'Welcome to the Family!': How HSE SPB Day 2025 Went
More than 30 student organisations, an exciting music programme, insightful lectures, and a grand initiation ceremony for first-years... In Sevkabel Port, HSE University-St Petersburg gathered first-year students, professors and researchers, curators, alumni, and partners. Read on to find out how the main celebration of the new academic year went.
On Saturday, September 13, Sevkabel Port hosted the main event of the new academic year—HSE SPB Day. The university family gathered together to celebrate the new academic season and officially initiate more than 2500 bachelor's and master's first-years as students.
The event started with the speeches by Pavel Kuzmin, deputy director for Study Process and Digital Transformation, and representatives of the HSE University-St Petersburg Board of Trustees—Alexander Loginov (PJSC 'Rostelecom'), Aleksandr Vyalkov (PJSC 'Bank Saint Petersburg'), and Olga Shemyakina (CJSC 'First Furniture Factory'). They wished students vibrant events, ambitious projects, and a successful start in their professions.
'May your path go beyond just studies. HSE University-St Petersburg offers a vast array of opportunities. But if you haven't found something for you yet, don't worry! You can start your own club and make your mark in the history of HSE University-St Petersburg. I hope that in some time, you'll join us as colleagues-professors, researchers, trustees or partners. May your studies be amazing and your time at the university exciting! As the old tradition says: break a leg!', addressed Pavel Kuzmin the first-years.
Deans and deputy deans of seven HSE University-St Petersburg schools congratulated the students on the beginning of the new stage in their lives. In their speeches, they underscored unique opportunities of each direction and remembered all the senses of university life—from scientific curiosity and difficult tasks to friends' support, joy from studies, and first victories.
'Dear students, you start an interesting, eventful four-year path, on which you will gain, I hope, not only career and profession but also yourself, friends, and family. Good luck! I know that enrolling in HSE University is very hard, but studying here is even harder. However, it is definitely worth it. Don't be afraid of making a choice and making mistakes. Life is good because it does not always meet our expectations. Welcome to the HSE University-St Petersburg family!', instructed Alexander Sorokin, dean of the School of Social Sciences, the first-years.
For one evening, student organisations and HSE University-St Petersburg departments turned the waterfront of the Gulf of Finland into a map of extracurricular university life. Here, guests solved business cases, recorded mini-podcasts, tried themselves on the theatre stage, created a music selection, learned ballroom dancing, had a tarot card reading, completed quest tasks, did crossword puzzles, played chess, and tried trail orienteering.
'Participants have to find checkpoints on the site using a special map and take a selfie. They quickly get involved, do tasks straight away, try their best... During the academic year, our tourist club organises trips to the Leningrad region—water tours, hiking, and one-day walks in the forest. And during the holidays, we go to the Caucasus, the Urals, Dagestan, the Khibiny Mountains, and Arkhyz. Such a hobby helps to switch from studies, it is a perfect reboot for your body and mind', highlighted Elizaveta Karpich, fourth-year student of the School of Economics and Management.
'We are the Volunteer Centre, and today, we have prepared several activities. One can create a bracelet with flowers and write kind wishes on cards. Of course, there is also a fortune wheel where one can win various prizes', shared Anastasia Pilyaeva, third-year student of the programme 'International Bachelor’s in Business and Economics'. 'This is my third HSE SPB Day. The most valuable and amazing thing about this holiday is the awesome energy and unity. This is the place where first- and fourth-year students, professors and parents with children meet. It gathers not only HSE students but also citizens. It's amazing that everyone is charged with positive energy and meets new friends—we get a very kind and positive event'.
'We invite first-years to the cheerleading team. We perform as a cheerleading squad and participate in competitions on a high professional level. To help newcomers dive into our atmosphere, we suggest learning simple movements with pompons. We have a lot of fun!', said Tatiana Uzun, captain of the cheerleading team 'Northern Raven'.
'It's stunning! All locations sparked incredible emotions. I truly like the atmosphere here. I was struck by how the space was transformed thanks to HSE University', shared Stanislava Raikova, first-year student of the bachelor's programme 'Sociology and Social Informatics'. 'Here, one can meet students of different faculties and choose an activity to their liking. I really liked the student research organisation—I hope I will be able to develop in this sphere further'.
'I want to join a dancing club, a musical band, and a sports club. Everything is so interesting', added her groupmate Arina Kuskova.
The sailing club 'Hermes' brought two sport yachts to Sevkabel Port and organised a crash course on sailing knots and a mini-quiz on the terminology. Lev Kravchuk, head of the club, underscores that they are always glad to welcome novices: 'Anyone can join our club—it’s a matter of desire and patience. It's pretty hard to master the theory over winter, but those who do show amazing results. This year, we have repeatedly won competitions. We took first place at the regatta with professors and employees. And in the main competition of the season, we became the best in the silver fleet and the third in the overall standings'.
Next to the yachts—HSE Board Games Club with the theme 'Day of the Dead': the participants of our club wore national Mexican costumes and did the carnival makeup. 'We play board games in the corresponding style. Guests participate actively, they're interested in it. 'Day of the Dead' is our main board game, today, we have the thematic makeup for a reason', shared Maria Mirajkina and Kristina Belousova-Geltzer.
Those, who liked the atmosphere of the Latin American festival, could talk to Gisel Vergara from Mexico at the station of the International Office. She and Massimiliano Avesani from Italy, together with other international students of HSE University-St Petersburg, held interviews in English.
'At the International Office station, we share the information about mobility programmes and how to become a buddy, a mentor for international students. We prepared a quiz that helps students understand which country is the most suitable for them. Of course, the most interesting part of our station is the opportunity to practice English by talking to international students. HSE University-St Petersburg inspires international friendship. Our first-years get to know not only the university but also peers who came from abroad to study at our university', commented Ivana Angjelovska, manager at the International Student and Alumni Centre.
Alongside student activities, 'Volt' space hosted the scientific and educational lectures. Four lectures by professors and industrial partners of HSE University-St Petersburg helped to look at AI from different sides—from the fashion industry to UX design. Why AI is useful today, what the most prospective professions for the future are and what role people play in the world of technologies—this is what was covered by Nikita Zelepuhin, curator of the track 'Fashion Design' at the School of Art and Design, and Elena Kudriavtseva, associate professor at the Department of Media, and Evgeniya Lomakina, academic supervisor of the track 'Communication Design. Basic Level', and Polina Vanevskaia, UX-researcher at VK.
'A neural network is like an intern who generates a lot of ideas quickly but without clear intention, cultural experience, and emotional background', explained Nikita Zelepuhin. 'A designer has something a machine will never have—empathy, artistic taste, and an ability to create senses'.
'Humanity always solves four tasks: storage, sorting, selection, and generalisation of data and knowledge', highlighted Elena Kudriavtseva.'The technologies have already learned to carry out two lower tasks, but two upper ones—selection and generalisation—require human participation as they are contextual'.
The key event of HSE SPB Day was the traditional initiation ceremony for first-years. Yesterday's applicants uttered the words of the student oath in Russian and English. To create comfortable conditions for studies, objectively assess knowledge, and support student initiatives was promised by Yury Kabanov, senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, on behalf of the whole faculty.
After performing the traditional hymn 'Gaudeamus', bachelor's and master's first-years officially received the status of HSE University-St Petersburg students, having become a part of the academic family, which unites HSE students and alumni all over the world.
'I realised that I study at the best university in the CIS. I have high expectations, and the main goal is to transfer to a state-funded place after the first year', this is the motivation with which Matvey Nazarov, first-year student from Moscow, starts his way at HSE University-St Petersburg.
'I am from Perm, graduated from the bachelor's programme at HSE University-Perm. Here, of course, one can feel the scale—space, buildings, and study process are very interesting. I am glad to interact with the specialists, professors-practitioners from the IT sphere', said Anastasia Zaozerskikh, first-year master's student.
Maria Khoronze shared her soaring excitement about the bachelor's programme: 'I am very happy to be here. I had high expectations, but HSE University simply destroyed and exceeded them. I am thrilled by the programme 'Design', professors, our new building of the Rope Shop, today's event—it's simply beautiful'.
'What I like the most about HSE University is the team—people are completely different, coming from all over the world. There are a lot of international students, interesting personalities. We study in English: it's hard but exciting. It's delightful that our university organises such events as HSE SPB Day: amazing music and a lot of opportunities to meet new people. We stop and talk to students of various programmes', shared Amina Khairulina. She plans to engage in chess and dancing. Her friend Sabina Rakhimova opted for MediaLAB: 'I have always been connected to media and journalism. I film and edit videos, so I want to try this sphere'.
'Today, we had our first brief meeting on microeconomics—it was a little scary. I think by October, by the first exam period, we will have fully experienced ‘the HSE University vibe'. Now, everything is interesting, a lot of new acquaintances. I'm planning to join MediaLAB and the business club', said Veronika Talisman, first-year student of the bachelor's programme 'Business Administration'.
'Since I enrolled in HSE University, I haven't doubted my major or the university choice even for a second. Here are wonderful people and incredible professors. I like absolutely everything', shared Anastasia Kucher, second-year student.
HSE SPB Day finished with the performance by DJ Ilya Lavrov under the autumn sunset on the Gulf of Finland. All the photos from the event will be published in the official VK group of the university.