Irina Mikaelian wins the 2026 ACTR Excellence in Teaching Russian Award for Post-Secondary Instructors

This national award is presented annually by the major professional organization for Russian teaching in the United States. This award recognizes Dr. Mikaelian’s many years of service and dedication to our Russian program and all of our students learning and majoring in Russian here at Penn State. As the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Russian, Dr. Mikaelian is responsible not only for advising all students in our Russian program, but also planning countless extracurricular activities, including the weekly Russian Tea Hour, the annual poetry reading event, exciting speakers, excursions to New York and elsewhere to visit Russian-related arts and culture events, and embedded spring break trips to many different locations including Armenia and the Republic of Georgia. For more information, see the following website: https://www.actr.org/Teaching-Excellence-Award-PS