Meet John Fleming: Russian Club President
City of origin:
Mankato, Minnesota
Major/Minor:
Political Science/Russian Studies
Family & Pets:
I have an older sister, Denise, who works as a staff assistant and scheduler in D.C. and a pet hedgehog named Misha.
Years as Russian Club President:
I was elected as president of Russian Club when we started it back up in the fall of 2013, and I have been so since.
What motivated you to join the Russian club?
The opportunity to create a community at ISU for students who are learning Russian was too good of a chance to pass up!
Best part as a club member:
By far, the food!
Other activities at ISU:
To be honest, I don’t have that much time between school and my job, but I will always find time for Russian Club.
Best memories at ISU:
My best memories at ISU are with my friends from all over the world that I have met here. I’m very proud to go to a school with such diversity, and I think that it is one of ISUs best assets!
Plans after graduation:
I am currently applying for jobs teaching English in Russia to see where that will take me
Words of wisdom for your fellows’ students:
As far as learning a language goes, dive in! Immerse yourself in the language and culture that you are studying as much as you can. Watch movies in a foreign language, make food from a foreign country, listen to music in a foreign language. I even speak to my hedgehog in Russian. If you get the chance to go abroad, take it! If you get the chance twice, go again! Find a pen pal. It’s the 21st century and making friends from the other side of the world is much easier than you think.
Meet Nate Bullock: Spanish Club President
City of origin:
Naperville, Illinois
Major/Minor:
Supply Chain Management and Spanish
Family & Pets:
Have 1 sister, 3 stepsisters and 1 stepbrother
Years as Spanish Club President:
Started in fall 2012, and have been doing it ever since.
What motivated you to join the Spanish club?
I love Spanish, and wanted an opportunity to speak it more than just when I was in class.
Best part as a club member:
Getting to speak Spanish casually without worrying about grades or homework. It’s fun to just talk for its own sake.
Other activities at ISU:
Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity
Descarga Latin Dance
Best memories at ISU:
I’ve really enjoyed being a part of student organizations on-campus as well as my fraternity. You get to meet a lot of really cool people and it’s very rewarding being a part of something.
Plans after graduation:
Hopefully finding a job that allows me to use my Spanish and maybe get to travel if I’m lucky.
Words of wisdom for your fellows’ students:
Try not to get discouraged when you’re speaking a foreign language. It’s really easy to get nervous because you might feel like you’re doing something wrong, but that’s okay. Even if you’re doing it completely wrong, you are still doing it and that is how you get better. Language is a skill that you never really stop learning, and if you keep at it speaking will become more and more comfortable.