Nadiya Kovalenko is a Trinity One graduate double-majoring in PCJ and International Relations. She is looking forward to using the PCJ program’s unique framework to pursue her personal research passions.

The first weeks of PCJ have been very eye-opening for Nadiya, notably because she has learned about many interesting and exciting extracurricular opportunities. PCJ260Y1 is also the course she is most excited about for the year because the seminar format creates more meaningful connections with classmates and the professor. Additionally, it is tailored to a variety of student needs and interests, providing an opportunity to conduct independent and group research; participate in a student conference;  and take part in a lot of extracurricular programming. So far, she has been enjoying the class because of the diversity of topics being explored, the insightfulness of class and tutorial discussions, as well as the feel of a close-knit community.

Nadiya’s biggest takeaway from her first year at U of T was that pursuing topics that truly interest you within the framework of your courses is of the utmost importance. She found that doing your research assignments on something that you are genuinely interested in not only increases your success and enriches your experience in any given class, but also helps you discover your academic passions. Nadiya plans to apply this lesson to all of her present and future courses, including those within the PCJ program, by conducting research on the topics she is  interested in. This includes European politics, interstate territorial disputes, and the concept of nationalism.

Nadiya currently serves as a Compliance Analyst at the BRICS Research Group, a Cultural Director at the Ukrainian Students’ Club, and a member of the University of Toronto Pre-Law Society. After graduating from PCJ, she plans to attend law school, and then apply the knowledge and skills learned in this program to a career in law or diplomacy.

A fun fact about Nadiya is that she is fluent in English, Ukranian, and Russian, and is learning French. This stems from her deep fascination with the structure and origin of different languages, as well the ways in which they are learned.