Foreign Becomes Familiar:
Visitors Help Santa Rita Students
Learn Russian Language

TUCSON, AZ - Struggling to learn Russian while living in the desert Southwest may seem like a stretch to Santa Rita High School students. But when a native Russian and a college student who spent a year in Russia come to visit, it doesn't seem so far-fetched.

The visitors came from the University of Arizona through a partnership with the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies and Tucson Unified School District. The stories they told and the Russian language they spoke brought the country and its cultures to life.

"I am pleasantly surprised that so many people are interested in learning Russian when Tucson is so far from Russia," said Nina Koloyartseva, a visiting professor from St. Petersburg. "If a person understands at least two languages, the person leads two lives."

Students hung on every Russian word she spoke, but could understand very little. Their teacher, Irina Kamenkovich, a Russian immigrant who also teaches at Sabino High School, interpreted the talk. Kamenkovich had been a university level teacher in Russia.

The next speaker, Kenda MacIntosh, a UA senior, was easier to follow. She spoke in English, telling her audience that she decided to major in Russian at the end of her sophomore year.

"I wanted to study in Russia,” MacIntosh said.  “It was a really amazing year. Russians are amazing, wonderful people." 

With a double major in Russian and political science, MacIntosh plans to earn a law degree and then practice international law with an eye to working all over the world.

"Not many Americans speak Russian, so knowing Russian has opened up doors for me," she said. "That can happen for you, too."

Kamenkovich complimented the students’ work, saying she had a class of very intelligent, hardworking students.

In a sign that the partnership between TUSD and UA has been successful, Santa Rita plans to offer second-year Russian next year.