Frank Speaking

Frank Copeli spent much of last year in St. Petersburg and Moscow, courtesy of a Boren Undergraduate Scholarship from the National Security Education Program. This summer he’s going to Hyderabad, India, as a Watson Fellow. Racking up top grades in addition to frequent flyer miles, he completed his bachelor’s degree with a perfect GPA of 4.0.

A first-generation American born to Soviet émigrés, this Forest Hills native grew up in a household with a tight budget; his mom, who was employed in the medical field, went on disability after surviving breast cancer. Nonetheless, as a CUNY Honors College student and a Vallone Scholarship recipient, Copeli was able to cover his tuition expenses. “Queens College is truly democratic, providing a great education to people who couldn’t otherwise afford it,” he said.

Meanwhile, he began developing a valuable asset he did get from his family: bilingual aptitude. “I spoke Russian from childhood,” he explained. “But I didn’t know how to read and write it.” When he enrolled at QC he began studying the language, ultimately majoring in it. Copeli refined his skills overseas, dividing his junior year between St. Petersburg State University, where he immersed himself in language and literature, and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, where he concentrated on language and politics.

In a St. Petersburg State translation workshop, he read a short story by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky and became captivated by the work of the little-known Ukrainian-born writer, prizing what he calls its “unrecognized magical experimentation.” After finishing the spring semester in Moscow, Copeli returned to St. Petersburg and undertook a major project: the first extensive English-language translation and critical analysis of Krzhizhanovsky’s stories, and a biography of the author.

Back in Queens, Copeli finished his senior year in one semester. Understandably feeling “a little burned out,” he relaxed a bit this spring, holding down a part-time job that left him with the energy and opportunity to write fiction, nonfiction, and even a screenplay. After Commencement he planned to pack his bags for Hyderabad, where he’ll take part in the M. Venkatarangaiya Foundation’s efforts to get kids out of the workplace and into school.

His next move? “I’m not sure,” Copeli admitted. “Under the terms of the NSEP scholarship, I have to work for a government office for one year, so I might be applying to the State Department.” Grad school is also an eventual possibility. “I’m interested in learning more about economics,” he continued. “Whatever I do, I hope I’m creating artistically, and helping people live a life where they have more choices.”