Ksenija Ševcova came to LCC International University in 2005 as a freshman. It has been 10 years now since she has started teaching at LCC. This year Ksenija has traveled to Germany and Ukraine for professional development, and later, she took on a new role of a Director of LCC Summer Camps.

Ksenija, you seem to have had a busy schedule before the beginning of Kids Camp in June. Could you share more about that?
In January I submitted my CV to Trier University in Germany with the desire to visit the university, learn from their faculty, and, in return, share my experiences with them. I got accepted and had a great experience at their Environmental campus, an amazing atmosphere with approximately 2,000 students. When I went there I talked about Ukraine, Russia, Lithuania, and Latvia. I shared about our cultures, customs, traditions, and how businesses work in these countries. The students had a small workshop where they had to create their own Facebook business page and they were working from different countries’ perspectives. It was an interesting experience for students, and myself also, as they were extremely creative. I received a lot of positive feedback and positive emotions as well.

During the last week of May, you spent a week in Ukraine leading a kids camp. Could you tell us more about the camp and your role there?
The camp was called “Maximum,” which is also the name of the organizers of the camp in Ukraine. I was in charge of the camp from LCC’s side. A few of my colleagues from LCC have joined me there for a week as well. The organizers of the camp offer many different programs for children from disabled families, orphans, as well as children from nuclear families. However, the main focus of the camp is on children who come from war affected areas in Ukraine. The aim of the camp was to give them an opportunity to spend at least one week in a safe and peaceful environment where they could talk about God, learn English, and make new friends. My direct responsibility was to lead and to organize the classes, find teachers, and develop a schedule. It was an amazing experience and I loved every second of it.

You are also in charge of LCC Summer Camps for Kids and Teens. What are your hopes for the camps this summer?
I have been a teacher in the Summer Kids Camp, for three summers in a row. I have worked as a Summer Language Institute (SLI) instructor for about five years. I believe I am an active person and I like working with people and it is definitely easier for me than sitting at my computer all day. I believe that Robin Gingerich, the Chair of the English Department here at LCC saw my potential and offered me the position. Having accepted the responsibility, my hope is to learn and grow as a professional because this is my first experience of being in charge of both camps. I am a bit nervous, but I am excited to take on new challenges and gain new important skills. I also hope to learn a bit more Lithuanian, so that I can communicate with the parents better.

From your own perspective, as a teacher and now a leader of the kids camps, could you talk about the benefit of children and teenagers attending these camps at LCC?
Nowadays, many kids spend too much time at their computers or on their phones, but here we take their phones away, and get them busy with other activities. Kids quickly forget about the need to use their phones, as they get busy with other activities. They learn to be part of a group, they learn to communicate with other kids, learn about other cultures. In the camps, we discuss different countries, nationalities, customs, and, of course, all of the conversations are in English. When they leave the camp, they can speak more English than when they began.