“We used to tease her that she was a Russian spy,” senior Lauren Russell said of her close friend Anastasiya “Nastya” Grebin (12). “She’s like, ‘No, I’m not Russian, I’m Ukrainian.’ She lived in Moscow, so a lot of people think she’s Russian, but she’s not. She’s Ukrainian and very proud of that fact.”

Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Nastya lived in Moscow, Russia for several years before immigrating to the US in the seventh grade. Her father’s business prompted the move, and besides, the family thought that the US had better educational opportunities.

“I have a wonderful family,” Nastya said. “It is just the four of us. We don’t have any relatives here. So we do stick together, but who I am as a basic person really was shaped by them. Little traditions — like we always absolutely eat dinner together, or we will spend time traveling, or they’re the ones that got me as little kid going through museum, even if I didn’t want to, just to see things or ideas that I wouldn’t be able to experience at school. So, that sort of curiosity, respect and ability to talk to grown ups, to young children, like my sister, that was shaped by them.”

According to Nastya, moving to America was like entering a “completely different world.”

“Certain aspects of American culture are still kind of weird,” she said. “I definitely enjoy spicy food far more now, but back when I just came here, I couldn’t eat anything. Like teriyaki sauce was too hot. There is also a lot more openness in American culture in terms of loudness and what gestures are considered appropriate. You are not supposed to be as flamboyant back in the old country, and that took a little bit of getting used to, but I appreciate it at this point.”

She credits her friends for helping her to adjust to living in the US.

“My friends, they are the ones I relied on here to pick up all the American culture or to figure out what the values of this place are, of this culture are,” she said. “They gave me the understanding and knowledge and the expectations from what I see all about me. So, probably ideas about social justice or sexuality or even pop culture, all of that came from my friends.”

Years later, America has expanded not only her palate, but also her sense of adventure.

“My core beliefs probably have not changed that much — my values are more or less aligned with what my family taught me,” she said. But in terms of personality, I have become much more open, much more welcoming of new experiences; I am not as afraid as I was of new things. I hope that I have become a little bit friendlier to people and a little bit more open. I used to really dislike positions that put me in charge of people, so I didn’t like leadership positions, mostly because I was afraid of disappointment, of disappointing someone else. Now I’ve kind of let go of that, and if people rely on me, I take that as an honor — I take that as a responsibility, but also an honor.”

Having overcome her initial dislike of leadership positions, Nastya has become president of the research club at Harker and intends to pursue a career in a field like molecular biology, bio engineering, or bio technology. Her research mentor, Mr. Chris Spenner, describes how passionate and assertive she has become in the classroom, as he watched her grow over the past years.

“She’s very vocal and confident and rightly so, because she has this vast knowledge of science to share,” Spenner said. “Even from sophomore year, she was able to understand published research at a depth that most students cannot.”

Yet despite the depth of her involvement in the sciences, she refuses to limit herself to one field. She loves subjects like film analysis and surrealist literature, and whenever she visits a city, she makes sure to visit art galleries or attend small-scale performances.

“I think Harker has a bit of a conception that you are either humanities-oriented or you’re science oriented, but I don’t think that being focused on science precludes me from trying to pursue some other avenues of knowledge, of finding information,” Nastya said.

Fellow senior Meghana Karinthi admires Nastya’s genuine enthusiasm for academics.

“She’s definitely not a one dimensional person. She tries to learn things because she really wants to, and not just because it’s required for a class,” Meghana said. “She’s in my Modern International Affairs class, and our teacher was surprised that she’s not going into international studies, because she gets really into it. And I think that’s why I learn so much from her.”

Although she has left her mark academically among teachers and peers, Nastya hopes that she will be most remembered by the people around her for who she was outside the classroom.

“I always think that no matter what our achievements are, the most important ones are the ones that no one, including you and especially yourself will ever notice,” Nastya said. “So, I hope there have been moments when my friends felt that they could rely on me, or when in times of need, I showed compassion or patience with someone who really needed it at that time.”