Barbara is a specialist in international education, with a concentration in Russia and Eastern Europe. She has a Ph.D. in Slavic Languages and Literature from Yale University, an M.A. in Regional Studies: Soviet Union from Harvard University, and a B.A. in Russian from Emmanuel College. She has studied and worked in the former Soviet Union, Poland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and the Peoples’ Republic of China.

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At the University of Bridgeport, Barbara has taught English as a Second Language for over 10 years and is currently teaching English composition and senior seminars. She has also taught Russian and Polish languages at Yale University, Bowdoin College, the University of Washington, and Dickinson College. She also taught English in Suzhou, China. Having lived abroad and studied several languages herself, Barbara is highly aware of the issues that non-English-speaking students face when moving to the U.S.