Community news at HSE University

Adila Ulfia Maula Tontowi is a third-year student of the Bachelor’s in Foreign Languages and Intercultural Communication. After moving from her hometown in Indonesia to France for a year, she decided to broaden her horizons even further and study at HSE University in Moscow. In this interview, Maula talks about navigating intercultural interactions, how the International Prep Year helped her adapt to life in Russia, and what she’s learned about traditional Russian celebrations like Maslenitsa—which is taking place this week.

Tobias Vilhena de Moraes is a historian working at Museu Lasar Segall inSão Paulo, Brazil, and a faculty member of the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences at the University of Campinas. He is now working on a master’s degree at HSE University-St Petersburg.

Every year, HSE University welcomes more than a thousand students from all over the world. In 2024, Junseo Lee, a student from South Korea, came to HSE University-St Petersburg as a master’s student of the programme ‘Comparative Politics of Eurasia’. In the article, Junseo shares the story of why he chose St Petersburg and HSE University in particular and his personal experience of living and studying in Russia as a foreign student.

Yan Minghao, from China, is in his second year of master’s study at ICEF HSE and has a passion for mathematics and Russian culture. In this interview, he shares the experience of being an ICEF student, contributing to international research venues, and travelling around Russia.

Tianxiong Yu, 25, completed his Master’s in Economics and Economic Policy at HSE University in Moscow. He spent the second year of the programme at the University of Luxembourg and has since enrolled there on a doctoral programme. While it is no longer a joint programme, HSE graduates continue to successfully pursue PhDs at international universities. Tianxiong spoke to the HSE News Service about his memories of his master’s course and how his time at HSE paved the way for his doctoral research.

Onoja Abah Monday, 28, from Lagos, Nigeria, is currently pursuing his master's degree in the Science of Learning and Assessment (SOLA) programme at the HSE Institute of Education. He spoke to the HSE News Service about why he chose HSE University, his fascination with Russian language and culture, and his future plans to contribute to the development of his home country.

On January 30, the Rovesnik bar will host a screening of outstanding animations by students of the HSE Art and Design School. The programme features more than forty animated works exploring the themes of friendship and love, victory and defeat, and simply fun stories. In addition to artistic animations, visitors will be able to see advertisements, promos, and videos for nonprofit organisations. All of these works were created by students based on briefs from real clients.

Until March 16, 2025, the Machine Tool Museum, located in the Oktava creative industrial cluster, is hosting an exhibition organised by curators from the HSEArt and Design School. The exhibition explores the phenomenon of multisensoriality and features projects by the school's teachers.