Meet the 2011-2012 American Home Teachers!

 

Hi! I’m Christina Bartol and I just graduated from American University in Washington, DC with a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in Russian language. I grew up in Chardon, Ohio, which is just east of Cleveland, and I’ve always been fascinated with Russia and Russian culture. I’m 22 years old and I like going to art museums, listening to music, and collecting vinyl records. I studied at St. Petersburg State University in 2009, and I’m really looking forward to spending more time in Russia as an English teacher!

 

 

 

 

 

My name is Trevor Davis.  I am originally from Lakewood, Ohio, the first suburb west of Cleveland.  This June, I will be graduating from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio with a degree in linguistics and a minor in Russian language.  I have a twin sister, Julianne, and two older sisters and a brother.  In my free time, I enjoy skateboarding, biking, cooking, gardening and generally being outdoors.  I studied in Moscow in the spring of 2010 and visited Vladimir once during my stay.  I am very excited to return to Russia this fall.

 

 

 

 

My name is Darcy Higgins and I’m from Baltimore, Maryland. I will graduate this June from Ohio University with a major in Political Science and minors in Russian and French, after finishing my undergraduate thesis on street art. I studied abroad in Moscow last spring, and am excited to return. In addition to becoming an awesome teacher, one of my secret goals in coming to Vladimir is to become good enough at Russian to read my book of Marina Tsvetaeva's poetry. I love poetry, dance everything from swing to hip-hop, used to sing in a gospel choir, and can knit a mean pair of socks.

 

 

 

 

My name is Pippa Hoover, and I grew up in Davis, California. I studied math and Russian at Grinnell College in Iowa and graduated in 2010. This year I am living in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where I work at a middle school as a math tutor and an after school program supervisor. I love music – I play cello and a little guitar, and I especially love playing Russian songs on my guitar. I also enjoy hiking, learning languages, and reading. In the summer of 2009, I spent two months studying Russian in St. Petersburg, and I had such a wonderful experience that when I returned to the States, I couldn’t wait to go back to Russia. I am very excited about living in Vladimir and working at the American Home this year!

 

John McGraw johnmcgraw1@gmail.com

 

 

Hello! My name is John McGraw and I’m from sunny Miami, Florida. I’ve lived in Florida all of my life and love going to the beach and being outdoors. I graduated this past April from the University of Florida having double majored in History and Russian, with a minor in African Studies. I enjoy water sports, fencing, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. I’ve always been passionate about foreign languages and studied German and French in the past. During college however I became interested in Russian and quickly grew to love the language and culture. I’ve studied abroad before in Moscow, but am looking forward to living somewhere else in Russia. I am very excited to meet everyone in Vladimir and can’t wait to start this August!

 

 

 

Hello! My name is Alexander Marietta, but most people call me Al. I was born and raised in central Ohio with my older brother. Athens, Ohio became my home when I went to study journalism at Ohio University. My first experience with the Russian language came during my time there, and I studied it for two years. I fell in love with it then, and I spent more time studying English and Russian than journalism, I fear. I love to write and read. My hobbies include drawing, playing guitar, hunting mushrooms, cooking and woodcarving. I have a passion for word games, sushi, garden gnomes, bad jokes and rats. I will apologize in advance for my nonsensical sense of humor. Even though my Russian has gotten a little rusty, I look forward to my time in Vladimir!

 

 

 

Greetings! My name is Carrie Ann Morgan, and I am excited to be a part of the 2011/2012 American Home team. I was born in Ohio, but raised in South Carolina. I graduated from Ohio State in 2008 with a B.A. in history and philosophy. While in college, I traveled to St. Petersburg and Moscow on a short study abroad trip. Thanks to an amazingly hospitable Russian roommate in St. Petersburg, I added a Russian minor to my studies, and I have been hoping to return ever since. Since graduation, I have been living in Albania serving as a Peace Corps volunteer. I work on a lot of initiatives including health education, English education, gender development, and Albanian as a foreign language for volunteers. In addition to my obvious interest in languages, I enjoy being outdoors, cooking, cultural exchange, spending time with my cat, yoga, and running marathons. I consider myself a very curious person, and hence, I rarely turn down an opportunity to help or learn something new.

 

Hi everyone! My name is Jared Nourse. I was born in Philadelphia, but grew up in a small New England town called Marion, Massachusetts. I went to Williams College in Massachusetts, where I studied Political Science and Leadership Studies. I started studying Russian politics last year and Russian language just this year! I love New England sports (like the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots), and I love hiking, skiing, and otherwise enjoying the outdoors. I rowed on the crew team at Williams as well. I’m incredibly excited to join you in Vladimir soon!

 

 

 

 

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