Dear Students and Alumni of UF Russian Studies,
We thought we would take the happy retirement of one of our dearest colleagues as an opportunity to reach out to our current students and recent and longtime graduates. After 20 years of stellar Russian-language instruction, Galina Wladyka has decided to hang up her chalk and embark on a new chapter, filled with globe-trotting adventures, beach relaxation, and family time. If you were one of the fortunate ones to have encountered Galina in class, at Russian Club events, or on one of our study-abroad trips, you know her infectious passion for all things Russian. Check out the highlights from my interview with her below for more about her reflections on the past and plans for the future. If you’d like to reach out to Galina directly, you can find her on Facebook, or at galdok@ufl.edu. She’d be delighted to hear from you!
Moving forward, our plan is to reach out on a more regular basis with news and information from the program and our wonderful alumni. To kick things off, we proudly present profiles of two exceptional alumni, Samantha Gildea ’22, and Nikolai Zakrewsky ‘24, followed by some end-of-year accolades.
Alumni, we’d love to hear back from you—just in general, and more specifically to find out what you’re up to. Whether you are actively using Russian or not, please reach out to me at mgorham@ufl.edu if you’d like to participate in our alumni profile. In any case, do drop a line!
As for myself, I’m just wrapping up a glorious year as a Research Fellow at the National Humanities Center, in the Research Triangle in North Carolina, finishing up a book manuscript on Networking Putinism: The Rhetoric of Power in the Digital Age. But more on this in future newsletters!
Yours truly,
Michael Gorham
(AY 2023–24) Archie K. Davis Fellow
National Humanities Center
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Professor, Russian Studies
Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures
University of Florida
P.O. Box 115565 // Gainesville, FL 32611–5565 // 352-273-3786
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