Community news at HSE University

Eating fruit, wearing traditional outfits, and surviving the Moscow cold: Prep Year students from Vietnam, Iran, and Ghana talk about the New Year traditions in their countries and their plans for the celebration in Russia.

Liu Minglin, 22, from China, chose to study at ICEF in Moscow for two reasons: his Russian friends’ recommendations and the contents of the programme curriculum on the website. Now in his final year of the International Bachelor’s Programme in Economics and Finance at ICEF, Liu Minglin shares his impressions of living in Russia and studying at HSE University.

Learning Russian is one of the challenges international students face when they come to Russia. HSE University helps them not only with Russian classes, but with informal events such as the Russian Speaking Club, where they can absorb the language in a relaxed and non-competitive setting. The HSE News Service talked to the organisers and participants of the club about their impressions of the first meeting and plans for the future.

The King Sejong Institute has announced the results of its world competition of Korean-language essays. More than 200 participants competed in the final stage. Among the prize-winners was Elizaveta Grinevich, a 2023 alumna of HSE University-St Petersburg's Department of Korean Studies.

Han Zhang, from China, has worked at the International Laboratory for Evaluation of Practices and Innovations in Education at HSE University-Moscow since 2023. In October 2024, she successfully defended her PhD thesis on the relationship between collaborative peer editing and the quality of academic writing in a second language. She spoke with the HSE News Service about why she chose to join HSE University and how her research can be used to improve student writing performance.

Md Naoshad Jaman Chowdhury, 31, from Dhaka, Bangladesh, obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Finance and an MBA (International Business) from Dhaka University and graduated from the Master’s Programme in Management and Analytics for Business of HSE University in St Petersburg. Now he works as an HR Analyst at Brain Station 23 PLC, a prominent software company in Bangladesh. Naoshad Jaman talked to the HSE News Service about his career path, the skills he acquired during his studies at HSE University, the challenges he faced while learning Russian, and his plans to become an academic—complete with a big cup of coffee and professor jokes.

Georgy Khvatkin, first-year student of ICEF International Bachelor’s Programme in Economics and Finance, won gold at the World Cadet, Youth and Junior Sambo Championship. Georgy proved his superiority in the 98 kg weight category. He shares, how he decided to enroll in ICEF, when he started practicing Sambo, how regularly he trains, what role Jackie Chan played in his becoming a pro athlete, and the support his family provides to him.

Maryann Asemota, from Nigeria, graduate of the Master’s in Science, Technology, and Innovation Management, now works as researcher at the HSE Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK). In an interview with the HSE News Service, she shared her experience of working at HSE University, her future plans, and gave some advice on pursuing a career in academia.