A Semester in Saint Petersburg!

Avery Harris Start Date: Oct 6, 2019 - End Date: Apr 5, 2020
  • Saint Petersburg, Russia

My Travel Story

by: Avery Harris Start Date: Oct 6, 2019 - End Date: Apr 5, 2020
Howdy!
My name is Avery and I am currently a Junior at Texas A&M University. From a very young age, I have always had a passion for travel and experiencing new cultures. I grew up in a very small town in Texas, with a population of roughly 7,000 people. Before attending Texas A&M University, I had lived in the same six-mile radius my entire life with the same 162 classmates I had known since preschool. Though I had been raised in this environment, I have never thought of myself as a small-town girl. I have always dreamed about everything that I could experience outside of this bubble. Where I come from, most girls my age dreamed of a nice house, a white picket fence, and a few kids, while I was dreaming of backpacking to the Parthenon and riding trains through the French Alps. 

Taking in new sights, cultures, and experiences ignites an insatiable curiosity about the world that I can only tame by continuing to explore. I have traveled as much as I was able to with my family, though I feel it is time for me to begin navigating the world on my own. This opportunity would be unlike any other travel experience I have ever had before because I would be able to pursue personal development while away. I have chosen to apply for this program not only because I have a passion for exploration, but because I sincerely have a passion for learning the Russian language and culture. Even though I have always been interested in studying abroad, I had never come across a program that truly called out to me. This is the only study abroad program I have pursued because it supports both my personal interests and my academic pursuits. This past summer, I decided to take up a hobby while working part-time and taking classes at Texas A&M. This hobby happened to be learning Russian. I started to learn Russian because I wanted to learn another language and a close friend of mine's first language was Russian, which made helpful resources easily accessible. After I began learning the language, I became very interested in the culture and everything that Russia has to offer. I spent every moment of my free time trying to improve my language skills. Whether that be by writing the Cyrillic alphabet on scrap paper when work was slow, to creating playlists of Russian music to improve my listening skills, I have become increasingly dedicated to learning. This inspired me to search for study abroad opportunities in Russia, where I was able to find a program that both pertained to my major and allowed me to pursue my newfound interest. While I have not had any formal training in Russian, I have been able to learn the basics through self-teaching and help from a friend. Studying abroad in Russia would be the best opportunity for me to truly hone my language skills by completely immersing myself in the culture. 

Furthermore, there are countless benefits to studying abroad in my future career. I plan on attending law school after finishing my bachelor's degree, and I believe that studying abroad would make me stand out in my applications as well as help me in my career following law school. Law school admissions around the U.S. have become increasingly competitive over the years, and I believe it would be very beneficial to me in the application process to have something as unique as studying for a semester in Saint Petersburg. I plan on specializing in International Law in the fashion industry, in which speaking multiple languages would make me a valuable asset in the professional world. I already have an extensive background of Spanish, and by learning Russian I would open many more doors for myself as well as the companies I work for in the future by providing a fresh perspective and cultural insight from my time spent abroad.

As a Political Science major, I hope to use this experience to gain new insight into relations between Russia and the United States. It seems that many Americans, especially from a conservative Texan Background, have a distorted view of Russia. These perspectives are clouded by what it used to be, and I hope to bring a fresh perspective back to Texas A&M through my time spent in Saint Petersburg. I particularly hope to learn more about the political economy in Russia, in which I would be able to cultivate a new understanding of their trade policies, production, and relationship foreign businesses that would only be possible by studying in their country and experiencing the culture first hand.

I am currently applying for numerous scholarships and looking for other outside sources of funding because I will not be able to work while I'm in Russia. Though I will be studying the Russian language while abroad, I do not currently possess the language skills needed to hold a job there. I work to pay for things outside of my tuition and rent, and my savings are going to take a major hit while I'm abroad and not working. If you've made this far, thank you so much for following along. Any donation would be greatly appreciated! 
  • Saint Petersburg, Russia