Yana Kraichinskaya, Lecturer of the Department for Linguistics and Translation Studies, studied for a Master’s degree at SIT Graduate Institute through a Fulbright Foreign Student Program grant for students and graduates. The program lasted 2 years, from August 2014 to May 2016. The program is designed to enable scholars to better experience America and to further the Fulbright Program’s goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and people of other countries. 

The program had several components:

• Arrangements and activities

            The Institute of International Education organized orientations for over 100 students and graduates in various cities of the USA. Yana’s orientation was held in Washington and lasted one week. Since that time participants got to know each other and established professional and academic networks. The orientation included workshops devoted to cultural adaptation, intercultural communication and international career development.

 

                                      

            Another noteworthy activity was Enrichment Seminars for first-year students and graduates. Yana participated in the seminar “Developing the leadership skills of teenagers and increasing engagement of civil and social initiatives” in Austin, Texas. During the seminar the group was given an opportunity to volunteer in local schools and conduct meetings with representatives of local youth organizations. The participants considered successful practices of youth work, youth initiatives and participated in the training session to develop their ideas of an organization or an activity.

• Academic component

            Yana was enrolled in the program “International Education” at SIT Graduate Institute.  The program addressed educational theory, intercultural communication and multicultural teamwork, grant application writing, trainings, seminars etc.

                                            

The second year of study was devoted to practical application of knowledge. Yana Kraichinskaya completed a 7-months internship at International Office of University of Connecticut School of Law. As a result, the graduation thesis “Internationalization in American Legal Education: A Short-term Embedded Study Abroad Program for University of Connecticut Law Students” was written. Yana designed the program which is focused on intercultural communication to law students.