Three SSU undergraduates have become the winners of the Olympiad in the Bachelor's Degree category in various tracks of the I Am a Professional All-Russian Olympiad.

The first-year student of the Faculty of Psychology Valeria Lebedeva won in the Psychology track. After the victory, Valeria received a winner's diploma and access to the I Am a Professional career portal for choosing internships. She has had several interviews and is waiting for the decision of employers.

Valeria commented on her experience of participating in the competition. ‘This year, the olympiad included three stages. The first one involved solving test tasks, I entered it automatically, since I won this contest last year. The second stage was held online: under the supervision of curators, it was necessary to solve practice-oriented cases, including the interpretation of mathematical and statistical calculations, the development of a psychological research plan, the formulation of recommendations to clients, and so on. At the third stage of the project, I worked on a dating application and an application for dealing with emotional burnout of employees using psychological knowledge. A day was given to complete the task, then the projects were presented to the commission. Participation in the olympiad is an experience of research planning and focusing on practice and the real needs of the modern society.’

Alia Dushanova, a fourth-year student of the Faculty of Pedagogical and Special Needs Education, also won in the Psychology track. After receiving the winner's diploma, Alia passed all the stages of the career school, successfully presented a team project to improve the transport infrastructure in VDNH, and received one of the hundred places in the team of interns of the Moscow Government.

‘Even though I participated in it for the second time, I was worried like the first time. Many people think that if the olympiad is held online, then it is much easier, but it is not: while you understand the question, there is no time to look through the reference book or find the answer on the Internet. The tasks are aimed exclusively at knowledge in psychology. No textbook, reference book, or Internet source can help. You are quickly overwhelmed with excitement and experience, but then you relax and completely immerse yourself in the tasks, not paying attention to anything. The olympiad gave me the opportunity to apply my own knowledge and experience when performing tasks, to feel like a qualified acting psychologist. I believe that all students who find their track in the list of this Olympiad should participate in it. Because this is a very good experience, and if you make efforts, you may get not only some grant, but also get your foot in the door.’

A third-year student of the Institute of History and International Relations Timofei Tsapilin won in the Tourism track. ‘In this area, the olympiad was held in two stages. The qualifying stage involved tasks that consisted of topics related to the tourism industry, and the finals included a massive case for the development of tourism in Saratov Region, with the help of which it was necessary to create a branded route. Even before the announcement of the results of the olympiad, I participated in the Physical Universe educational forum held in Saint Petersburg, where I also became the winner in the Hotel Business track. The olympiad helped me better reveal my professional competencies, implement innovative and creative ideas, and use the knowledge gained at the university,’ Timofei said.

I Am a Professional is an All-Russian Olympiad for students of different spheres. The main goal of the project is to support talented students, which will allow them to continue their studies at the country's leading university and start a career in a leading company. In 2021/2022, the fifth anniversary season of the olympiad took place. The participants tried their hand at one or several of the 72 areas, which were grouped into nine thematic groups: natural sciences, weapons and military equipment, socio-economic sciences, arts and humanities, medicine and healthcare, computer science, agricultural and industrial complex, and engineering sciences and technologies. The tasks for the participants were created by experts from leading Russian universities and the largest companies in the country.

This year, 624,295 young people from all regions of the country have applied for the olympiad. Its members had the opportunity to win grants, receive benefits for admission to master's or postgraduate studies, and also proved themselves to employers. The project is implemented with the support of the Russian Ministry of Science and Higher Education.