UMass Amherst Students Shine at Harvard’s Annual Spoken Russian Olympiada
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For the second time, students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Russian, Eurasian, and Polish Studies (REPS) program took part in Harvard University’s Annual Spoken Russian Language Olympiada—an event that draws top language students from across the region. Held on Sunday, April 12, 2026, at Harvard’s Davis Center, the New England Olympiada of Spoken Russian offered UMass students a chance to apply their language skills in a rigorous, real-world academic competition.
Six students represented UMass Amherst at the event: Jamie-Ashton Fabian, Rebecca Coley, Joseph Fernández, Cobey Mauldin, Eliza Weinberger, and Brigid Develin. All students were recognized by the judges for their strong performances, reflecting the overall excellence of the group.
Cobey Mauldin earned first place in the Speech Contest (2nd year), Brigid Develin earned second place (3rd year), and Rebecca Coley earned third place (1st year). Joseph Fernández was also recognized with two Honorable Mentions in both the Song and Speech Contests.
Brigid Develin, a junior major in REPS, reflected on her experience, “I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to share my passion for studying the Russian language with people from other universities. I want to thank Anna Shkireva for her unwavering support over these past three years and for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone. I couldn’t have done it without her!”
Joseph (Иосиф) Fernández received two Honorable Mentions in the Speech, Song, and Outstanding Performance in all three categories of the Olympiada. “I had an incredible experience at the Olympiada of Spoken Russian and was truly honored to receive three awards,” said Fernández ’24ABSN, RN, a UMass Amherst alumnus and post-baccalaureate REPS major. “I felt immense pride representing our university and REPS program in such a powerful and meaningful way. I am tremendously grateful to our Russian language instructor, Anna Shkireva, for her exceptional support and guidance. I was also very proud of my classmates, three of whom earned awards as well; these extraordinary accomplishments speak to our instructor’s unwavering dedication and outstanding teaching.”
Shkireva, who accompanied the group to Harvard, reflected on the students’ achievements: “Moments like this remind me why I teach—watching students find their voice in a new language. Their courage to speak, make mistakes, and keep going is what I’m most proud of.”
This annual regional event offers Russian language students the opportunity to showcase their skills, gain confidence, and connect with other like-minded students. It also provides a high-impact learning experience through the university’s Russian, Eurasian, and Polish Studies Program (REPS). REPS offers both a major and a minor, with a wide range of courses in language and area studies across the College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
Learn more about REPS at umass.edu/russian-eurasian-polish, Harvard’s Olympiada https://russianolympiada.hsites.harvard.edu/Winners. Donate to the program’s Rothstein Fund to support undergraduate students here https://minutefund.uma-foundation.org/project/28285.