Veeka Malanchuk’s (Class of 2024) “fresh start” in college was not so fresh - due to the unexpected spread of the virus, she was physically on campus but like many taking classes virtually. She was less motivated academically, taking classes through zoom, and her attention span was down, as most of the people experienced. She had a tough first semester, but more opportunities were provided to be involved on campus as the year flew by. Veeka did not miss this chance to meet people. Her love of people along with her amazing resilient skills, she is now one of the most involved students on campus.

In light of her experiences in her first semester, she is double majoring in Education & Youth Studies and Russian language, with a prospective minor in Spanish. She is president of the Russian club, a member of the Spanish club, and Alpha Sigma Tau.

Her interests in education and language eventually led her to take education and language courses during her first year, and her experience from EDYS 201 widened her passion for language education. By taking a creative approach to her final project by creating her own podcast on differences in secondary language education from two different countries, the Netherlands and the United States, she was able to dive into different aspects and topics worldwide.

EDYS 164 helped her explore what the actual classroom environment will be like, along with classroom management skills and some obstacles she might encounter in the future. “Being in class makes a big difference since we have really good discussions, and I love hearing what everyone else is saying in the class. That has been a real eye-opener for me and probably the best experience I had with the Education and Youth Studies department.”