The Old Capitol is shown on Monday, July 25, 2016. Within the next few days construction crews will begin replacing deteriorated pieces of this historic building. (The Daily Iowan/Brooklynn Kascel)
By Jason Estrada, The Daily Iowan
Unlike many of her peers, Lucy Korsakov’s college experience is quite culturally different.
The daughter of refugees from Soviet Union, Korsakov, is a first-generation University of Iowa senior, and she’ll graduate Saturday.
In 1991, Korsakov’s family immigrated to America as refugees from Moscow, then the capital of the Soviet Union.
“They were granted refugee status after a couple of years, and they came right before the collapse of the Soviet Union,” she said. “They came as political, religious refugees during that time.”
Korsakov was born a few years later. As she was growing up, both of her parents attended school to pursue their associate degrees. Their degrees were not accepted in the States when they transferred from the Soviet Union, however.
“My mom was becoming a dental hygienist, and my dad [was getting a generic] associate’s degree,” she said.
So, her grandfather helped raise Korsakov and her older brother, Pasha, who was going to school as well.
As her high-school chapter came to a close, she was deciding among a few colleges and chose the UI. What factored into her decision was the relationship with her grandfather, her qualification for in-state tuition, and her interest in studying neurobiology.