ASPIRANTUM

Ruzanna Gasparyan will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Armenian language summer school.

Ruzanna is a PhD student in History at the University of California, Irvine, researching the energy crisis and transitional period of the 1990s in Armenia. She holds an MA in History from Sonoma State University. She's participating in ASPIRANTUM's program to strengthen her research skills in Armenian, and is very happy to be returning to Yerevan this summer, especially to enjoy the apricots.

Noam Lifsh*tz will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Russian language summer school.

Noam is Masters student of Russian and Eastern European History at Tel-Aviv University, where she also got her BA with a double major in General History and Literature.
She is really excited to visit Armenia for the first time and explore Yerevan, and also to practice her Russian.

Maya Reus will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Persian language summer school.

Maya studied the history, language, and gender of the Turco‑Persianate world at Leiden University and SOAS, University of London, where she delved into performance and the symbolisation of women as visual and literary tropes. She is a freelance researcher and programme curator based in Amsterdam, working on projects for the International Literature Festival Utrecht, El Hizjra, and the inclusive theatrical‑heritage foundation The Need for Legacy. In the future she hopes to write a mythological sci‑fi novel about a Qajar dancer and to establish a commune for when the climate‑ and fascist‑apocalypse becomes a reality.

Maya DaSilva will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Persian language summer school.

Maya is finishing her degree in International Relations and Persian at the University of St Andrews. She is originally from Canada, grew up partly in the U.S., and now studies in the UK. She is very excited to meet everyone!

Erika Belopotocanova will participate in ASPIRANTUM’s 2026 Russian Language Summer School.

Erika holds a Master’s degree in International Affairs from the University of Economics in Slovakia, where she was born and raised, and a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Marketing from an academy in Denmark. She is currently based in Ottawa, Canada, where she lives and works.

Erika is passionate about languages, writing, music, art, and sports - interests that bring energy and expression into her life. Although she holds dual citizenship, she considers herself a world citizen.
She is particularly looking forward to studying Russian in Armenia and discovering the country’s rich history and the vibrant atmosphere of Yerevan.

Randi Hendricks will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Persian language summer school.

Randi is a Master’s student in Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, focusing on Amazigh language and culture rights in Morocco post-2011. She holds a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in Economics and Arabic. She worked as a journalist in Jordan and the West Bank with the Pulitzer Center and is passionate about writing in her free time. She is originally from Kansas City and cannot wait to explore Armenia and improve her Persian language skills.

Daisy Hiscocks will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Persian language summer school.

Daisy is an undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh studying Arabic and French. She loves travelling and exploring new places, so she can’t wait to study Persian and make the most of Armenia this summer.

Sam Cozolino will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Persian language summer school.

Sam is an undergraduate at Boston College studying International Studies and Islamic Studies. He enjoys long walks at the beach, trying new cuisines, and cozying up with a good book. He looks forward to taking advantage of all Armenia has to offer.

Archie Williams will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Russian language summer school.

Archie comes from the UK. He is a PhD student at the University of York. He holds a BA in History from the University of Cambridge, and an MPhil in Islamic Art and Architecture from the University of Oxford. For a time he was a specialist in Islamic and Indian art including rugs and carpets at Christie's auction house in London before leaving in order to pursue further studies. His current research is on the history of architectural restoration in post-Soviet Uzbekistan, focussing on Timurid monuments. He will be studying Russian and also looks forward to exploring the related history of heritage in Armenia since 1991.

Leena Ghannam will participate in ASPIRANTUM's 2026 Persian language summer school.

Leena is a Ph.D. student in Art History at Stanford University, focusing on Islamic art and architecture in the medieval Eastern Mediterranean. She holds an M.A. in Islamic Art and Architecture from the American University in Cairo (2025) and a B.A. from the University of Michigan (2020) with a double major in History of Art and English and a minor in Museum Studies. Leena is originally from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, and looks forward to exploring Armenia and developing her Persian to better understand Persian epigraphy, manuscripts, and poetry.