Lauren Kirkwood is a UCLA freshman who is enrolled in the UCLA Russian Flagship program. Lauren is majoring in political science with a concentration in international relations. She plans on minoring in Russian and is interested in becoming a diplomat.
In a brief interview, Lauren said that she absolutely enjoys studying at UCLA and has adapted well to college life: Having grown up in Central Los Angeles, she enjoys being a Bruin and living in a different area in the same city. She also appreciates the variety of students at UCLA.
Lauren has always enjoyed studying other languages and cultures. She studied Korean for years but realized that Flagship aligned with her interest in international relations and Russia's significant role in international affairs.
Lauren’s favorite class this quarter is Russian. She has expanded her Russian vocabulary, has learned cursive, and has improved her speaking abilities. Since she began learning Russian, Lauren has developed an interest in Russian culture. She also enjoys attending cultural events and movie nights hosted by The Department of Slavic, East European & Eurasian Languages & Cultures. Lauren is interested in learning about the variety of ethnic groups in Russia, particularly how they integrate their cultures into Russian life.
Lauren’s interest in other cultures and diplomacy is in part related to a result of her family history. To celebrate Black History Month, Lauren shares a story about her uncle, Loren Miller:
Judge Loren Miller, 1944
My uncle, Loren Miller was an attorney, judge, civil rights activist, and journalist. He argued the case Shelley v. Kraemer (1948) [about restrictive covenants in St. Louis, Missouri] in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and won the case. In addition, he was part of the NAACP legal brain trust led by Thurgood Marshall that helped win Brown v. Board of Education (1954). My uncle was one of the twenty-two African Americans who traveled to the Soviet Union in 1932 along with his friend Langston Hughes. They spent the summer in Moscow to prepare a Soviet agitprop film about racial tensions and labor disputes in the American South. Loren Miller stayed in Moscow after shooting the film to pursue creative opportunities not widely offered to Black artists in the United States. I learned about my uncle at a young age, and I presented about him in high school. I knew about his involvement in politics, law, and journalism, and I knew that there was an elementary school and a park named after him. However, it wasn’t until January of 2023 when I learned about his involvement with the USSR. During this Winter Quarter, I began taking Russian 31 [Introduction to Russian Film]. We watched a Soviet film called “Circus” and we learned more about this film and its history and I recognized the photo shown in the PowerPoint. I had seen this photo of my uncle on a boat with Langston Hughes many times but I never knew where they were going. I was so surprised when I saw this picture. I was also surprised that my uncle had the same name as me, just spelled differently and we both had interests in Russian culture. I am so glad to have such great civil rights figures in my family and I believe that my uncle was a civil rights champion.
The UCLA Russian Flagship program enjoys exploring intersectional stories and connecting generations of learners. Go, Lauren!
Judge Miller in 1932 along with Langston Hughes and African American filmmakers who are going to travel to the Soviet Union.
Below is Lauren’s video blog where she narrates her uncle's story in Russian.