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| History Major Named Fulbright-Hays Scholar |
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Published: June 11, 2007.
“I have always wanted to study abroad, but didn’t want to go away for a whole semester,” explained Kadar, who has taken three semesters of Russian with Dr. Serafima Gettys, instructor and Coordinator of Lewis’ Foreign Language Program. “When I learned about the summer programs from Dr. Gettys, I applied on a whim – hoping, but not really expecting anything. I had no idea I would be so fortunate as to be accepted to the program, much less receive a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship. While the program is giving me the chance to go abroad, the scholarship is making it a reality that will fulfill a dream.” Kadar will leave for Moscow on Tuesday, June 26 and will study politics, economics, culture and language at the Higher School of Economics. While there, she will stay with a host family and also take part in local excursions of the country. “I’m excited and nervous all at once,” she said of the upcoming travel-study trip. “I want to immerse myself in the culture so that I can understand as much as possible what it’s like to be a Russian citizen. I think having an understanding of the people and the culture is necessary to the study of the country’s history.” Kadar, who will be a senior at Lewis in the fall, said she hopes to eventually earn a Ph.D. in Russian history and to teach at a university, write and conduct research. A graduate of Lincoln-Way Central High School in New Lenox, she said she has always been a history buff but became particularly interested in Russian history after taking longtime Lincoln-Way Central history instructor Joseph Miller’s classes. Miller, who recently retired from Lincoln-Way Central, taught classes such as Advanced Placement (AP) European History, the History of Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia, and the History of World War I and World War II. Kadar took them all. “He was a wonderful teacher,” she said of Miller, “and once he introduced me to Russian history, I just found it to be very interesting.” “They have been through everything a people can go through,” she said about the Russian people. “They’ve experienced every type of tyrannical government, withstood outstanding amounts of oppression, and have still retained their heritage and unique culture. They are a testament to what the human spirit can endure and overcome. Also, I believe Russian history is understudied and I would love to further it. For example, everyone knows about Hitler’s concentration camps, but few people know about Stalin’s Gulag which was equally appalling. Another thing that draws me to the country is the literature. Russia has produced, in my opinion, some of the most intriguing and proficient writers in the world.” “Emily is an excellent example of the simple truth that I always share with my students: studying a foreign language is an adventure. You never know where it can lead you,” said Dr. Gettys. “When Emily started to study Russian, she never thought that she would ever visit this country. At that time, she was taking Russian just out of very general interest. But look at her today!” Kadar is the daughter of Robert and Jean Kadar of New Lenox. She has one brother, Michael. The Fulbright-Hays programs support internationalization of the nation’s educational infrastructure by strengthening area and foreign language expertise among current and prospective U.S. educators. The Group Projects Abroad program accomplishes this by providing advanced overseas study and research opportunities.
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