The interview was conducted by Toyin Olanipekun, a doctoral student in Second Language Acquisition and a project assistant at the Language Institute (March, 2025). The transcription below is abridged.
Aruzhan: Hello. My name is Aruzhan. I am a PhD student in the Second Language Acquisition Program here at UW-Madison.
Toyin: Thank you. What has been your experience as a first-year student in the SLA program?
Aruzhan: Well, it’s my first time here in the US and I would say that it has been rewarding and challenging at the same time. I still remember my semester and my first day – I was just overwhelmed reading all these things that were assigned to us, and the homework. But then I got used to it. Right now, I’m really enjoying those articles and discussing them with my peers because I find them really interesting and they can help me a lot in my future research.
Toyin: How is life in Madison outside of your studies?
Aruzhan: Well, I love Madison. I came here with my family. I have a young child who is going to turn three in May. I have a husband. We all enjoy our lives in Madison because it is very family-friendly, I would say. And there are a lot of things to do, especially if you have a kid. There are lots of museums you can visit. And there are lots of nice places you can go to in Madison. For example, great restaurants… shopping malls. Just in general, I love walking around, biking there. I just love it. Especially if you love nature, it’s a great place.
Toyin: How do you balance your academic responsibilities with your personal life?
Aruzhan: It’s a very good question because I don’t actually balance them, but I try, to be honest. Since I have a young kid, I have to have a very fixed and good timetable, which I have to follow and do the stuff that I have to do. For example, I try to set realistic goals for my day, and I have the focus of the day. If I don’t do anything beyond those things, it’s totally fine.
I try to wake up really early, like 6 or 7. I try to make some breakfast and lunch. And then I go to study, come back home, and play with my kid a little bit. And when he goes to sleep, I try to study. One of the good things is that it is very flexible, and I can study at the library. So that at home I can just spend time with my family.
Toyin: What is one thing you are willing to share with us about yourself?
Aruzhan: I think I like blogging and writing about my life. Since I moved here, I started blogging. I usually write about my life, things I am experiencing, about my research, about my classes, about life in Madison and everything like that.
Toyin: Do you want to talk about the photo you shared?
Aruzhan: Sure! This is a photo of me and my kid. We took it when we first came here. We went to the golf club and it was sunset. We decided to take this picture because we knew it’s going to be a special moment for us. And this photo reminds me of the reason I am here. That I am not alone.
Toyin: Thank you for sharing!
Aruzhan: Sure!
To learn more about Aruzhan’s research, see her profile.
Below is her video interview.