feel much more clear-headed about my future and I don’t think it’s possible to say how tremendously valuable that is.”

Aundrea Nebitsi, also double majoring in Russian and Political Science, said the students from different universities were able to talk openly about how their identities impact their connections to Russian and Slavic Studies.

“Meeting exclusively students of color and hearing their stories made me feel as if I was looking at myself, and my own thoughts and feelings about Russian and Slavic Studies,” she said. “I was able to relate to certain connections that they had made to their personal lives that I had never expressed to anyone before, or I hadn’t had the words to express before. I felt heard, understood, and supported. The interactions between the students allowed us to feel a real sense of camaraderie and develop a support network.”

The Department of Russian and Slavic Studies is grateful to Sarah Erickson (BA Russian and Slavic Studies 2016, MA Russian and Slavic Studies 2019) for sending us an exciting update from her Fulbright trip to Russia. Read more about Sarah's adventures below. Thank you, Sarah, for sharing this update! Stay in touch! 

Sarah writes:

I am an English Teaching Assistant at Perm National Research Polytechnic University. I work primarily in the translation department, with students who are studying to become translators and interpreters. I facilitate discussions during class and encourage conversation and practice in the classroom. I also give presentations in different classes about American culture, Mexican-American culture, U.S. history, politics, or other areas the students are studying. I participate in the translators club where I give presentations and students practice simultaneous interpretation of a native speaker. Besides the translators club, I also help in the debate club, and lead the English club. I also assist the Spanish classes, and communicate with the students in Spanish as well as give presentations in Spanish. 

I will also be working with a colleague here on a research article which we will present at the International and Interregional Integration in the Field of Engineering Education conference in St. Petersburg. We will be discussing and deciding this week our topic of research. Besides my official duties I am also working on bettering my Russian. I meet with tutors from the university for 6 hours a week to work on my Russian. 

So far my experience in Russia is amazing! I have been here 2 weeks now, and have  not yet even felt culture shock. UA taught me to well. I love my city Perm, and have managed to make some friends here already. I might be going to an international conference to St. Petersburg in the spring. The people here have been so hospitable, kind, and helpful to me. I am really excited to be part of this program, my only negative feelings have been how fast time goes by. Before I know it I will have to leave Russia and I don't want to!

Dana Vandersip, a 1988 graduate of the UA’s Russian department who went onto a prominent career in philanthropy, is the College of Humanities 2019 Alumna of the Year.

The Russian courses and other Humanities classes taught Vandersip the sort of communication and intercultural skills that she’s been able to rely on throughout her career, rising from a grant writer in Washington, D.C. to her current position as Vice President of Development for Make-A-Wish San Diego.

“I learned how to communicate, I learned how to write and have conversations with people from all different walks of life and all different cultures and countries. I had that ability when I left to have an inquisitive mind that would take me even further,” she says. “I’m a questioner and that blossomed when I was at the University of Arizona and I’ve carried that with me ever since.”

Vandersip’s role as a fundraiser calls for both broad, strategic thinking and detailed, day-to-day work for an organization that each year grants wishes to more than 200 children with critical illnesses.

“For me, it’s about being able to use my fundraising skills and my strategic skills to be able to help shape an organization and fulfill its mission,” Vandersip says. “In this position, I get to look from the 30,000-foot view and I get to do all the strategic planning, then also I can create a training plan for each employee unique to what their hopes and dreams and goals are.”

Vandersip will be honored during Homecoming festivities and will be a featured presenter at the Tucson Humanities Festival. She will speak on “Transforming Lives: Empowering Philanthropy through Humanism” at 10 a.m. on Nov. 1 and will be the guest of honor at that evening’s COH Alumni Mixer and the Young Alumni Brunch on Nov. 2.

Vandersip began at Make-A-Wish San Diego in 2013, after previously working for San Diego Hospice, UC San Diego, NARAL Pro-Choice America, the International Research & Exchanges Board, and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. At each stage in her career, Vandersip says the communication and diplomacy skill she learned studying Russian language and literature were crucial.

In choosing to study Russian, Vandersip says she had no clear idea of where it would lead, but the breadth of new knowledge, and the opportunity to study with some of the university’s best professors, have proven valuable ever since. To give back to current and future students, she has created the Vandersip Scholarship for the UA College of Humanities.

“When I first started studying Russian, I was so deeply entrenched in learning and I loved it. What it did for me was put color in my life,” she says. “It was a combination of learning new things every day, opening my mind to other cultures and other people, and a whole world out there that I could explore. That was the beginning of what could be.”

Connecting with highly accomplished alumni, like Vandersip, is a major initiative for College of Humanities Dean Alain-Philippe Durand, who says those examples can inspire current students.

“The possibilities of career paths for College of Humanities graduates is endless,” Durand says. “Dana Vandersip is a shining example of someone who is able to make a tremendous impact on the world, and the lives of children through Make-A-Wish, by applying the knowledge she gained at the University of Arizona.”