Instructor
Ani regularly teaches first-, second-, and third-year Russian. A recipient of the Jerzy Kolodziej Excellence in Teaching Award and Hamilton Lugar School Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, Ani takes pride in her students’ success.
Our program instructors
Pedram Aghaalikhani, PhD student
Instructor
Pedram is one of the seasoned members of the first-year Russian team. A linguist by training, Pedram is an excellent source for those students who want to better understand the Russian language system.
Elena Grajinskaya, PhD Student
Instructor
Elena teaches second-year Russian during the academic year and fifth-year Russian in the summer. In her research, she focuses on how students learn new languages. Elena believes that learning a foreign language enriches your life, boosts your critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and gives you deep insights into your own language. Seeing students achieving this, in Elena’s opinion, is the most gratifying experience for the instructor.
Instructor
Van has been on the first-year Russian team for many years, teaching throughout the academic year and in the summer. He is a linguist who loves to help his students discover how elegant and simple the structure of the Russian language is.
Natalia Matskevich-Levin, PhD student
Instructor
Natalia (Natasha) is a regular on the second-year Russian team. She also has expertise in Russian phonetics and incorporates fun tongue twisters and other activities to help her students with Russian phonetics and intonation.
Instructor
Instructor
A native Russian speaker studying comparative literature, Natasha is an integral part of the first-year Russian team. She strives to instill in her students a cultural curiosity and welcomes the opportunity to discuss Russian language and culture with her students.
Instructor