An update from our GRSP student of the 2007-2008 school year, Samvel Kasyan of Uzbekistan, to his hosts, Alec and Donna Smythe:
Hi Alec and Dona,
Hope you are doing great as usual. I do not know where you are right now but am sure that you are either in US or Canada.
I have recently abandoned Georgia most likely for an unforeseeable future. I have moved to Beckley, WV. You can call it "in the middle of nowhere," but I decided to budge anyways because I landed a job with Mechel, a huge Russian company that has recently bought Bluestone Industries, a US coal mining company. I work here as a financial analyst/economist and will be involved in the analysis of capital investments projects.
This is going to be a good experience for me as I will have a lot of opportunities to work for this company in Russia and/or Kazakhstan in case I decide to get closer to my home. Other than living in a small town, I like being here. The working environment is nice. You hear here both Russian and English language.
The irony is that, after I got a job with Mechel, I had a call from a Wall Street company inviting for an interview for the bilingual stock-broker internship. I was sorry that I could not go for an interview, as I thought I really had great chances to get it. For this case we have an apt Russian adage: "a [bird] in the hands is better than a crane in the sky." This way I will not repent my choice. Anyways, I just wanted to share recent developments in my life and hope to hear from you soon! Say hello to my friends in Buckhead Rotary!
Bye,
Sam
