Olga Zhurova, Coordinator of Cultural Projects
Olga Zhurova was born in the city of Chelyabinsk, Ural. She graduated from the Faculty of History of the Chelyabinsk Pedagogical Institute. Olga has lived and worked in different countries. She is passionate about medieval history, particularly that of medieval Switzerland. In her spare time, Olga organizes fun and entertaining excursions for children and adults in Lausanne and the surrounding area. She enjoys revealing the secrets of Swiss cathedrals, castles, mountains and lakes and freely exploring historical events. For the little ones, Olga also offers series of excursions on pirates and witches, on medieval monsters and city dwellers. Poetry and silk painting occupy much of her free time.
Dr. Nataliya Urtikova, IT Support, Administrator of Educational Projects
Nataliya was born in the Moscow region, Russia, in 1981. Double Doctor, she holds a medical degree from the Russian National Medical University of Purogov, and Doctor of Neuroscience from the Pierre and Marie Curie University. She holds an MBA from the Leonardo da Vinci Institute. In Switzerland since 2016, she works in the biomedical industry. She is passionate about mountains, hiking and alpinism. She has been involved in social action for many years. Since spring 2022, Nataliya has been involved in volunteering for Ukrainian refugees.
Zhanna Gutova, Head of Artistic Projects
Zhanna is a graphic artist. A graduate of the Simferopol Polygraphic Institute, she worked as an illustrator in the Crimean publishing house TAVRIA. She has taught academic drawing in art schools in Senegal, Ivory Coast, Tunisia and Ukraine. Zhanna is an author of graphic urban landscape training programs.
Daria Shevchenko, Ukrainian language and culture expert
Daria Shevchenko came to Switzerland in 2022. A graduate of Ukrainian culture and language, Daria participates in several educational projects carried out by our association as a linguistic and cultural expert. Daria gave holiday lessons for Ukrainian children in summer 2022, as well as support lessons (Ukrainian language and literature) at EPFL. Daria is the main director of the project “Cultural trip to Ukraine”, in the Municipal Library of Lausanne.
Daria Zalesskaya, translation support, Slavic cultures expert
Daria was born in Moscow. A graduate of the Moscow State Linguistic University, Faculty of French, she has a doctorate from the University of Lausanne. She is currently a lecturer and researcher at the University of Lausanne in the section of Slavic languages and cultures. She teaches French to Ukrainian refugees. Daria participates in the projects Cultural Travel in Ukraine and Cultural Travel in Switzerland.
Olena Liebed, Volunteer Animator
From her arrival in Switzerland Olena engages as a volunteer in the socio-cultural activities organized in the municipality of Morges. Equipped with a rich experience in the organization of cultural events, Olena plays a major role in the realization of the cultural and musical events of our association such as Christmas party for Ukrainian children, the Christmas concert or the Ukrainian Fair.
Tatyana Buryakina, French lessons
Tatyana was born in Yerevan, Armenia in 1984. She graduated from the Faculty of Physics of Yerevan University. She came to Switzerland in 2013 after receiving the Candidate of Physical Sciences degree in Taiwan. She works in the regulatory field of in vitro medical devices and chairs the international working group for the development of regulatory documents for the EU, Asia and America. Tatyana participates in Russian theater performances in Lausanne and loves music and mountain hikes. Since mid-2022, she has been teaching beginner-level French for Ukrainian refugees as part of the voluntary work of our association. She is married and has a nine-year-old son.
