Abigail Weil '08

Abigail Weil, majoring in Russian and Eurasian studies, came to Bard with Russian studies being “the furthest thing from my mind.” She caught the bug while studying foundations of Marxism during First-Year Seminar with Distinguished Professor of Social Studies Joel Kovel. “I never recovered from it,” she says with a laugh, “so I made it my focus.” She studied at Smolny College in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the summer of 2006 and was initiated into Russian language and culture.

In Russian and Eurasian studies, an interdivisional major, “there is an interplay between literature and history,” Weil says. “Not only are historical conditions reflected in a novel, but a novel can be published that incites people to action. Nothing moves me like Russian literature.” But in her Russian lit classes, the Cleveland native noticed “a real lack of mother protagonists, absent or ineffective.” So she addressed the topic in her Senior Project.

“I couldn’t imagine a school more tailor-made than Bard is for me,” she admits. “The way it fosters intellectual curiosity works very well for me. I came in with an attitude of exposing myself to everything I could, things I hadn’t encountered before.”