International Education Week: Study Abroad Unlocks New Doors, New Goals

In celebration of International Education Week, Betsy Engebretson provides an IREX Russia perspective on the value of studying abroad and the changes she has witnessed working with international students. 

My semester abroad in Russia was an overwhelming experience. I was constantly exposed to new ideas, concepts, perspectives and cultural norms. Almost paradoxically, while my broadening my horizons, this experience also helped me hone in on my future career goals, and I came back to the United States motivated to pursue a career in international development.

I have seen this same trend in Global UGRAD alumni who returned to Russia in May. On a recent trip to Irkutsk, in Siberia, and Khabarovsk, in the Russian Far East, I was able to see how UGRAD alumni’s lives and interests had changed and become more focused after their time in the United States.

While studying at Tennessee Tech, Tatiana Peskova realized that her passion is finance and now wants to pursue a career in that field. In Irkutsk, she had studied business, but her finance class in America changed her world and helped her to reshape her goals. Her love of finance is evident from talking to her: If she hadn’t had the opportunity to study it in America, she says, she might never have discovered the field.

Like Tatiana, Olga Rudakova’s goals related to business became more concrete during her time in the States. She believes that she learned more in one year in Missouri at Lincoln University than in studying four years in Russia. She now plans to get an MBA. After returning from the States, Olga was able to get a job at a transportation company (in part, thanks to her international experience) and now has the opportunity to impact local businesses. Olga noted, “I now believe anything possible. There are no borders.”

Margarita Podoynitseva had never had the opportunity to explore filmmaking in Khabarovsk, but she wanted to give it a try. At Florida State University in Tallahassee, she immersed herself in filmmaking, volunteering to take part in and help out with as many student films as possible. After gaining hands on experience, she is certain that filmmaking is her calling and something she wants to seriously pursue. Since being back in Khabarovsk, she has started writing a script for her first film about life in Russia and the United States.

Tatiana, Olga, and Margarita were not only exposed to many new ideas, but they also found their passions and now have a better idea of the type of careers they want to pursue. They are not only cultural ambassadors, but also extremely motivated, driven young women. Their year in the United States on the Global UGRAD program has forever changed their lives and helped them to set future career goals—just as my semester in Russia ultimately led me to my current position with IREX in Moscow, and a lifelong career in international development.