For some, it was a childhood reverie; for others, an almost accidental discovery. Yet all of them vividly recall the moment when their dream became reality. Three stories of foreign students — their personal journeys, their doubts, and their triumphs.

Rusanna Malaeva (Kazakhstan), First-Year Student, School of International Journalism

Rusanna grew up in Kazakhstan, and for many years, MGIMO seemed to belong to another universe altogether. «An unattainable dream,» she says. A symbol of something forever beyond reach.

The turning point came two years ago, at an ordinary exhibition of Russian universities. She approached the booth, having long ceased to expect anything new. But the MGIMO representative looked at her and said: «Everyone has a chance.» Rusanna did not fully believe it at the time — yet she remembered those words.

Back home, she resolved to test her mettle in the MGIMO International School Olympiad. The first round went smoothly — almost disconcertingly so. The second, however, demanded real effort: the questions required not merely knowledge, but a broad outlook and the ability to connect disparate facts. «I gave it everything I had, yet I still harboured doubts,» she recalls.

Nevertheless, her name appeared on the list of winners. Rusanna says at that moment, her world turned upside down. Now a first-year student, the most important lesson she has drawn from this experience is that barriers most often exist only in our minds. «Never turn down a chance,» she urges those who now hesitate, just as she once did.

Dominik Albert (Slovakia), First-Year Master’s Student, International Security Program

Dominik belongs to those who knew their calling from early childhood. He had set his sights on MGIMO long before he could properly pronounce its name. And after travelling through Russia, he fell irrevocably in love with Moscow: a city that never sleeps, where one can walk into a shop at three in the morning, where distances are vast, yet one somehow feels at home.

When he arrived to study, his adaptation proved surprisingly seamless. Despite its complexity, the Russian language came more easily to him thanks to his knowledge of Slovak — both being Slavic tongues. «Still, I consider Russian quite difficult, and I should continually work on myself,» Dominik candidly admits.

He envisions his future career as a bridge between Slovakia and Russia, between the European Union and the CIS. He is certain that the knowledge and connections gained at MGIMO will enable him to work at the intersection of cultures. To those still deliberating, he offers this counsel: simply take the leap. He describes his own path in three Latin words: «Veni, vidi, vici» — I came, I saw, I conquered. And he adds, in his own words: «This is the best decision of my life.»

Sodnomdarjaa Munkh-Uchral (Mongolia), Third-Year Student, School of International Relations, Chair of the MGIMO Association of International Students

Her friends simply call her Ucha. Once an ordinary schoolgirl in Mongolia, she knew only one thing with certainty: she wanted to study in Russia. Yet international relations were not her primary passion — the field sounded prestigious, but somehow abstract.

Olympiads opened the doors of several prestigious Moscow universities. It seemed she could take her pick. But Ucha felt that something was missing. None of the universities resonated with that inner click. Then her school encouraged her to take part in a competition organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for admission to MGIMO. At the time, she knew almost nothing about this institution — and yet, «as if my heart whispered: this is the one.»

And Ucha was not mistaken. MGIMO proved to be not merely a university, but a «unique environment,» where students from dozens of countries study side by side. Here, she learns not only from textbooks, but also from her classmates — each with their own culture, their own language and their own perspective.

It was here, unexpectedly, that Ucha discovered qualities she had never perceived in herself before: leadership, self-assurance, and a desire to be part of something greater. She joined the Association of International Students. For her, it became far more than a student organization: it became a place where she learned to negotiate, listen, organize events, and build bridges between communities.

«Now, looking back, I see how profoundly I have changed,» says Ucha. «From a lost girl who did not know which path to choose, I have become someone who knows how to make decisions and does not fear the future. I am learning to dream more broadly and to act more boldly.»

Three entirely different stories, three unique journeys — yet they all speak of one thing: a dream coming true. Each of these young people reached a defining moment on their road to success. Your story may well be the next one!