November 13, 2007

James Jeffers received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Fellowship to teach English in Kazan, Russia for the current academic year. The highly acclaimed Fulbright Program provides funds for students, scholars (such as several members of our own faculty), and professionals to undertake graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools abroad. More Fulbright alumni have won Nobel prizes than graduates of any other academic program, totaling 36 prizes. James traveled first to Moscow, where he spent a month in training, and now lives in Kazan, where he teaches at a private secondary school, the Kazan State University of Culture and Arts School #39.

After his year as a Fulbright Fellow, James will attend the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University as a Thomas Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow. The Pickering Fellowship is funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. The program seeks to recruit talented students from all ethnic, racial and social backgrounds who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career in the U.S. Department of State. James’ fellowship will pay in full for tuition, room, board, travel, and books for his two years as a Master’s degree student. After graduation from graduate study, Pickering Fellows enter the Foreign Service, where they have an obligation of at least three years.  

Professor Langston, utilizing questions suggested by his students, interviewed James Jeffers via email:

So, dude, tell me about the school you work at and how you have enjoyed living so far from home. What's the social scene like there?

Well, I work at Kazan State University of Culture and Arts and also at School 39, a K-11 (Russia does not have a 12th grade) private school that specializes in teaching English. The two schools are completely different experiences.

My university is interesting. It is an art school so there are always kids in the halls singing and playing the accordion or balaika. I really like that aspect of things though. I work in the Dept. of Foreign Languages alongside all Russians and Tatars who teach English, French, and Turkish. There are about 12 of us in all and I am the only male teacher (aside from the head of the department). I really like the other teachers though and they have helped me out so much.

Teaching is still a new experience for me everyday. Luckily, Russian college students are a little younger (16 and 17 as freshmen) than American students, so I don't feel exactly like I am talking to people my own age - but I do still feel like I should be a student. I have definitely learned that just because you can speak English does not make it easy to teach it! It is a lot of hard work, and I spend a lot of time trying to come up with interesting and interactive lessons. I love it though. The students are so friendly and excited about English, and I think I have really been able to relate them on a closer level than other teachers.

The school I work at is also interesting, but in a different way. The students are much more serious, and really phenomenal at English. Every student wears a suit to class, and they are all looking for scholarships to study in America. I work with 11 and 15 year olds, and I really love it. I try to make things a bit more fun for them, since they have classes all the time Monday through Saturday. One hilarious experience recently was the school's Halloween party. I was invited to be a guest judge, which is a story in itself, but it was quite a fun time. The kids sang strange Halloween songs in English, bobbed for apples, carved pumpkins, had mummy wrappings, and of course - did the Thriller dance. I handed out awards to all the classes at the end. It was great.

I really like living in Russia also. It's a new experience everyday, and even something as simple as buying bread can become an adventure. I have an apartment all to myself, so dealing with random spurts of no hot water and washing my clothes by hand has become a daily part of life. I have also learned to get around here. Transportation in Kazan is horrible. There are always car wrecks and traffic jams, and everyday it takes me almost 2 hours to get to my university. However, I always try to look for the funny moments in everyday life - such as when an old, rundown trolley will blast "Hit Me Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears on the radio.

As for Kazan, it is a beautiful city. There is a huge kremlin (fortress) in the middle of the city and plenty of mosques all around. Kazan has a huge Islamic population because the city is half Russian and half Tatar - so everyday I hear Russian mixed with Tatar and have even started learning a little Tatar myself. It's fascinating to be in such an ethnically mixed place. It reminds me of a Middle Eastern city that has been dropped into Russia.

Unfortunately I'm too busy to have much of an exciting social life, but I have been going to ballets, orchestra concerts, film festivals, and other things. I am hoping to even learn how to ice skate and go hunting for mushrooms sometime. Probably the coolest thing I have done was to go sky-diving on my third day here! If you have never gone sky-diving in a foreign country, with your instructor speaking a foreign language to you, and you jump out of an old World War II plane - well, I highly recommend it.

Right now, I am just preparing myself for the impending doom of Russian winter. I've already been yelled at by so many Russians for never dressing warmly, so wish me luck as I search the markets to find a nice babushka who will sell me an inexpensive coat!

How did you decide back at Tulane to pursue a career in international affairs and foreign service? Did you have any particularly influential teachers or advisors at Tulane who helped or inspired you?

I came to Tulane thinking that I would major in International Development. My mind was basically forming itself around the premise "I want to travel the world and somehow help people in other countries." However, after taking Intro to International Development my first semester freshman year, I found out that I really was not interested in just developing other countries; I was much more interested in the political and social systems in other countries and how changes in those systems have affected the past and will affect the future. So, I decided that the political science major with a focus on international affairs was perfect for me. I also majored in Sociology so I could cover the social aspect of things.

As for influential professors, I have to honestly say that every professor I had for a political science class at Tulane inspired me in one way or another. For example, Dr. John Sutherlin - my Into to International Relations professor, was a perfect introduction for me into international affairs. Not only did we learn about everything in his class, we learned all about hard work by writing TWO 20 page papers, single-spaced. Ask any older Tulane student about him and they will remember those papers. But, such hard work in an intro class really showed all of us if we liked the subject or not. And I definitely did.

Also Dr. Daniel Aldrich, my Japanese Politics professor, was the first person to tell me about the Foreign Service. I also really admired his teaching method - he would talk to us all about our lives at the beginning of each class to get to know us, and at the end of each class he had us write down something we liked about the class and something we didn't. He worked so hard as a professor that it was very inspiring.

However, I have learned so much from every political science professor. They're all so different!

Of course I have also had many other amazing professors along the way who have helped me get to where I am today, like Dr. George Cummins (Russian Department) and Dr. Jocelyn Viterna (Sociology Department).

What is your best memory of being a political science major at Tulane? What is your worst?

My best memory of being a political science major - Well I guess that would have to be just the general diversity of knowledge and students. Political science encompasses so many things - you can literally go from discussing the writings of Thomas Jefferson and their influence on American politics today in one class to the breakdown of an election in Japan in another. The students have just as much variety. I think it's impossible to make even any kind of general definition of a political science student. So, I just love all of that variety.

My worst memory - I can't say I really have one. My political science classes were always a blast, along with a lot of hard work. I just learned so much from them. I can honestly say that I never took a political class that I didn't enjoy and learn something from. I can't say that about some classes I took in other departments. Don't get me wrong, I think that political science is a very challenging major, but it was just right for me.

Of course, the Economics requirement for International Affairs was not my favorite time (i.e. I really don't like economics), but again - I learned a lot and economics is definitely needed for a career in Foreign Service.

If you could go back and do it again, would you do anything differently as an undergraduate?

Not a single thing.except maybe have started my senior honors thesis a little earlier! But seriously, I loved my time at Tulane University. The friends I made are incredible, the professors I had were amazing, and the experiences I had are unforgettable. I went from being this shy kid from a small town in West Virginia to, well, I guess an English teacher in Russia! But Tulane really gave me an intangible belief in myself through challenging classes and many leadership opportunities in clubs, as an RA, and through doing community service around New Orleans. Not to sound corny, but it really transformed me from a kid into a young adult. I evolved so much. I mean, my first time on a plane wasn't until I was a freshman at Tulane!

I'm only a few months out of graduating, and I already really miss it! Being an undergrad at Tulane is just an amazing experience.

Any advice for current political science students interested in a career in foreign service?

Yes - APPLY FOR EVERYTHING! Do not worry if you don't think you would have time to do something after you graduate or if it just doesn't seem possible - financially or else. Just apply!

Especially think about applying to programs like Fulbright, The Peace Corps, Instep, etc. Don't let the big names scare you. When I applied for my Fulbright, I thought it was pretty much a shot in the dark. But I got it!

Also, definitely talk to the Diplomat-in-Residence on campus [Note: We are without one this year {the person who was to come here was needed more desperately, as it turned out, in Iraq}, but CAREER SERVICES is filling in as best they can; they know all about these opportunities and are eager to see more students.]. He/She is a valuable source of information. That is how I learned all about the Foreign Service and the Thomas Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. On that note, apply for the Pickering Fellowship! It's an easy application and it's an amazing opportunity!

During senior year, a lot of my friends kept telling me that I was so lucky that I was able to win fellowships and get into a grad school, but really it wasn't luck at all. I simply applied for everything I could find and went from there. Just work hard, try your best, and there will always be chances for you out there. I believe it.

Good luck!