Chairman of the Committee on Youth Policy and Interaction with Public Organizations of St Petersburg Bogdan Zastavny, Alyona Ivshina, Chairman of the Public Chamber of St Petersburg Irina Sokolova

A fifth-year student at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the St Petersburg University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Alyona Ivshina is successful not only in her studies and professional activities, but also in her creative activities. Alyona is a member of the student dance group "Made'Ira" of the Kirpich student creativity club (director Irina Deeva), which performs at many major venues in the country and has received recognition from spectators and professionals. In addition to collective achievements, Alyona now has a personal state award - she became a winner of the St Petersburg Youth Prize 2023 in the field of culture and art.

To recall, the St Petersburg Youth Prize was established by the city government to encourage St Petersburg residents aged 14 to 35 years who have demonstrated themselves in professional and social activities, achieving outstanding results in science, education, sports, art, business and management, and other fields of activity.

Alyona admits that such an award, first of all, allowed her to feel the significance of the work done and became one of the incentives for development.

“From an early age I have been dancing, although not professionally. But I came to the Made'Ira team by accident: under the leadership of Irina Andreevna Deeva, I first did dance aerobics. Then I didn’t think about returning to dancing, but her invitation to join the team interested me, especially since my friends were among its participants. Their support played a big role in making the decision. It's good that everything turned out this way. I am glad that the dance groups of the Kirpich club provide an opportunity to develop in this area and not be afraid to try something new, they allow me to learn to express myself through dance. I discovered many dance styles at "Made'Ira", and together with the team we not only improve our skills, but also develop personally. I realized that nothing is impossible for a dancer, everything is achievable if you work hard,” said Alyona. She added that combining creative activity with study and work is becoming more and more difficult, but definitely, dance has already become a part of her life.

“After graduating from university, I will try to find time for creativity. In the meantime, we’ve been studying in our favorite group for another year, developing, growing, and this year we’re expecting a new flow of students who care about society, creativity and dance,” concluded Alyona.