Olivia Henry

Hello! My name is Olivia Henry, and I am a rising senior double-majoring in Russian and Math at Williams College. While I enjoyed my first 2.5 years at Williams, for my Junior spring, I wanted to branch out and explore while also fully immersing myself in Russian-speaking culture. I found that Middlebury’s Kazakhstan program was the perfect fit for me: I was able to mingle with Kazakh students, explore mosques dating back to the Silk Road, and read and write more than I ever have in Russian. Since each course was tailored to our group’s level of Russian, none of the classes were too hard, and I was able to explore Astana outside of class—which mainly entailed eating lots of great, cheap plov and barusaki. 

If you are thinking about applying to Middlebury’s study away program in Astana, Kazakhstan, please reach out! I would love to give you more details about my study abroad experience in one of the world’s youngest capitals!