'Language Practice and Cultural Immersion': More Than 100 Students of HSE University-St Petersburg Work as Volunteers at IPW-2025
At the end of May, HSE University-St Petersburg became a platform for meetings of researchers and professors from the leading universities worldwide. The participants of the International Partners' Week were accompanied by volunteers selected among students of HSE University-St Petersburg. Young people helped the guests in an unfamiliar city and introduced them to Russian culture and the university. Read on to find out more about volunteers' work, language practice, tasks and personal discoveries.
The IPW-2025 volunteers met the guests at the airport, accompanied them during the lectures, helped with registration and navigation at the buildings of HSE University-St Petersburg, and gave city tours. The students confess that this week was at the same time an exam in intercultural communication, school of leadership, language practice and professional networking, the results of which will be useful for years to come.
'I'm very grateful to the students who volunteered to help us. In total, we had 104 volunteers, and though I can't tell about each one in detail but for me—all of them are the best. The most hardworking, talented, smart, well-educated and quick-thinking in the multitasking environment. I can't imagine the International Partners' Week without them, they took on a lot of work and their contribution, unity and proficiency in several languages were highlighted by each guest. I am very proud of them', underscored Valeria Konyaeva, volunteers’ curator, manager at the Student Academic Mobility Unit.
The main selection criterion for volunteers was English language proficiency, at least at the B2 level. According to Valeria Konyaeva, the organisation of proper teamwork required almost round-the-clock coordination. 'With the volunteers, we had a group chat for 140 people—a lively community where every evening, we summed up the results, discussed our plans and exchanged jokes. Everyone says they will miss the chat—over the week, we became a true family. At the venue, we defined the positions for everyone and worked on routine problems. There was a special room for volunteers where they could have some rest, have lunch and discuss what happened during the day. It was difficult but we spoke the same shorthand.
Such events are simply impossible without the help of volunteers. Many of our volunteers spoke several languages and impressed our guests with their professionalism', shared the volunteers’ curator.
'Among the volunteers at the International Partners' Week were a lot of students of the Asian and African studies. It wasn't accidental. In their toolbox, they have Chinese, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Hindi as well as English, Spanish, French and German', adds Ekaterina Starikova, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies. 'Besides, many of our students have a rich experience in volunteering at large-scale international events—SPIEF, Roscongress events and others. Students of the bachelor's programme 'Asian and African Studies' study two foreign languages on a compulsory basis. For some students, communication in the second Eastern language—in particular, Vietnamese and Hindi—was the main task at the event, with which the students coped with flying colours. The guests underscored not only high professionalism but also friendliness and responsiveness'.
When Polina Maksimova, 4th-year student of the bachelor's programme 'Asian and African Studies', met the rector of VNU University of Economics and Business, she had not yet known that in a couple of days, she would participate in the shooting for the Vietnamese television. Iaroslav Ledenev, 2nd-year student, never imagined that meeting with the Korean delegation would lead him to getting to know the national cuisine which he would call a 'unique experience'. There are hundreds of such stories accumulated during the International Partners' Week at HSE University-St Petersburg. The students became mediators between cultures, languages and academic traditions.
'I accompanied the rector of VNU University of Economics and Business and helped at the closing ceremony at the Kochoubey Centre. This task seemed extremely difficult to me at first—great responsibility! But we quickly found common ground with the guest, and things got rolling. It was nice to use Chinese, Vietnamese and even Spanish', shared her impressions Polina Maksimova, 4th-year student of the Bachelor's programme 'Asian and African Studies.
'I accompanied a professor from South Korea. When he wasn't around, I helped at the venue. I decided to participate to shake up my student life. In the process, I managed to practice English and Korean and get to know the representatives of other cultures. I think, it was a wonderful boost to my communicative skills. I have found common ground with the guest really fast. I can confidently say that communication with him was the best part of this week. I am a student of 'Asian and African Studies'. I'm learning Korean, that is why I asked to appoint me to accompany the delegation from Korea. I managed to use my language skills and, what is especially important, hear live Korean speech—this happened to me for the first time', shared Iaroslav Ledenev, 2nd-year student of the bachelor's programme 'Asian and African Studies'.
For some volunteers, this International Partners' Week wasn't the first one. 'I really liked the International Partners' Week last year, so I decided to join this year too. Moreover, I am a very active person, game for anything, so to speak. This year, IPW was much bigger, I managed to meet the representatives of universities in the countries of interest to me. For my concentration, they were Vietnam and China, and for pleasure—Thailand. After two years of participation, I can say that IPW boosts language proficiency and endurance—stay up all night and walk 25 thousand steps around the university building', explained her motivation Anna Neelova.
Ksenia Zorkina, 2nd-year student of the bachelor's programme 'Sociology and Social Informatics', emphasised that she applied as soon as the selection started because, after 2024, she had lots of positive emotions. 'I'm a student of the English-taught programme, my studies directly helped me in communication with international guests—I could fluently keep up the conversation. The most memorable moment, just like last year, was meeting the guests at the airport. It's very thrilling when you meet people from another country and understand that you are responsible for their first impressions of our city and university. Over the week, we practised communication skills well, and learnt to adapt to various situations, quickly find answers to the guests' questions and, of course, work in a team efficiently. On the last day, after the Student Fair, I talked to the representatives of the Thai university. One of them had some charms on her bag, and I gave her a compliment. In a minute, she handed one of them to me, saying: 'For you, as a souvenir'. It was a hand-made charm knit by her sister', said Ksenia.
For many volunteers, participation in IPW was an important step in their professional development. Alina Kutlina, student of the bachelor's programme 'Asian and African Studies', said, summing up the week: 'It was a separate little life. I hosted the guests from Armenia and China and accompanied professors from Brazil. There were a lot of English and meetings with people from all over the world. The guests were incredibly kind, and the atmosphere was really special, thanks to which you didn't even feel tired. I became more confident and changed my ideas about my future career. I really hope to come back next year'.
'I worked with several languages: Chinese, Vietnamese and English. Over this week of volunteering, I managed to work with honourable guests from various countries but I interacted the most with the Vietnamese native speakers—the professors from partner universities. I learnt to communicate with people of different cultures, overcome the language barrier and find the right words and expressions... I realised how important it is not to be afraid of making mistakes, playing by ear and supporting live contact with the interlocutor. Volunteering gave me confidence in my language skills, expanded my network of acquaintances and helped to understand how to use this knowledge in practice. It is vital for future professional activities', shared Elizaveta Anuchkina, 3rd-year student of the bachelor's programme 'Asian and African Studies'.
Maksim Ustinov, accompanying doctor Suleiman Al Husseini from the University of Nizwa (Oman), gained valuable experience in the Arabic language. 'The most memorable moment for me was the visit to the St Petersburg Mosque together with the guest. I gained valuable experience, thanks to which I got to know the culture of the studied region better. An important opportunity for me was the practice of the Arabic language. I realised that I could talk to a native speaker about daily topics, and I identified the moments to improve in the future', shared Maksim his observations.
Flexibility and problem-solving in extraordinary situations are additional skills which volunteers develop. 'I have already had some volunteering experience at SPIEF-2024, Roscongress events and even the Eurasian Women's Forum. But it was the International Partners' Week where I managed to get a very important and useful experience for an expert in Asian and African studies—accompanying a representative of an international university, Yuko Adachi, a Japanese university professor of Sophia University! I managed to dive into the difficult but exciting process of organising such an event, which is interesting for me as an organiser of scientific events for the Student Research Community of the Institute for Asian and African Studies', said Maria Petrochenko, student of the master's programme 'Cross-Cultural Studies of Asia and Africa in the Context of International Relations'.
The work of the volunteers was highly praised by the participants of the International Partners' Week. The representatives of partner universities highlighted not only the language proficiency of the students but also their personal qualities. According to the IPW guests, the students created an open atmosphere which makes large events memorable.
'All the volunteers with whom I communicated on these days, shared their excitement and joy because of the chance to use the studied languages in practice, take part in such a huge international event and help their home university. I am sure that for our students, this experience will be a good incentive to continue their studies and professional development', summed up Ekaterina Starikova, deputy director of the Institute of Asian and African Studies.
Valeria Konyaeva, summarising the results of teamwork, underscored: 'I will miss our joint work but already now, we are ready to work together again next year and make IPW even better. We also told the students about other events in which our Office participates. They don't have to part with us for a year until the next International Partners' Week'.