College of The Albemarle graduate Yulia Vozzhaeva still can’t believe her good luck.
In early 2013, the Russian-born Vozzhaeva found out she had been accepted to Yale University as a transfer student. She since has learned that she was one of only about 24 transfer students accepted by the Ivy League university.
“I was told transfer students are very unusual here,” Vozzhaeva said. “I don’t know how this happened. I couldn’t have dreamed it. I surely wanted to be here and it probably came through in the interview.”
Vozzhaeva came to the United States and specifically the Outer Banks through the exchange program called Work and Travel. The program allows full-time students from Russia to come to the U.S. for the summer to work and practice their English. Vozzhaeva heard about COA from her international friends.
“I was told that many other international students study there,” she said. “I visited COA and spoke with Sarah Adams who, at the time, was the international student liaison. I was very much interested in pursuing my education in the US, and COA was that very perfect opportunity to start. In addition, the college staff were very friendly and encouraging.’’
