2009-10 Counselor Profiles
Your International Student Counselors welcome new and returning students to St. Olaf! Please do not hesitate to ask them anything, and you can email them directly by clicking on their names.
Polina Bugayev ‘10
Hello! My name is Polina Bugayev and I am a senior, sociology/anthropology major. I am passionate about different cultures internationally and even here in the United States (and are we culturally diverse)! My passion comes from my background, that is, I am an immigrant from St. Petersburg, Russia, and have been living in the United States for 14 years. I can also speak Spanish and love the Latino culture. I have studied abroad in Ecuador and have been to other parts of Latin America. After I graduate, I would like to continue to do some type of international work, perhaps in the area of development. Personally, I enjoy watching drama movies, salsa dancing, rollerblading, and eating dark chocolate. I am excited to meet and get to know all of you. Welcome to Minnesnowta!
Jiabai Li ‘11
Hi! My name is Jiabai Li (“J” pronounced as “dg”), and I’m from Inner Mongolia, China. I’m a math major with statistics concentration, and if possible, I’ll do political science as well. I want to go to graduate school to study statistics. I love eating (yeah, that’s a big part of my life), reading, Japanese manga, hanging out with friends, and watching movies. I enjoy life at Olaf a lot, from the Berry Blast Smoothie in the Cage to the chubby squirrels running cheerfully on our campus (you’ll see what I mean). I participate in International Student Organization (ISO) and I am more than happy to be an international counselor, please feel free to shoot me an email! This year is going to be fantastic! I wish everybody a safe and sound trip to St. Olaf, and I cannot wait to see you this fall!
Genette Sekse ‘12
Hi, everyone!! My name is Genette Sekse. I’m a sophomore majoring in business and management. I was born and raised in the beautiful county of Norway. On campus I participate in International Student Organization (ISO) and I’m also apart of the varsity alpine ski team. I love to travel, and I’ve been to 29 different countries and I hope to visit more on the future. I’m also addicted to sports; I love skiing, football, hockey, and baseball. Hopefully you will all join me at the home games here at St. Olaf next year. I hope your trip to Minnesota is smooth and enjoyable, and I’m excited to meet you all.
Thu Tran '12
Xin chào! Hola! Bonjour! Hall! Ohayoo Gozaimasu! Ni hao! Hi everyone! I’m Thu Le Tran, (pronounce ‘th-o’). I’m from Hanoi, Vietnam. I’m a sophomore majoring in mathematics and economics, with a concentration in management studies. I lived in Vietnam until my sophomore year, and then I came to Plattsburgh, New York, for my last two years of high school. I have traveled extensively, mostly around Asia, in places such as China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, as well as Russia, Australia, Canada, ending up at St. Olaf !
I really enjoy hanging out with people, and I’m very open to learning new things. Please feel free to talk with me about anything, and teach me your unique ways of doing things! I will really love to be friends with you all ! ♥ One secret: I frequently tell jokes, which aren’t always funny, but luckily all my friends are nice people, so they still laugh anyway. Will you be nice when I’m pulling off some jokes? I’m currently a part of several sport clubs and cultural organizations, and I will be delighted if you want to join me. Are you excited for a fun-fun-fun year? Say YES!
