INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH DEVENY

Major/Minor: Double major, German and Russian

1.)    First, please tell me a little bit about yourself, where you grew up, what you did to occupy your time as a youth etc.
 

I grew up in a small town in northeastern Ohio near Kent State University. Music was a passion of mine growing up, so I spent a lot of time playing various musical instruments. I also always had a fascination with foreign countries and people. I was particularly interested in Germany, since my family’s heritage is mainly German.
 

2.)    What first interested you in Slavic Studies and why did you come to OSU?

My high school German teacher was a woman named Jean Gavriloff, whom I really liked and respected. She and her parents immigrated to the US from the former Soviet Union when she was young, so she happened to be a heritage Russian speaker. This piqued my interest in the Russian language, and she was kind enough to give me basic Russian lessons after school during my senior year in high school. When I was looking at different colleges, I already knew I wanted to major in German, but I also wanted to have the option to take Russian classes and explore that interest further. OSU was one of the few good universities that had a solid German and Slavic Department, so it fit the bill.

3.)    What was the nature of your research, studies and major? Why did you select that path?

I double majored in German and Russian at OSU due to my general interest in foreign people and places. Initially, I was more focused on my German studies, since I studied abroad in Germany while in high school and could already speak quite freely. However, I decided to spend a semester abroad in Moscow during my junior year at OSU, and that changed my life dramatically. I fell in love with Moscow, and my interest in Russia eventually eclipsed my interest in Germany. That said, I did finish both my German and Russian degrees. The focus of my German studies was post-WWII German literature; namely how German guilt about the Holocaust was reflected in works of literature from that time. I chose to focus my Russian studies more on language than literature, and I was particularly interested in post-Soviet Russian culture. 
 

4.)    What are you doing now? Is it what you planned/wanted to do?

I currently work for a global marketing research firm in NYC. It is not at all what I expected to be doing when I was a student at OSU, but I find it to be very interesting work. After graduating from OSU, I bought a one-way ticket to Moscow, since I thought it would be fun to work abroad for a year. The first job I got in Moscow was as a translator at a research firm, which is how I got involved in the industry. With time I moved from translating into conducting the research itself, and that is essentially how my global marketing research career began. As it turns out, my plan to spend one year in Russia turned into living and working in Russia for about a decade.   

5.)    What are your personal hobbies and interests now?

I am still very interested in current affairs in Russia and Russian culture in general.  My husband is actually Russian, and I have many close friends living in Moscow, so I still feel connected to that part of the world. Otherwise, I enjoy watching documentary films, and drinking beer with friends is another favorite activity of mine. I also love people watching, which both Moscow and New York are great for.
 

6.)    How have language studies impacted your life?

Studying languages changed my life in many positive ways. It encouraged me to study abroad, which inspired me to move to Russia after graduation. Knowing Russian and living in Moscow gave me a career, changed my world views, and allowed me the opportunity to meet a slew of fascinating people – both Russians and expats. I met my husband in Russia, and am still extremely close with the family that hosted me during my first trip to Moscow at age 21; I consider them family. So I have nothing but positive things to say for language studies.
    

7.)    What advice would you give someone who isn’t sure what they want to do after graduation?

My advice would be to get out of your comfort zone, especially while you’re young. Sometimes a change in scenery can teach you a lot about yourself. There were people who thought I was crazy when I jumped on a plane to Moscow without having a job lined up, but that is a decision I wouldn’t change for anything now. Pursue jobs in different fields until you find something that fits: I explored human rights, translation, communications, and social welfare projects at NGOs before I chose my current field. While I would not advocate being reckless, sitting around at home waiting for exciting opportunities to fall into your lap isn’t productive. Go have an adventure!