My name is Tetiana, and I’m super excited to welcome you to TerpsTalk this summer!

I’ve been learning and teaching languages for a long time, and Russian has become one of my favorites. It’s such a fun and interesting language — full of cool words, rich culture, and great stories. I’ve had the chance to teach some amazing students, and I can already tell this summer is going to be awesome.

What I love most is helping students feel confident speaking Russian and seeing how much progress they make. We’ll be practicing real-life conversations, learning about Russian cities, and having fun along the way.

This summer, we’ll be focusing on meeting new people and exploring identity, and all while speaking Russian! Whether you’ve studied the language before or are just starting out, don’t worry — we’ve got this. We'll support each other, try new things, and learn together.

I can’t wait to meet you all. Let’s have an unforgettable summer.

See you soon! До встречи!

Tetiana

My name is Eleonora, and I’m so excited to be one of your teachers this summer for TerpsTalk! I was born in Vladivostok, a beautiful city in the Far East of Russia, right by the Sea of Japan; but I’ve lived in the U.S. long enough enjoy Halloween candy and still be confused by baseball. (Fun fact: in Russian, Halloween is spelled Хэллоуин — and if you can pronounce it right on the first try, you’re officially a language wizard!)

I love languages, traveling, photography, literature, and meeting people from around the world.  I've been teaching Russian for over 20 years and it’s still one of my favorite things to do! I hold three master’s degrees — in Linguistics, Business Administration (MBA), and Education (M.Ed.) — and I’m currently finishing my dissertation. (Yes, I really like school!) I also published many textbooks for Russian learners and create podcasts for Russian learners.

Why do I love teaching Russian? Because it opens up a whole new way to see the world — through culture, history, jokes, and everyday conversations. This summer, I’m especially excited to get to know all of you and hear your ideas as we explore a variety of themes and travel in Russian-speaking cities. We’ll have fun, learn a lot, and speak as much Russian as possible — don’t worry, I’ll help you every step of the way!

До скорой встречи!

Элеонора (Eleonora)

My name is Clara and I'm 14 years old and going into high school this Fall. I went to a French immersion school from kindergarten to 8th grade and learned Russian in middle school.

I play the Cello and want to learn the piano. I really love Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich and have gone to the Nutcracker for 4 years.

I adore mythology (specifically Greek, one of my favorites is the odyssey and the myth of Icarus) and love to read. I also love to draw, write, and play video games (Deltarune and Minecraft are 2 of my favorites). I love animation and the shows from glitch productions (Murder drones and the amazing digital circus). I want to continue Russian independently and I am excited to learn more about the culture and past of Russia.

My interest are Video games sports, and I am excited to learn more Russian so I can talk to more people in a new language. I like playing basketball or football and I am going into high school this year.