On July 4, SSU Rector Aleksei Chumachenko awarded a gold medal-winner of the 6th season of the I Am a Professional All-Russian Students Olympiad, a master degree student of the Faculty of Psychological, Pedagogical, and Special Needs Education, Assistant of the Department of Speech Therapy and Psycholinguistics Irina Nikitina. The award ceremony took place in the evening in Moscow at the site of the Digital Business Space.

Irina Nikitina became a gold medal-winner in the Special Needs (Defectology) Education direction. She successfully passed the practical tests of the qualifying stages and reached the final of the olympiad, which was held in April at Moscow State Pedagogical University.

Sergei Kiriyenko, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Russia, addressed the participants of the event. ‘I am convinced that the ability not to be afraid of the challenges that life throws or opens up to you, and the ability to accept these challenges is already a victory that says a lot about each of you. May it stay with you and always be a standing point, thanks to which you will understand that anything is possible for you!’

Motivating speeches were delivered by Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Olga Petrova, CEO of the autonomous non-profit organization “Russia – Land of Opportunities” Aleksei Komissarov, Head of the Presidential Directorate for Social Projects Sergei Novikov, President of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs Alexander Shokhin, and Head of the I Am a Professional olympiad Valeria Kasamara. The ceremony was also attended by rectors and vice-rectors of Russian universities, as well as representatives of partner companies of the project.

SSU Rector Aleksei Chumachenko addressed the finalists of the olympiad from the stage. ‘I congratulate you on winning this competition. Each rector can give many examples of supporting the initiatives of their young colleagues in various fields: in science, education, sports, and volunteering. Russia – Land of Opportunities is not just a slogan – there are more than 20 useful projects behind these words. I hope you will use all the opportunities that are now opening up for you – participate, win, implement your plans, and become professionals!’

At the Olympiad, Irina Nikitina presented an outline on forming the speech competence of children with disabilities. Due to the possibility of wide replication of the proposed materials in the system of assistance to persons with disabilities Irina got the maximum 200 points for her work and became the absolute winner of the olympiad in the chosen profile among master degree students.

She entered Saratov State University, the Faculty of Psychological, Pedagogical, and Special Needs Education (the course in speech therapy) in 2018. Since the first year, the student has been actively involved in social work. In September 2019, she became the head of the volunteer movement at the faculty and a coordinator of the Abilimpics regional centre.

Since September 2021, Irina Nikitina has been combining her studies with work as a speech therapist at School No. 9 in Saratov, where she works with children with mental retardation, intellectual disability, severe speech disorders, and disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

The student actively works in the university volunteer centre. In 2022, Irina enrolled in the master degree course in speech therapy. In December, she became an assistant at the Department of Speech Therapy and Psycholinguistics, SSU.

Many SSU students became prize-winners at the final stage of the competition.

The I Am a Professional olympiad is implemented with the support of the Russian Ministry of Higher Education and Science and is one of the flagship projects of the Russia – Land of Opportunities presidential platform. The finalists of the olympiad receive a wide choice for internships in the leading companies of the country, as well as opportunities for further professional growth and development.