Alan, the USA

I have been a Ukrainian language student of Professor Natalia Havdyda for several months. I am a native citizen of the United States and possess the BS and MS degrees in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

To the prospective student of Ukrainian, I will say this: If you are looking to talk and write a little Ukrainian, maybe visit the country, get around a bit, order some food, say some cool phrases…then I will be blunt, Natalia Havdyda is not the instructor for you. Frankly, it would be a waste of her talent. She is an expert in the language, knows poetry and songs, and has a great voice. If you are serious about committing to an investment in the mastery of a difficult new language beyond University level then perhaps you have come to the right place.

Scott, Luxembourg

I have been studying Ukrainian with Natalia Havdyda since the end of January 2020. First, I want to thank you for organizing an excellent course and second, for assigning Natalia to be my teacher.  I started in January with no experience in the language and no real understanding of the history and the culture.  My motivation to take the course was simply to learn enough to extend greetings to colleagues in Kyiv.

From no knowledge of the language in January, I was able to have a conversation with Natalia last week at the beginning of June.  Natalia has provided numerous resources to aid in my learning. I have been learning more of the culture, including Ukrainian music, and this summer will be taking a course in Ukrainian history through Harvard’s Ukrainian Summer Institute.  Her extensive experience as a teacher of Ukrainian to Foreigners allows her to tailor the lessons to meet the strengths and needs of each student.  I have benefitted greatly from her experience during the first 16 lessons and I look forward to continuing working with her through the next 32 and beyond.

Rachel, the USA

I had the pleasure of studying Ukrainian with Natalia Havdyda in person while I was a Peace Corps volunteer. She is an incredibly rare blend of talent, professionalism, compassion, and patriotism. She is a nationally renowned expert in Ukrainian pedagogy, and she explores the language with students via culture, music, literature, and historical context. Her lessons are thoughtfully considered and well-organized, but flexible to student interest and ability. She makes students feel capable and welcome, and she is great at providing helpful and encouraging feedback.

Finally, her love of Ukraine is evident in everything she does and everything she teaches, and the privilege of learning a language from someone who loves it is absolutely priceless. I wholeheartedly recommend Natalia Havdyda if you really want to learn Ukrainian.

Tim W., the USA

Natalia Havdyda was my tutor for the time that I was able to serve in Ternopil as a Peace Corps volunteer. In that time, I found her to be an excellent tutor. She was very knowledgeable about the Ukrainian language and was able to explain many of the interesting details and much of the interesting history to me. In addition, she was patient with my questions and was willing to work on whatever I perceived my specific problems to be. So, for example, if I felt like I was having a difficult time with pronunciation, she found ways to work with me on that issue. It was clear to me that she was genuinely enthusiastic about Ukrainian language and culture which increased my interest in learning about these topics.

Finally, she has a very pleasant demeanor and attitude which made working with her easy and enjoyable. Overall, I think my time working with Natalia was well spent, and I would recommend her to anyone who is looking for a Ukrainian language tutor.