Winners of ACTR's 2006 Russian Essay Contest

Fri May 12 03:03:36 UTC 2006

Dear Colleagues,

Here are the results of the Seventh Annual ACTR National Post-Secondary 
Russian Essay Contest.  In this year's contest, there were 650 essays 
submitted from 52 universities and colleges.  Each essay was ranked by 
three judges in Russia, and often the results were simply too close to call.

Congratulations to the winners of the contest!  We had over 100 students 
from 40 institutions throughout the United States win gold, silver, bronze, 
or honorable mention certificates.

Sincerely,

Patricia Zody, NPSREC Chairperson
**********************************************************************
Seventh Annual National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest
American Council of Teachers of Russian
Topic: "What Is Your Dream? Kakaia u vas mechta? O chem vy mechtaete?"

Non-Heritage Learners, Level 1

First Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 1)
Kristina M. Conroy, Boston College
Ester Murdukhayeva, Columbia University
Austin Robinson, Brigham Young University

Second Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 1)
Nikolay Nikolov, Pomona College
Laura Schnaidt, Columbia University

Third Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 1)
Adam Foltzer, Indiana University
Lauren Hill, Amherst College
Simon Ingold, Yale University
Stephanie Moyerman, Pomona College (Harvey Mudd College)
Matthew Weaver, University of Montana

Honorable Mention (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 1)
Alisa Ballard, Brown University
Patrick Donnelly, University of Notre Dame
Sara Maria Hasbun, Columbia University
Vanessa Milano, University of Notre Dame
Elena Poiana, Randolph-Macon Woman's College
Meredith Rawls, Pomona College (Harvey Mudd College)
Kat Rokhlin, University of Iowa
Shawn Salzberg, Columbia University
Esen Sefik, Yale University

******************************************************************

Non-Heritage Learners, Level 2

First Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 2)
Anna K. Glett, Bowling Green State University
Ellen Guigelaar, Kenyon College
Tomaasz Siergiejuk, Yale University

Second Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 2)
Carol Braun, Northwestern University
Eric Ciaramella, Yale University
Rebecca McKenna, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Adrienne Rau, Columbia University

Third Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 2)
Annis Faye Burke, Swarthmore College
Mari Rosen, Amherst College
Selene Rosenberg, Kenyon College
Bradford Ryland, Columbia University

Honorable Mention (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 2)
Elizabeth Anne Baker, University of Mississippi
Jennifer Brannon, Beloit College
Elizabeth Brooks, University of Notre Dame
Mae Dunne, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Olga Kiser, Portland Community College
Coady Kleinert, University of Kentucky
Kimberly Lawson, Ohio State University
Bart Meinke, University of Northern Iowa
Evan Muchmore, Indiana University
Elizabeth Psyck, Columbia University
Dallin Taylor Morrow, Brigham Young University
Kalia A. Ward, Temple University

********************************************************************
Non-Heritage Learners, Level 3

First Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Isadora Botwinick, Yale University
Ryan Palmer, Brigham Young University

Second Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Matt Alleman, Brigham Young University
Rebecca Holtz, Pomona College
Brian Sells, Ohio State University

Third Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Matthew Adams, Yale University
Gary Bunker, Brigham Young University
Erik Conard, Brigham Young University
Megan McClain, University of Notre Dame
Dominik Rog, Northwestern University
Yomaira Tamayo, University of Pennsylvania

Honorable Mention (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Cheryl Allen, Brown University
William Champness, University of Notre Dame
Eric Christensen, Northwestern University
Jonathan Michael DePeri, Columbia University
Zachary Kelly, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Randall Klang, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Scott Morrison, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Michael Nyre, Brigham Young University
Sarah Shekhter, Northwestern University
Karen Taylor, Harvard University
Reid Vancelette, University of Iowa
Zachary Whitaker, Brigham Young University
*********************************************************************
Non-Heritage Learners, Level 4

First Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 4)
Andrew Dombrowski, University of Chicago
Berney Richert, University of Chicago

Second Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 4)
Paul Andersen, Indiana University
Dustin Cody Bankston, University of Mississippi
Jeanne-Marie Jackson, Drew University
Nathan Mack, University of Kansas
Ellen Polglaze, Beloit College

Third Place (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 4)
Laura B. Brandt, University of Oregon
Alexander Remington, Yale University
Janey Top, University of Utah
Ryan Walker, Ohio State University

Honorable Mention (Non-Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Katherine Avgerinos, Connecticut College
Nicola Bunick, University of Notre Dame
Timothy Michael Gallagher, Williams College
Marina Ivanova, Connecticut College
Kirk Jorgensen, University of Utah
Paul Kennard, University of Utah
Joel Knopf, Yale University
Lauren Ressue, Beloit College
Patrick Seul, University of Notre Dame
Jan Stiff, University of Chicago
Jeremy Warren Thompson, University of Utah
Amy Wilson, Dickinson College
***********************************************************************

Heritage Learners, Level 1

First Place (Heritage Learners, Level 1)
Asya Magazinnik, Vassar College

Second Place (Heritage Learners, Level 1)
Natalya Bogopolskaya, Pomona College (Claremont McKenna College)
Alec Lentz, Pomona College (Pitzer College)
Liliya Shmuylovskaya, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Third Place (Heritage Learners, Level 1)
Jake Gorelov, Williams College
Asher Mullokandov, Columbia University
Lina Smelansky, University of California, Los Angeles

Honorable Mention (Heritage Learners, Level 1)
Katherine Balan, University of California, Los Angeles
Yury Polnar, University of California, Santa Barbara
Yuliya Zeynalova, University of California, Los Angeles

*******************************************************************
Heritage Learners, Level 2

First Place (Heritage Learners, Level 2)
Lydia Yankovskaya, Vassar College

Second Place (Heritage Learners, Level 2)
Yuliya Gorelik, Northwestern University
Liliya Ivanova, University of Chicago
Margarita Shulgina, Northwestern University

Third Place (Heritage Learners, Level 2)
Sergey Arzumanov, San Francisco State University
Bella Markaryan, Northwestern University
Tatiana Rostovtseva, Northwestern University
Leah Tannen, Indiana University

Honorable Mention (Heritage Learners, Level 2)
Anna Bochman, Vassar College
Viktor Gamarnik, Columbia College

Heritage Learners, Level 3

First Place (Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Nadejda Kramerova, University of California, Los Angeles
Yulia Volokh, Case Western University

Second Place (Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Julietta Arutyunova, University of California, Santa Barbara

Third Place (Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Kristina Grigorian, University of California, Los Angeles
Nelli V. Ivanchenko, University of Oregon

Honorable Mention (Heritage Learners, Level 3)
Vyacheslav Gomozov, Drew University
Jangir Selimkhanov, Northwestern University

Description of Categories and Levels

Category 1: Non-Heritage Learners (those learners who do not and did not 
ever speak Russian in the home. Please take the time to calculate the 
number of hours that your students have studied Russian to place them in 
the proper category.)

Level One: students who at the time of the essay contest will have had 
fewer than 100 contact hours of instruction in Russian (whether in college 
alone or in college and high school). (This is mostly students in 
first-year Russian.)

Level Two: students who at the time of the essay contest will have had more 
than 100 contact hours, but fewer than 250 contact hours of instruction. 
(This is mostly students in second-year Russian.)

Level Three: students who will have had more than 250 contact hours, but 
fewer than 400 contact hours of instruction. (This is mostly students in 
third or fourth-year Russian.)

Level Four: students who will have had more than 400 contact hours of 
instruction. (This is mostly students in fourth-year or fifth-year Russian.)

Category 2: Heritage Learners

Level One - students who speak Russian with their families and who have NOT 
attended school in Russia or the former Soviet Union and have to learn 
reading and writing skills after emigration.

Level Two: students who speak Russian with their families and who have 
attended school for fewer than 5 years in Russia or the former Soviet Union 
and may have had to relearn reading and writing skills after emigration.

Level Three: students who speak Russian with their families and who have 
attended school for 5 or more years in Russia or the former Soviet Union 
and have not had to relearn reading and writing skills after emigration.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                    http://seelangs.home.comcast.net/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------