Results of the 15th Annual ACTR National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest

[Tony Brown]

Dear Colleagues,

Congratulations to the winners of the Fifteenth Annual ACTR National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest. In this year’s contest, there were 1004 essays submitted from 58 universities, colleges, and institutions across the nation. Three judges read each essay and independently ranked them.

With permission from one of the judges, I’d like to share the following: “Нам было приятно работать с вашими изумительными работами. В наше время, когда вокруг так много непонимания и порой даже ненависти, эти работы становятся спасительным лекарством для души. Значит, ещё не всё так уж плохо, ещё остаются надежды, что всё будет хорошо.”

Thank you for your help in making this contest a meaningful experience for your students.  I look forward to collaborating with you again next year.

Sincerely, 

Tony Brown, NPSREC Chairperson
**********************************************************************

Topic: Please write a short essay based on this topic: “An important decision in my life.” / “Важное решение в моей жизни.”

First Place (Category A, Level 1)
Cara Ehlenfeldt, Swarthmore College
Noel de Sa e Silva, Harvard University
		
Second Place (Category A, Level 1)
Paul Hoehn, Kenyon College
Lizzy Carp, Bryn Mawr College
Benjamin Marakowitz-Svig, Kenyon College
		
Third Place (Category A, Level 1)
Lupita Barrientos, Swarthmore College
Nina Prasad, Pomona College
Grant Farnsworth, Brigham Young University
Cody Lake, Temple University
		
Honorable Mention (Category A, Level 1)
Shreya Vardhan, Harvard University
Alexander Harrover, Kenyon College
Alison Kelly, Brigham Young University
Miles Garbarini, Yale University
Rebecca Mahany, Columbia University
Francis Simms, Williams College
Kalea Power, Princeton University
Ramsey Reyes, University of Pennsylvania
Yennie Jun, Tufts University
Andrew Brod, Yale University
Hana Lethen, Princeton University
Rebekah Heckler, Indiana University
Caleb Foust, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Krista Kohler, Columbia University
Seth Reichert, Kenyon College
Gerald Anders, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Nate Garrett, Brigham Young University
Lily Tyson, Swarthmore College
Allison Shely, Boston College
Sarah Brettin, University of Mississippi
Eleanor Woodward, Yale University
Kate Forrester, University of Chicago
Brent Eubanks, University of Mississippi
Charles Moser, University of Mississippi
Alexandra Grimm, Harvard University
Joshua Altman, Yale University
Paul Cresecenta, Pomona College
Winnie Thaw, Kenyon College
Juliette Cremel, Harvard University
Nicholas Nardini, Harvard University
Kate Seidel, Columbia University
Emily Efland, Yale University
Christian Williams, Boston University
Scott Treiman, Kenyon College
		
First Place (Category A, Level 2)		
Joshua O'Brien, University of Notre Dame
		
Second Place (Category A, Level 2)
Christian Felt, Purdue University
Stewart Pollock, Kenyon College
		
Third Place (Category A, Level 2)
Raul Aguilar, Rutgers University
Jacob Seidman, Columbia University
Andrew Stockburger, University of Chicago
Alexandra Vreeman, Pomona College
Brian Astrachan, Williams College
		
Honorable Mention (Category A, Level 2)
Sydney Stotter, Bryn Mawr College
Elizabeth Tolley, Swarthmore College
Miranda Lupion, University of Pennsylvania
Eleanor Lopatto, Kenyon College
Michael Lam, Yale University
Jason Adams, United States Military Academy
Michelle Mayro, Columbia University
Molly Petchenik, Swarthmore College
Micah Butler, College of William and Mary
Cole Hickman, Columbia University
Jennifer Doyle, Bowling Green State University
Martin Crosby-Arreaza, The College of New Jersey
Tasha	Courtney, Indiana University
Michael Kosowsky, The State University of New York at Binghamton
Lauren Beck, Columbia University
Keru Cai, Harvard University
Joseph Weber, Boston University
Brenda Tinoco, University of California, Los Angeles
Dylan Ogden, Kenyon College
Alexander Demetriades, Miami University
Barrett Ziegler, Dickinson College
Alexander Freeburg, Yale University
Ian Delbridge, University of Rochester
Jacob Spear, Carleton College
Gretchen Fernholz, Carleton College
Sarah Wall, College of William and Mary
Kristi Lew, Portland Community College
Michelle Schulte, Kenyon College
Kaia Hodgson, Brigham Young University
Austen Dowell, Dickinson College
Quin Stack, University of Wisconsin-Madison
John Lyons, Middlebury
Sean Frazzette, Harvard University
		
First Place (Category A, Level 3)		
Brad Gordon, University of Mississippi
Cameron Bell, Brigham Young University
Joseph Haberman, Yale University
		
Second Place (Category A, Level 3)
Dakota Whisler, University of Montana-Missoula
Joseph Haberman, Yale University
Jordan Hussey-Andersen, Indiana University
Zhihao Wang, University of California, Los Angeles
		
Third Place (Category A, Level 3)
Nick Prestwich, Brigham Young University
Caroline Elkin, Dickinson College
Alina Capanna, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Leslie Martin, Kenyon College
Richard Wess, University of Pennsylvania
Dyer Pierce, Kenyon College
		
Honorable Mention (Category A, Level 3)
Madeleine Steup, Indiana University
Erik Sohlden, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Claire Fisher, Harvard University
Alexandra Henriques, Columbia University
Taylor Lain, College of William and Mary
Tiara Luckiesh, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Richard Ruda, University of Maryland, College Park
Kevin Hazlett, Harvard University
Jessica Hardin, Georgetown University
Linda Kleinfeld, Sewanee-The University of the South
Kaylin Land, Carleton College
Garrett McClintock, Brigham Young University
Simon Hoellerbauer, Kenyon College
Amanda Marshall, University of California, Los Angeles
Brittany Belkiewitz, Indiana University
Jesse Kruschke, University of Wisconsin-Madison
James Browning, Carleton College
Peter Jensen, Indiana University
Annie Sundelson, University of California, Los Angeles
		
First Place (Category A, Level 4)	
Sarah Vitali, Harvard University
		
Second Place (Category A, Level 4)
Jonathan Mahoney, Brigham Young University
Koji Takagi, Brigham Young University
Juan Jose del Valle Coello, Indiana University
		
Third Place (Category A, Level 4)
Brenda Seah, Yale University
Jesse Vincent, Pomona College
Anthony Betts, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Joshua Prince, Brigham Young University
Alexander Hayes, Defense Language Institute
		
Honorable Mention (Category A, Level 4)
Henry Misa, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Sophia Davis, Carleton College
Casey Connolly, University of Notre Dame
Tom Liles, Harvard University
Brian Kimball, University of New Hampshire
Lia Kapanadze, Mount Holyoke College
Devin Hess, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Carson Fish, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Anna Sophia Ziton, Kenyon College
Setsen Altan-Ochir, Cornell College
Nathaniel Erb-Satullo, Harvard University
Lauren Goff, Harvard University
Danielle Smith, Dartmouth College
Azeem Zaman, University of Wisconsin-Madison
		
First Place (Category B, Level 1)		
Dina Difort, University of Montana-Missoula
		
Second Place (Category B, Level 1)
Nadiya Chuchvara, Rutgers University
		
Third Place (Category B, Level 1)
Alex Braslavsky, Columbia University
Damian Weikum, Yale University
Justin Bleuel, Columbia University
		
Honorable Mention (Category B, Level 1)
Joanna Antoniuk, United States Air Force Academy
Stefan Curcic, United States Air Force Academy
Patrick Parlej, Rutgers University
Jessica Dabrowski, Tufts University
Andre Ivankovic, Yale University
		
First Place (Category B, Level 2)		
Oleg Didovets, University of Rochester
		
Second Place (Category B, Level 2)
Jana Lohrova, Yale University
		
Third Place (Category B, Level 2)
Carolyn Czarnecki, Rutgers University
		
Honorable Mention (Category B, Level 2)
Rebecca Shipler, Boston University
Filip Duz, Boston College
		
First Place (Category B, Level 3)	
Edward Danilyuk, Temple University
Solomiya Stebelska, Rutgers University
		
Second Place (Category B, Level 3)
Maria Lechtarova, Columbia University
Marcin Swieczkowski, Boston University
Vladislav Petkov, Columbia University
		
Third Place (Category B, Level 3)
Ivan Kolobaric, Yale University
Vicky Radenkova, Lewis & Clark College
Emma Difort, University of Montana-Missoula
		
Honorable Mention (Category B, Level 3)
Weronika Kucharska, Drew University
Hristiana Petkova, University of California, Los Angeles
Bogdan Shevchuk, Portland State University
		
First Place (Category B, Level 4)		
Michelle Cerna, Tufts University
Christopher Blackwood, Tufts University
		
First Place (Category C, Level 1)		
Theodore Darenkov, Boston University
		
Second Place (Category C, Level 1)
Dina Peck, University of Chicago
Elena Nikonova, University of Pennsylvania
Michael Starr, Columbia University
		
Third Place (Category C, Level 1)
Yekaterina Kovalyova, Columbia University
Dalia Wolfson, Yale University
Marina Shayevich, Rutgers University
Rachel Vasilyev, Boston College
Anna Volski, Rutgers University
Yelyzaveta Prysyazhnyuk, Columbia University
		
Honorable Mention (Category C, Level 1)
Ronen Shor, Rutgers University
Igor Berman, Brandeis University
Michael Boutoussov, Rutgers University
Anna Kushnir, Rhodes College
Rachel Komich, Ohio University
Christina Sadoma, University of California, Los Angeles
Mark Solovey, University of California, Los Angeles
Natalia Johnson, Lewis & Clark College
Nikita Turley, Princeton University
Mayia Kapelnikova, Columbia University
Dennis Artischev, University of Mississippi
		
First Place (Category C, Level 2)		
Andrei Didenko, Tufts University
Maya Shumyatcher, University of Pennsylvania
		
Second Place (Category C, Level 2)
Anna Bruzgulis, University of Chicago
Maksimilian Sklyarov, University of California, Los Angeles
Yekaterina Belikov, University of California, Los Angeles
		
Third Place (Category C, Level 2)
Dave Benger, Brandeis University
Karina Panyan, University of Maryland, College Park
Lioudmila Zaitseva, Harvard University
Kseniya Rogulina, Boston University
Kristina Clinton, Purdue University
		
Honorable Mention (Category C, Level 2)
Nina Shevzov-Zebrun, Harvard University
Maria Alkhasova, Brandeis University
Izabella Kovalchuk, University of California, Santa Barbara
Mitchell Revitch, University of Notre Dame
Daniel Shor, Brandeis University
Anastasia Austin, Brandeis University
Alla Avakova, Northeastern University
Marina Bolotnikova, Harvard University
Robert Svechin, Rutgers University
		
First Place (Category C, Level 3)		
Masha Nikolski, University of Pennsylvania
Arpi Grigoryan, University of Mississippi
		
Second Place (Category C, Level 3)
Ecaterina Toutok, University of Rochester
		
Third Place (Category C, Level 3)
Yelena Guseva, University of Maryland, College Park
		
Honorable Mention (Category C, Level 3)
Valeriya Tatisheva, Dartmouth College
Miriam Goldman, Portland State University
Margarita Brown, Rutgers University

First Place (Category C, Level 4)	
Oleg Oleinic, Defense Language Institute
		
Second Place (Category C, Level 4)
Mariam Agaeva, University of Chicago
		
Third Place (Category C, Level 4)
Iulia Bardareanu, Rutgers University
Krystyna Rastorguieva, College of Charleston
Andrei Tarasevich, Defense Language Institute
		
Honorable Mention (Category C, Level 4)
Tatiana Bereznikova, Rutgers University
Saida Khamidova, American University
Dmitry Styrkas, Rutgers University
Ruslan Khushenazarov, Defense Language Institute



Description of Categories and Levels

Essays are ranked according to categories and levels as follows:

STUDENTS OTHER THAN RUSSIAN HERITAGE LEARNERS

Category A: Students who do not and did not ever speak Russian or any other Slavic language at home.

Category B: Heritage speakers of a Slavic language other than Russian.

Please take the time to calculate the number of hours that your students have studied Russian and assign them to the proper level. 

Level One (A1, B1): 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). Please note that heritage speakers of Russian must be assigned to Category C (below), and heritage speakers of any other Slavic language must be assigned to Category B.

Level Two (A2, B2): 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 in Russian. (These are mostly students in second-year Russian.)

Level Three (A3, B3): Students who will have had more than 250 contact hours, but fewer than 400 contact hours of instruction in Russian. (These are mostly students in third- or fourth-year Russian.)

Level Four (A4, B4): Students who will have had more than 400 contact hours of instruction in Russian. (These are mostly students in fourth- or fifth-year Russian.)


RUSSIAN HERITAGE LEARNERS

Category C: Students who were born to Russian speaking families and received most or all of their education in English.

Please take the time to calculate the number of hours that your students have studied Russian and assign them to the proper level.

Level One (C1): Students who may or may not speak Russian with their families, and who have NOT attended school in Russia or the former Soviet Union and who had to learn reading and writing skills after emigration. Those students who did not have any formal instruction in Russian before college and have had fewer than 60 contact hours of instruction in college.

Level Two (C2): Students who may or may not speak Russian with their families, and who have NOT attended school in Russia or the former Soviet Union and who had to learn reading and writing skills after emigration. Those students who did not have any formal instruction in Russian before college and have had fewer than 120 contact hours of instruction in college.

Level Three (C3): Students who speak Russian with their families, and who 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, and who have had fewer than 60 contact hours of instruction in college.

Level Four (C4): Students who speak Russian with their families, and who 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.

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