In 2023, I was selected for the Project Global Officer scholarship, an immersive language experience to aid ROTC cadets learn languages. I studied advanced Russian for the summer in the capital of Latvia, Riga and stayed with a host family. Excursions on the weekends included trips to Tallinn, Estonia and Vilnius, Lithuania, where our class learned about the history of the Baltic States. Skills I learned were adapting to the cultural norms of Eastern Europe, where whistling is not common outdoors and asking “How are you” is very unusual - especially in English. Furthermore, our class had to navigate learning a language that was unpopular in our host country and refrain from speaking it in public, out of respect for the citizens and current political climate in Eastern Europe.

Leadership Highlights

• Organized and collaborated with diplomatic officials to host an educational event for over 20 abroad students with the Embassy of the United States of America in Riga, Latvia, resulting in a recurring event for abroad students  

• Researched and presented with Hannah Harris to think tank, Latvian Institute of International Affairs, on Soviet-German influence on the Latvian collective memory to a panel of Latvian economic and political officials 

• Completed over 300 hours of formal advanced Russian language study, cultural immersion in Riga, and many educational trips to historical sites of interest 

•Achieved OPI score of 2+ for spoken communication