Russian Tea Time at the University of South Dakota

Kaleigh McLaughlin (Azerbaijani 2016), a 2018 ADF recipient, planned and executed a very successful Russian Tea Time event with the Department of Modern Languages at her university, University of South Dakota. This event was held in support of the new Russian Studies minor at the University of South Dakota. Despite challenges, including having to change the venue last minute due to flooding, 50 students attended the event in addition to several staff and faculty members. Members of the Russian-speaking community in eastern South Dakota also attended the event, providing traditional homemade treats.

During the event, Russian international students performed traditional Russian dance and served as conversation partners for those practicing their Russian language skills. Students taking Russian courses gave bilingual presentations on Moscow and St. Petersburg and Kaleigh gave a presentation on Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus. Scholarships for language study were discussed, including the CLS Program. In addition, Reporters from the university newspaper and television channel interviewed Kaleigh and the Russian professor who supported her in this event.