The Center for Slavic and East European Studies awarded two Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships to students this summer to participate in intensive language workshops. In summer 2020, intensive language programs moved to completely online instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Department of Education, which oversees the FLAS program, restricts FLAS programming to in-person instruction but waived this requirement temporarily in light of the pandemic.

Morgan Fox is a graduate student in the Department of English, pursuing an MFA in creative writing and the graduate interdisciplinary specialization in East European and Eurasian studies offered through CSEES. She is studying fourth year Russian through Indiana University’s Summer Language Workshop. Morgan will complete her degree in spring 2021, and after graduation, she intends to pursue a further graduate degree in Russian and Slavic literature to fill out her primary interest in translation. In summer 2019, Morgan spent over a month in Russia traveling and immersing herself in the language and culture on top of her already extensive travel throughout the region. 

Peri Forbes in an undergraduate student majoring in international studies with minors in Russian and environment, economy, development, and sustainability. She is studying second year Russian through Indiana University’s Summer Language Workshop. Peri will graduate in spring 2021 and intends to pursue a master’s degree related to international relations and diplomacy. During high school, Peri participated in the Rotary Youth Exchange, through which she spent her junior year studying in Croatia. This was the impetus for her choice to focus her studies on international studies and Eastern Europe. In the long term, Peri intends to pursue a career with an international organization and/or as a policy analyst.