At the end of my first year I noticed an intriguing course advertisement: “Lake Baikal: The Soul of Siberia.” Offered jointly by Wellesley’s Biology and Russian departments, the course was a spring seminar followed by a summer field study at Russia’s Lake Baikal, the oldest, deepest and most biologically diverse lake on the planet. Russian 101 was a prerequisite, however – and Russian was definitely not part of my 4-year plan. I hesitated, then decided I would somehow fit it in.

My decision to take that first semester of Russian was perhaps one of the best choices I have ever made. My Russian professors immediately drew me in. I walked around campus reciting the alphabet. I studied extra. I even liked the grammar. I won a grant to study Russian at Yale and in Saint Petersburg the summer after my sophomore year, and then I headed to Lake Baikal in August. After spending 3 weeks at Baikal, I realized that some of the world’s most unique natural places are still largely preserved in Siberia and the Russian Far East, and that I wanted to learn more about nature conservation in Russia. I chose the Russian city where I would study abroad: Irkutsk, about 40 miles from the lake.

During fall semester of my junior year my interest in Russia – the culture, the history, the literature, the politics – only increased. My professors inspired me. Every lecture seemed like a discovery, and I couldn’t learn enough. While I continued my environmental studies coursework, I made the decision to drop Environmental Studies as a major, because I couldn’t finish both Russian and ES. I chose Russian Language and Literature because I loved it more than anything I had ever studied. I couldn’t imagine not taking advantage of my Wellesley professors, with their seemingly boundless knowledge of everything Russian. I enjoyed studying Russian so much that I did not care whether I would use my major after Wellesley. For me, a person always worried about practicality, choosing a major as seemingly impractical as Russian was a breakthrough.

As it turned out, however, Russian was not such an impractical major after all. After graduation I was hired by the Wild Salmon Center, an environmental NGO with two programs in Russia. I used my Russian every day at the office, continued to discover new facets of Russian culture, and gained an excellent breadth of knowledge related to environmental conservation on both sides of the Pacific. I left Wild Salmon Center to pursue a Fulbright Fellowship focused on nature reserve management in the Russian Far East. The Fulbright gave me the opportunity to study precisely what interested me most and allowed me to interact closely with a number of Russia’s most dedicated conservationists. At the same time, it built my confidence in my ability to realize my plans independently, and to engage people in a thoughtful way.

After the Fulbright I joined the Russia Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), one of the world’s leading conservation organizations. I am based in the Russian Far East, and my colleagues include the world’s top experts on Siberian tigers, among other species. At WCS I am part of a talented and supportive team of dedicated specialists who lead a world-premier conservation program. I am always learning new things, and it’s hard to imagine a better place to work.

Ultimately, I’ve realized that it is in fact my knowledge of Russia that has allowed me to obtain stimulating jobs in international environmental conservation, many of which are usually reserved for those with Master’s degrees. When I do begin graduate school – most likely in a conservation-related field – my experience, and the guidance of my supervisors and colleagues, will help me tremendously in choosing an appropriate focus area. Even if Russian hadn’t opened up these opportunities for me, however, I would not regret choosing Russian Language and Literature as a major. My study of Russia, along with the time I have spent living here, has opened my mind, helped me to grow in ways I could never have imagined, and given me many of the most enriching, fulfilling experiences of my life.