Alumni

Graduated with a BA from UVA Slavic Languages and Literatures department. Has returned to the department to pursue her degree in the 4+1 MA program.

Ben Francis is a first-year graduate student in the Contemporary Russian Studies program. He earned his BA in Slavic Languages and Literature, History, and Economics from Northwestern University in 2015, before serving in the Army as an Infantry Officer.

His interests include Russian history and culture, and their impact on contemporary politics.

Liam Murphy is a 4+1 MA student in Slavic Languages and Literatures. He received his BA in Slavic and Math in August, 2019, also at the University of Virginia. He is primarily interested in 19th century Russian literature, especially Tolstoy and the evolving role of violence in his fiction.

Valentina Zabrovskaya is a 4+1 Masters student in the Slavic Department at the University of Virginia, working toward her degree in Russian Contemporary Studies. In 2019 Valentina received her BA, also at the University of Virginia, in Environmental Thought and Practice and Russian Language and Literature. Her research focuses on the evolution of environmental thought in Slavic countries, specifically through a religious lens.

Sharisa Aidukaitis is a fifth-year PhD candidate in Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Virginia, where she holds the William K. Polk Jr. Jefferson Fellowship. She loves teaching Russian language and engaging with students to help them master new skills. She is currently writing her dissertation on the poetic geographies of Lina Kostenko and Anna Akhmatova. She is interested in the digital humanities, and has created a comprehensive map illustrating the geographic locations mentioned in the poetic works of Kostenko and Akhmatova.