‘We Offer Another Perspective on Latin America—The Culture, Literature, Community, Music, and More’

Photo courtesy of Boris Senin Carhuallanqui Parian

Boris Senin Carhuallanqui Parian, 31, comes from the small town of San Martin de Pangoa in Peru. After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from Continental University, he decided to enrol in the Master’s programme in Science, Technology and Innovation Management and Policy at the HSE University Institute for Statistical Studies and Economics of Knowledge (ISSEK). In his interview, he talks about the application process, the university’s Latin-American Club, and why his studies at HSE can help improve relations between Russia and his home country.

The Application Process

Before joining HSE, I did my research and I found out that HSE was one of the top universities not only in Russia, but in the world—especially in the programme I chose, which is currently among the top 150 programmes in the world. I learned about HSE when I decided to apply for a scholarship through the Open Doors Russian Scholarship Project. I made my decision after getting the scholarship and after learning that my programme also offered a double degree option, which I think is very valuable.

To get a scholarship, I had to pass the exam; and I took several MOOCs on the Coursera platform to get prepared.

I remember something funny—most of the MOOCs on Coursera need to be paid for, but they give you a seven-day free trial period. I took advantage of that, finished several courses in those seven days, and paid nothing

The exam was definitely challenging, and I am sure that if I had not taken the MOOCs on Coursera, I would not have passed the scholarship exam.

My friends and relatives were, at first, very happy that I got a scholarship and had the opportunity to study abroad in a very prestigious university in Russia. However, due to the complicated situation, they were also worried about it, but in the end, they knew that my choice was the best in order to help me develop professionally and personally. Sadly, none of my relatives have come to visit me—South America is too far away from Russia, and tickets are incredibly expensive.

The Prep Year Programme

I arrived in Moscow in September 2022 and started the Prep Year programme. This stage of my life was the best because I got to meet so many different people who are now close to me. I really loved the Russian lessons, especially the ones related to science, history and maths because they were so challenging and I do love challenges. My teachers were great, of course. Some teachers had a better teaching approach than others, but in general, all of them knew how to teach their subjects.

I participated in the cinema club and the Russian speaking club in order to improve my language abilities

However, my most memorable experiences were in the drama club, with the teachers Anna Leonteva and Ekaterina Schnitke, because they also taught me Russian through a story about a dragon. I also had opportunities to practice the language more often, I learned a lot of new words, and learned different strategies for speaking in public and performing. More importantly, I had the chance to film a play with great people—I had a very important role interpreting the villain of the play.

My Studies

My studies are very interesting to me because I started to see innovation in a deeper way, I also see the different factors that can affect innovative activities in developed and developing countries, which differ a lot. I also remember the impact of economic growth on the environment and conflicts among the SDGs.

I have taken courses in Economics of Innovation, Innovation Strategies, Responsible Business and Sustainable Development, and the seminar

I found Economics of Innovation particularly significant because it is interesting to evaluate the impact of policies related to innovation, R&D and technology in different countries’ economies, and see how they evolved through time. The same is true of Responsible Business and Sustainable Development, because it showed us the importance of evaluating policies in innovation and technology in our environment. In this subject we also discussed the problematics of sustainable development and if it really exists or not, and of course we also saw the SDGs and the contradictions within them.

Extracurricular Life

I talk to other international and Russian students outside classes through a group chat. I met some Latin people and we usually hang out together, but I also met people from China, Iran, India, Africa, Spain, the US, South Korea, Indonesia, and more. We’ve gone to eat together and we also participated in escape room quests.

I also communicate a lot with some Russian students and we have participated together in different activities at the university. Indeed, we organised these activities and we collaborate, since I am the president of the university’s Latin-American Club. We have participated in many events  and online meetings, and we have plans to expand our collaborations in order to engage more people and get better results.

Moscow is a very modern city—it is humongous and it has so many things to do and discover.

I love finding places with good food, so I always try to find places that make delicious but not expensive food. I found several places where I tried khachapuri, plov, shawarma, Chinese food, Vietnamese food, Indian food, Peruvian food, and more

What’s more interesting to me about Moscow is the ease of commuting (the public transportation here is the best in my experience), the statues and monuments, and how easy it is to get what you want through your phone, because e-commerce and the delivery services work really well.

I have managed to visit Red Square, VDNKh, the Planetarium (where I saw a video about the galaxy, the planets and its formation), the Museum of Cosmonautics (it was breathtaking to see all those satellites, equipment, photos, space suits, rockets, meteorites, and more), the Museum of Alexander Pushkin, Saint Basil’s Cathedral, Zaryadye Park, the Soaring Bridge, and of course several restaurants and clubs.

The Latin-American Club

As the head of the Latin-American Club, I try to offer another perspective on Latin America because my team and I noticed the first word people associated with Latin America was ‘party’. I think that is OK, but it is not the only thing Latin America can offer to the international community—we have culture, literature, community, music, knowledge, and more, and this is what we are looking to show. We have participated in events such as Open Doors HSE, Economfest, and Unity Fest. The most important one was the forum ‘Russia and Ibero-America in a Turbulent word: History and Perspectives’ in St Peterburg, where we presented a paper. It was such an incredible experience.

The Latin-American Club has social media accounts on WhatsApp, Telegram and VK. We are preparing an online meeting called ‘tertulia’ in cooperation with the Spanish Club, where students will talk about different regions and cities in Peru, including food, touristy places, traditions, and more

In my spare time, I love to lift weights because I have been doing this since I was a teenager. I love to dance as well—I know how to dance salsa, bachata, reggaeton, cumbia and merengue. Another activity I love is swimming; I started swimming in November 2022 and realised that I really like doing this.

After My Studies

Since I am a double scholarship holder (one from the Peruvian Government and one from the Russian government), one of the requisites for me is to go back to my country and put all the knowledge I got here in Russia into practice. Therefore, my short-term plan is to work at universities and in a scientific institution in my country, for example, CONCYTEC, in order to get more experience in this field and try to come up with possible solutions to the very weak educational system and the economic crisis in my country.

I also think that by doing this, it is possible to strengthen the bonds between Russia and Peru. Russia has huge potential in the field of science, technology (IT) and innovation that can help my country gain ‘know-how’ and try to catch up to other countries in this field

However, if I cannot develop in this chosen path in my country, I will come back to Russia and work in Moscow, specifically in the IT industry, because I feel like this area is the one where I can develop myself the most.

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