Miranda Lupion’s interest in Russian language, history and culture began at a young age and has deepened during her time as a student at the University of Pennsylvania.

Her elementary school offered basic Russian language instruction teaching the alphabet and singing songs, and she began listening to stories in Russian in the fourth grade.

In high school history class, learning about the former Soviet Union intensified her interest in the region’s politics, culture and lifestyle.

A rising junior majoring in international relations and minoring in Russian language, Lupion is focusing on the former Soviet Union and satellite states.

In the summers of 2013 and 2014, she studied Russian in Kazan, Russia, and Tbilisi, Georgia, through language scholarships from the United States Department of State.

This summer, through an Independent International Internship Program grant from Penn Abroad, she interned at a non-profit organization in Warsaw, Poland.

“I knew I wanted to be abroad again in this area of the world, but I wanted to try something a bit different,” says Lupion, of Brightwaters, N.Y. “Poland is often considered a model for many formerly communist countries. After reforms in the ‘90s, the country has experienced strong economic growth especially in the services sector, attracted substantial investment and has one of the best educational systems in the European Union.”

Lupion spent nine weeks working with a team at Katalyst Engineering developing a program to integrate a science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, curriculum into elementary schools in Poland.

The group also tested STEM teaching components for elementary school teachers, one using 3-D printing.

“Getting to see the kids fired up about designing and printing aerodynamically correct turbine blades using 3-D design software, that's priceless,” says Lupion. “It's cutting edge for Poland and even the U.S.”

She also worked as a copy editor for documents written in English and helped formulate a social media strategy for the organization.

“Getting hands-on business and organizational experience has been one of the most valuable parts of this experience,” says Lupion. “It’s a great complement to my liberal arts education.”

Lupion is proficient in Russian, and while she was in Poland she learned to speak some Polish.

“I already have a basis in Slavic grammar, so it makes learning Polish a little bit easier because some of the words are the same,” Lupion says.

While in Poland, she toured Warsaw, enjoyed weekly Chopin concerts in Lazienki Park and shopped at the open-air markets, finding cheese/potato pirogies and freshly picked strawberries.

During her free time on the weekends, she traveled to other parts of the country.

In Krakow, she toured the Jewish Quarter, learning about the lives of the city’s Jewish population following World War II.

Lupion already has plans for her next study abroad experience. In the spring, she’ll be in England at Pembroke College in the University of Cambridge conducting a comparative study of Poland and Russia’s governments.