Congratulations 2025 Graduates!

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Sabai Gardecki

Sabai graduated in December 2024 with his BA in Russian and Italian. Afterwards he plans to enroll in two MA programs: One in Russian at Middlebury College, and one in Specialized Translation and Conference Interpretation at the University of Trieste.

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Margarita Krylova

Next steps: Harvard Medical School Master's in Bioethics as a gap year and medical school after. 

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Katie McKenzie

Hello, my name is Katie McKenzie and I am from Wallburg, North Carolina. I majored in Russian Studies and Public Policy and after graduation, I will be finishing my Masters in Public Policy at Duke through the 4+1 program. I studied Russian abroad through the Duke in Russia: Nice, France program, which helped me understand the global significance of the Russian diaspora. I am excited to further explore the intersection of Russian studies and global policy, and I am forever grateful for all that the Russian department has done for me.

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Jessica Oldov


Jessica will be graduating from Duke this Spring with a BS in Computer Science and a Minor in Russian Language and Culture. After Duke, she will be working as a software engineer in Boston and plans to pursue an MBA after gaining industry experience. Jessica hopes to combine her interests in technology, language learning, and finance to work in fintech.

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Andrea Reyes Guillen

Andrea is graduating with a BA in Russian and Political Science with a minor in History. After Duke, Andrea plans to work for a foreign policy non-profit in Washington, DC before applying to graduate school. She hopes to apply her Russian language and regional experiences from the Slavic and Eurasian Studies Department to her future career.

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Michelle Schultze

After graduating in May 2025 with a double major in Economics (B.S.) and Russian Language & Culture (AB2), I will continue at Duke in the 4+1 M.A. in Economics program (’26). Studying Russian has challenged me to be a better thinker and communicator, allowing me to write more impactful research on economic development in Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. Forever grateful for the support of my Russian professors to learn and grow during my time at Duke.

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Linn Tjornhom

I will be graduating with a B.S.E. in Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace Engineering Certificate and a Russian Culture and Language minor. After graduation, I will be pursuing a master’s in Aerospace Engineering at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.

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Jaeden Toy

At Duke, Jaeden obtained a BS in Computer Science with a concentration in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, an AB in Russian, and a minor in Linguistics. After Duke, Jaeden will be moving to Washington DC to work as a data scientist. He has thoroughly enjoyed his time in all three disciplines, and he hopes he is able to continue learning languages long after graduation.

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Charlie Warren

Charlie Warren is a senior graduating with majors in Political Science and Public Policy and a minor in Russian. After working in Washington, D.C. for a year, he plans to apply to graduate programs in international relations, where he hopes to continue studying Russian language and politics before ultimately applying to the U.S. Foreign Service.