A group of fifteen ECU students, a faculty, and a staff person attended the 27th annual Conference of Central Association of Russian Teachers of America (CARTA). The Conference took place in Kansas City, April 4-6, 2025. The Conference was sponsored by University of Kansas.
The ECU delegation was definitely noticed by the Conference attended representing nine US states and two countries. First, it was the largest group from a university. Furthermore, the list of our group’s accomplishments is really outstanding.
Following is a brief list of ECU’s participants’ successes:
John Kelso, sophomore, won the First Place (Gold) in the Yevgeniy Yevtushenko Russian Poetry Recital Contest conducted in conjunction with the Conference. He recited a poem “Listen” by Vladimir Mayakovsky.
Rafael Charqueno, freshman, won the Second Place (Silver)in the same Contest. He recited a poem by Yevgeny Yevtushenko “That is What Happening to Me”. There were 38 participants in the Contest including Russian Majors from OU, OleMiss, MSU, US Airforce Academy in Colorado and several other universities.
Five students presented their research papers:
Broden Haley (Junior from Seminole) talked on “Unfulfilled Love: The Similarities of Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary”; Jesse Barker (Ada, Junior) analyzed “Interconnectivity of Indo-European Languages”; Dani Brecheen (graduate student, Ada) offered “A Peek Into Psychiatric Care: Soviet Union vs. Modern Russia”; Eli Grasso (Junior, Ada) took the audience to 1956 with “Students, Solidarity, and De-Stalinization”; while Olivia Hunley (sophomore) went even further back in time to the 19th century mistery of a malachite masterpiece talking about “What Happens When Time Leaves out Details: Tazza Turmoil and Tracing Truths”; and finally Gracie Tollett (Senior, Ada) intrigued with “An Exploration of Russian Video Game Culture”.
Eli Grasso won the newly established Award for the CARTA Best University Student’s Paper.
Dr. Sukholutskaya, Professor of English and Languages, moderated a Conference Panel on Methods of Teaching Russian.
And to crown that all, ECU Department of English and Languages was awarded a Friend of CARTA Award 2025 for its continuous support of the Association.
All presenters were invited to submit their papers to the CARTA Research Journal.
The group was visible during the breaks as well checking out the Conference Exhibitors, interacting with peers and instructors from other universities, and of course, selling chocolates to raise money for Russian Club’s activities. Dr. Alvin Turner, CLASS Dean Emeritus, was also present at the Conference and he was impressed with ECU students’ manners, looks and their papers’ quality.
Special Thanks go to Brendi Shur, ECU Assistant Director and Public Services Librarian, who drove the bus to Kansas City and delivered the group back home safely.
Some of the attendees shared their impressions of ECU’s students. Dr. Marita Nummikoski, University of Texas at San Antonio commented: “I am extremely impressed with your students. I was very impressed, not only for his (Eli Grasso) excellent presentation, but also for the thank you letter that he sent to all of us. It is really heartwarming to see students with good manners. If they only knew how much good manners mean, especially to us "older generations."
Dr. Valentina Iepuri, University of Mississippi, echoed by saying "As always, we were happy to see Dr. Sukholutskaya's students at the conference. This year, Dr. Sukholutskaya encouraged 15 students for conference participation. Their group performance at the conference opening reception was truly impressive and captivating. The way they recited poetry was just spectacular. We were also impressed by her students' conference papers with a wide range of well-researched topics and excellent presentation skills. We hope they will continue to participate in our conferences in the future".
The students were excited and appreciative. Following are some of their comments.
- “The CARTA conference was a wonderful opportunity to be a part of, and the thing I valued the most about it was hearing all of the native speakers talking in the language our class is actively learning. For me, it's important not just to learn the language, but to engage in it, which is what the CARTA conference gave me the opportunity to do through all the presentations. The conference overall was a reminder that what we learn in the classroom can be used in real life”- Rafael Chargeno;
- “CARTA gave me a glimpse into a world of another language and thus has made my lenses, with which I perceive the world, larger and clearer. Language has shown me that I am incomplete until I've looked through everyone's eyes. And their eyes are written in symbols”- Zachariah Hobia
- “ The CARTA conference offers a great opportunity to be immersed in an environment of Russian speakers and learners. There is so much to be gained from seeing presentations by those who are so knowledgeable about a language and culture. Students need the opportunity to get out of the textbook and into the real world of a language. In the case of CARTA, this is made easy by the friendly and open climate, something that I greatly appreciated” - Eli Grasso
- “Attending the CARTA conference was amazing for the growth of my Russian language and conversation skills as well as my cultural perception. Being surrounded by not only native Russian speakers, but native Russian speakers who want to help you learn their language and way of life kindles a desire to learn more so than that which can be done in a classroom setting alone. This conference allowed my classmates and I to use the language that we have studied for months in a practical setting, which is something that I believe to be an important step in the building of language competency. This conference made me closer with Russian culture, as well as form a stronger bond with my classmates. – Cooper Regain.
- “The CARTA conference was terrific. I think it's important for students to participate in events like CARTA because it is a great way to experience another culture. Getting to speak and make connections with actual Russians was a truly great opportunity I wouldn't have otherwise gotten. The presentations were a great way to get students to learn more about Russia. They allowed students to research and learn more about Russia while putting their own interests into the presentations”. -Charlie Grasso.
The trip was made possible due to the Jim Harris Student Travel fund that covered most of the Conference’ expenses like registration, hotel accommodations, and transportation.
Submitted by Dr. Mara Sukholutskaya, English and Languages