Olga Kachura

School/Division	Division of Communication & Creative Media
Class	2021
Pronouns	She/Her/Hers
Hometown	Moscow, Russia
Study Abroad	Montreal, Canada

Favorite Class

3D Modeling II

As an international student, how did you hear about Champlain and why did you choose to come here?

I had an advisor at Education USA Russia, and she met Jessa Karki (Director of Student Services) at one of the educational fairs and gave her my contact info. From there, I looked up Champlain online and read more about the Game Art program.I was really drawn to the Game Art program because I wanted to gain some experience in digital arts. I liked the curriculum and the fact that Champlain is in touch with so many game studios. One of the key factors for me was how attentive and nice Jessa Karki was, and I was immediately more drawn to the school based on that.

Have you worked on-campus in either a part-time or work-study position?

I worked at IDX in the beginning of college, then as an Orientation Leader, Peer Coach in the Career Collaborative, and an Admissions Intern at the Admissions Office. I think each one of these jobs made me more organized, and I learned a bunch about working with people, which is a really useful skill to have wherever you work. Three of these positions were leadership positions, and I definitely became a more confident person, too!

How has your Champlain experience prepared you for your future career, both in and out of the classroom?

I think my game classes helped me become a harder worker and improved my work ethic. I used to be a competitive person, but working with so many talented artists made me more of a collaborator. I also got to talk to a lot of people who have been in the game industry for decades, and I feel like I have gained some very useful knowledge about it and have more realistic expectations.