In late 2020, Lingoda launched the Lingoda Language Scholarship. The programme is aimed specifically at supporting people whose careers have been impacted by the Covid-19 crisis. We have now selected five lucky winners whose life-changing projects can be achieved through language learning.

All winners of the Lingoda Language Scholarship have lost their main income due to the pandemic and will now be able to improve their language skills to ultimately increase their chances for new employment.

The winners of the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme 

Ekaterina Zeynetdinova

Ekaterina is a 26-year-old violinist and a student of the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory. Due to the suspension of cultural events in Russia, she lost her main income playing as a soloist in ensembles and orchestras. Enthusiastic about the German musical scene and orchestras (especially the Berlin Philharmonic), she wants to become fluent in German to continue her studies in Germany and become ‘’an integral part of the culture.’’

Zeynep Dildar Gürcan

22-year-old Zeynep Dildar Gürcan has had her scholarships in the fine arts drastically cut due to the crisis. She depended on these scholarships to help support her university tuition As a student of photography and graphic design in Turkey, she wants to learn French to further her academic research in order to ”transfer Manet’s art practices to digital images” and move to France, where she dreams of joining one of the best art schools.  

Galilea Matias

Galilea Matias is 20 years old and is currently majoring in Sustainability and Economics in the US. Last March she lost her role as site coordinator of the Corbin Hill Food Project. She wants to master French, as it is one of the international languages for diplomacy, and fulfil her dream to work for the United Nations on implementing the 17 sustainable development goals that they have set. 

Astrid Carolina Baez Triana

26-year-old Astrid Carolina Baez Triana chose industrial design as her career path, despite knowing that the future of arts was not ideal in Colombia. Inspired by the avant-garde German design and architecture scene led by Bauhaus movement, she dreams of working as a set designer in Germany, the country she describes as ”supporting design and art careers in many ways”. After losing her main income as a result of the pandemic, she wants to learn German to follow her passions.

Vadim Fortuna

Vadim Fortuna is a 33-year-old legal consultant working in the nonprofit sector. After the NGO’s project lost its funding, where Vadim defended civil and social rights, he wants to invest in himself and learn English to raise his professional education level. His ultimate goal is to start a legal aid project in his home country, Moldova.  

Lingoda’s CEO Michael Shangkuan, who has devoted his life to education, strongly believes that learning a new language has the potential to change people’s lives:

“With Lingoda, people are able to learn a skill that will last a lifetime. We’ve all seen how the past year has had a huge impact on our lives and mastering a language drastically increases the desirability for potential employers and unlocks new opportunities. This is what we want to offer these scholars.”

Do you feel inspired to learn a new language? Visit the Lingoda website and sign up for your free 7-day trial today.