Described as a “modern-day Mother Teresa” by Russian Club President Alex Katsman, fourth-year history student Irina Yakubin is driven to fulfill the needs of the elderly Russian-speaking community in Los Angeles. Yakubin currently serves as both assistant director of finance and direct assistant to the president of UCLA’s Russian Club, and has played an integral role in developing a new project the Russian Club undertook this past winter quarter, a collaborative effort between the Russian Club and the West Hollywood Comprehensive Service Center. Although the project is still coming to fruition, Katsman said the club plans to help senior citizens in West Hollywood perform day-to-day tasks, an endeavor in which Yakubin played a large role. The budding collaboration between the on-campus club and Los Angeles senior citizens proved to be an overwhelming expedition Katsman found himself taking on, but Yakubin’s involvement eased the burdensome load a founding member might expect to endure.
“She is very caring and understanding, and she saw that I was carrying a very large load during the Russian Club almost entirely on my own and she wanted to make sure … that I don’t get burned out and … have a work overload. She wanted to make sure the club wouldn’t fall apart,” Katsman said.
Yakubin’s initial gusto for Katsman’s project is what propelled the project to the promising foundation that it is now. The Russian Club reached out to this particular neighborhood in West Hollywood because of the predominately Russian-speaking community in the area. Because of the bilingual students like Yakubin involved, the pre-existing language barrier in the community dissolved with the involvement of the Russian Club. According to Katsman, Yakubin’s selfless character helps ensure the project’s success.
“Working with Irina is like knowing everything is going to be okay,” Katsman said.