We are getting younger with you

We don’t know much about our heads of faculties and generally meet with them only on personal issues related to the educational process. But few people have thought about their hobbies, student years and, ultimately, what life circumstances led them to our university. Not only such «secrets» were revealed to me by the dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Law, Taisiya Oleksiyevna Gayvoronskaya, who turned out to be a pleasant and sociable interlocutor.

With this publication, we begin a series of interviews with the heads of our university.

– Good afternoon, Taisiya Oleksiyevna.

– Good afternoon.

– The weather outside is changeable, how are you feeling?

– I feel great (smiles). Daily morning exercises and a cold shower are the basis of good health. As for the weather, it is also great, by the way. I just miss a little snow. I was born and raised in Belarus, where there has always been a nice mild winter with a little frost. There has always been a lot of snow. I love it very much.

– We will hope that we will have the same winter this year.

– We will hope.

– After receiving your diploma, why did you start teaching?

– An interesting question. Because my diploma says «Philosophy Teacher» (laughs). I always dreamed of teaching at a higher educational institution, so after school I entered the Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov at the Faculty of Philosophy. It was there that I completed my full-time postgraduate studies, defended my candidate’s thesis and came to Zaporizhzhia.

– In her student years, was Taya a quiet, shy, excellent girl or an active student in all areas?

– No, just not a quiet student – an excellent student. Teachers and classmates really called me Taya. Taya like in a movie – a Komsomol member, a beauty, an athlete, that is, a really very active person. I was the Komsomol leader of my group for three years. I organized various competitions with my classmates. And the number of people allowed it – 15 young men, 15 girls. There were epigram competitions between these two teams, a KVC, a dance competition, a poetry competition. All this was not a problem. I also participated in most of the events that were held both at the faculty and at the university, especially since I myself danced and sang.

– Of course. And tell me, please, when did you start teaching… and how did you become a dean?

– Oh, how do you say it? Easy (laughs)! Well, this is a joke, really. I think that in order to become a dean, you need to at least finish your postgraduate studies, defend your dissertation. And be in the right place at the right time, next to Valentina Nikolaevna Zaitseva.

– How difficult is it to combine your teaching and management activities?

– It’s not easy. The work of a dean takes up a lot of time. I can’t imagine myself without teaching. I like to enter the classroom, greet, communicate with students not as a dean, but as a teacher. There is very little time left for science. I can do it during student holidays or a couple of days off.

– And what should an ideal student be like in your opinion?

– The ideal student… Well, the ideal never comes true. In fact, this is a student who, of course, strives for knowledge, respects the teacher, is well-mannered. This is an active student who necessarily participates in all events held at the university, and also a student who has overslept at least once and did not come to class because the night before he wrote poems to his beloved girl. This is a student who is not alien to anything human, but who, in fact, solves all the tasks that face him. And I would also like to wish all students to live their lives in such a way that they can remember their student years and tell their children and grandchildren about it with pleasure.

– What is your hobby?

– To be honest, I don’t have a hobby as such. Firstly, I often don’t have enough time for it¸ and secondly, if I have a free moment, I prefer to devote it to household chores. In general, I love music, mainly classical and jazz. I have CDs with all these recordings at home, so whenever possible I enjoy the best world works. Of course, I like to read philosophical books.

– Maybe you play some musical instrument?

– I graduated from music school in piano class.

– The New Year is approaching. Will you celebrate it at home with your family?

– For me, the New Year is a family holiday, and, traditionally, I celebrate it at home with my family and friends. Although sometimes we come up with something extraordinary to diversify and make the celebration interesting and fun.

– What were the brightest moments of the past year for you?

– The past year has been difficult for me. It was tragic – my mother passed away, unfortunately (his voice trembled). Life is so diverse that good things often come alongside pain, for example, joy. There were also bright moments. The most memorable was – the “meeting” with Raphael’s Sistine Madonna – one of the most famous works of world art. I was lucky enough to visit Germany. Of course, first of all I visited the Dresden Art Gallery. This painting made an unforgettable impression on me. I saw quite a few masterpieces of painting and sculpture, but the Sistine Madonna exceeded all my expectations.

– Do you like to travel?

– I love it. If there is an opportunity, including in financial terms (this is not always possible), then I definitely try to visit some country.

– And finally: Your wishes to students.

– I wish to always be young, cheerful and cheerful. Of course – to successfully pass the session, which is approaching by leaps and bounds. I wish you a pleasant winter vacation, to return to the auditorium of your beloved university with new strength and a fresh head. Happiness, good mood, hopes, aspirations, and may all your secret desires come true. Be cheerful and passionate. After all, we are getting younger next to you.

Thank you very much for taking the time to communicate. It was a pleasure to talk to you.

Olexandr Prokhorovich

Press Service of the Student Self-Government of ZNTU

The news is also available in other languages: ­Russian.