One program, numerous opportunities: YSU PhD student's international educational experience in Italy

Nelly Yesayan, a PhD student at the YSU Faculty of Armenian Philology, traveled to Italy through the Erasmus+ program, carrying not only her research interests but also the expectation of discovering a new scientific world. Ca' Foscari University of Venice transformed this expectation into a dynamic experience that helped her develop as a researcher with innovative thinking.  

A scientific environment rich with limitless resources in Venice

For Nelly, Ca' Foscari University became a unique scholarly environment. Libraries, open from early morning until late at night, unlimited literature, and extensive encyclopedic resources captivated and inspired her to explore and study topics of interest.

"What was especially important for me was the open access to scientific literature. There, we could take as much material as we wanted—without deadlines or strict limitations," she says.

For the YSU PhD student, not only the courses and research materials but also the opportunities to interact with local specialists allowed her to pursue her studies with greater depth and a broader scientific perspective, contributing both to the quality of her research and to her professional growth.

At the intersection of languages

The PhD student at the Chair of the Armenian Language History and General Linguistics has been particularly interested in historical-comparative linguistics, especially studies of Armenian vocabulary. At Ca' Foscari University, she was able to attend courses in Italian, Latin, and several other languages—subjects that were within her scope of interest but of which she previously had only a general or partial understanding.

"The extensive materials in foreign-language encyclopedias, as well as discussions with lecturers and specialists from related fields during various conferences, were extremely useful and guided the subsequent course of my research and the development of my research skills," Nelly says.

She also recalls with special enthusiasm the Armenian language classes she taught at Ca' Foscari, where she had, for the first time, the opportunity to teach Armenian to Italian students. This experience not only marked professional progress but also provided an important skill: the ability to work with speakers of other languages and to develop effective teaching approaches.

Speaking about her achievements, Nelly notes, "Participating in the international conference in Venice was my second successful experience presenting the results of research on Armenian vocabulary to the international scholarly community. The first was in 2024 in Hungary, at Pazmany Peter Catholic University in Budapest, where I presented archaisms and innovations in vocabulary related to weaving in the dialects of Syunik and Artsakh." 

Unhindered in Italy

Contrary to common perceptions that adapting to a new environment is difficult, Nelly does not remember any major obstacles. According to her, she hardly experienced even the usual challenges associated with adapting to a new cultural environment.

One page, one story

"There are several memorable and impressive events that I believe I will remember forever. One of them was participating, for the first time, in the Easter celebration at the church on Saint Lazarus Island. Everything about the island is impressive and inspiring. Another particularly memorable experience was visiting the museums of Florence, where I was fortunate to enjoy all the cultural treasures I had previously seen only online or read about in books," recalls Nelly Yesayan, a PhD student at the YSU Faculty of Armenian Philology.

YSU as a starting point for an international journey

Nelly emphasizes the importance of YSU's extensive collaborative platform, which provides a significant opportunity to observe how leading European universities operate. She considers the proper methodology in education a priority, noting that it transforms learning from an obligation into a desirable path.

"What matters most to me are the methods and approaches for transferring knowledge and acquiring skills. I believe education should never become a mere duty, let alone a coercion due to poorly chosen methods or resources. On the contrary, only education built on methods that are appropriate and carefully selected for the given time, field, and environment can be truly effective and serve both personal and universal goals. YSU, through its collaborations with numerous universities worldwide, opens great opportunities for me and for all students who wish to become acquainted with the international experience and resources of leading universities in their respective fields," Nelly emphasizes. 

Work and vision for the future

During her PhD studies, Nelly is particularly inspired by the process of searching, discovering, and presenting findings to the scholarly community, with the perspective of contributing, even in a small but meaningful way, to academic research on the Armenian language.

"I am currently conducting an interdisciplinary linguistic and cultural study on a specific semantic group of Armenian vocabulary. In this case, my research focuses on the development of the vocabulary associated with the Armenian concepts of 'եղեգ' (yegheg, 'reed') and 'ոսկոր' (voskor, 'bone'), particularly in Armenian dialects, examined through historical-comparative and typological parallels with Indo-European and non-Indo-European languages," Nelly explains. She adds that she is also working as a junior researcher at YSU within the framework of the RA MoESCS Higher Education and Science Committee's "Establishment of Remote Laboratories Program–2025". According to her, this work fully corresponds to her professional focus and research interests.

The student aims to successfully defend her PhD dissertation and continue her research activities, with the perspective of continuous professional development and advancement in her field.