Parent Victor Spivak Visits U.S. Class

Victor Spivak, P ’14, ’17, ’19 Visits International Relations Class

The Upper School’s Introduction to International Relations class has studied and discussed historical and contemporary events in international relations, including political, economic, geographic, demographic, social, and cultural elements that impact the policies and actions of the numerous actors in the international system. On Tuesday, April 25, 2017, Victor Spivak, P ’14, ’17, ’19, joined the class as a guest speaker to discuss his experiences as a young émigré from the Soviet Union, the development of his career in international business, and his thoughts on past and current world political events. Victor, whose daughter Enna, ’17 is enrolled in the course, grew up in Ukraine and emigrated to the United States with his parents when he was 8 years old. Currently, he owns and operates his own export company which conducts business globally including in Eastern Europe, Ukraine, and Russia, as well as East Asia and South America. The class is presently studying the history of the Cold War, and Victor provided insight anecdote, and analysis into life in the Soviet Union, the emigration process, his early experiences in the US during the Cold War, the development of his international business interests and his company, and past and current political events and the impact these can have on business operations. The students listened intently, and from this personal and informative presentation, they gained insight into the international system during the Cold War and learned of the impact world politics can have on individual lives.