Sophomore Lisa Safina, a student new to La Salle this year, recently transferred from her previous school located across the globe in Russia. Safina has attended many different schools, including schools in both South Korea and Thailand, but La Salle is the first school that she has attended in the U.S. Safina was born and raised in the Russian Federation, which she said is both culturally and educationally different from our school here at La Salle. “In Russia, we had 17 subjects,” Safina said. “We have seven here.” 

Aside from the curricular aspects of her education, Safina stated that the teaching facet of school here at La Salle is far more different than it is in her home country. In Russia, Safina found that she oftentimes had to take care of her own questions and problems regarding schoolwork, but at La Salle, she said that she is given the help that she truly needs. 

“They always help you. If you don’t understand something … they will explain it to you,” Safina said. “In Russia… you have to solve it by yourself.” 

La Salle is not Safina’s first new school in a new country, due to her many experiences across the globe as a transfer student. However, moving to the United States has always seemed to be a dream for Safina ever since she was little. 

“Basically, it was my dream from fourth grade to move here,” Safina said. Having the opportunity to attend La Salle, Safina was able to act on this dream and begin her journey on her new life in the U.S.

Learning a new language might seem intimidating for some, but for Safina, it mainly took a lot of practice and extra work to get to where she is now. 

“I just had some extra classes in Russia. And then I went to Thailand every five months or six months,” Safina said. “I went to a British school there.”

Safina took English classes while she lived in Russia, as well as attending a British international school in Thailand. By attending the British international school and taking extra classes in Russia, Safina was able to further her knowledge of English. 

Safina said that she is very content and feels welcomed in the La Salle community thanks to her fellow students and teachers. “[The] teachers and students are so kind here and they always [help] me, so I love it,” Safina said.

Safina noted that she tends to keep her life in Russia and her new life in America separate, intending on focusing on studying, learning English, and creating new friendships in America.

“I think if I want to learn English, [and] if I want to study or if I want to have new friends here… I have to leave my Russian world in Russia,” Safina said.

For the time being, Safina is excited to travel to other parts of the US in order to discover what American culture is like in other states. She is also looking forward to the future and is thinking about pursuing higher education in the United States.