Her Story
About Larissa
Dr. Larissa Chuprina is a language and culture coach, intercultural educator, consultant, interpreter, and community leader dedicated to helping individuals and organizations communicate effectively across languages and cultures. With more than two decades of experience in education, cultural integration, and community outreach, she is the founder of English for Understanding, a customized coaching and training program that combines language development, cultural awareness, emotional well-being, and positive psychology. Drawing from her own experiences living and working in multiple countries, Dr. Chuprina empowers immigrants, expatriates, and multilingual professionals to build confidence, navigate cultural transitions, and achieve personal and professional success.
A Fulbright Scholar and educator, Dr. Chuprina earned her Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where her interdisciplinary studies focused on adult education, international management, psychology, and language education. Her doctoral research explored the relationship between self-directed learning and cross-cultural adaptability among expatriate managers, reflecting her longstanding interest in global communication and human development. Throughout her career, she has taught, trained, and consulted on intercultural communication, cultural sensitivity, language learning, leadership development, resilience, and community engagement, serving diverse populations across educational, nonprofit, and business settings.
In addition to her coaching and consulting work, Dr. Chuprina is the Executive Director of Friends of Bellevue Cross-Cultural Center, where she brings people from diverse linguistic, cultural, and religious backgrounds together through educational and community-building initiatives. She is a passionate advocate for inclusion, unity in diversity, and meaningful dialogue, organizing cross-cultural events, workshops, and programs that foster connection and understanding. Through her work, Dr. Chuprina continues to create welcoming spaces where individuals can develop language skills, strengthen intercultural competence, and build thriving communities grounded in shared human values.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Larissa
01What do you attribute your success to?
I really believe that we need to listen to our soul and do what we love. Because when we do what we love, it's not work anymore. It is your calling, it's your passion. And you do it because you love it. And then everything flows. Materials are coming your place, and people are staying. All my students become my friends and invite me to visit them in their countries. Like, in two days, I'm going to Turkey for my students. To be successful, and feel valued, heard, seen. And, so we continue, and I have friendships from… for many years.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
To be open, learn, and experience other cultures and languages.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
We really need to listen to our soul and do what we love. Because when we do what we love, it's not work anymore. It is your calling, it's your passion. And you do it because you love it. And then everything flows.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenges I face are around cash flow, because a lot of time my students cannot afford themselves to pay, and I do have very affordable rates. I have not raised my prices for 10 years. Though everything is now different, I also understand technology and AI, but I chose to work in person and one-on-one, which limits the scale. Another challenge is to be visible and to help people understand the way I provide services without being too much on social media. I would like to stay human, real, not generated by AI. This is the challenge now.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I learned from my mentors to consider everybody as human first, not just students with their limitations, but possibilities. I treat people as people, not just students. For many years, I don't identify as white, or Ukrainian, or some other category, because my mother was Ukrainian, my father was Russian, and I have families on both sides. But I put I'm human. And being that we are created in the image of God, we can cultivate values in ourselves, similar values, through love, kindness, and generosity, and this is the core that can keep us strong. My role is not as a teacher, but more like a mentor or facilitator, to empower students, or learners, which I call people I work with, to learn and to do their best with the resources. I give them tools, how to think on their own, and to develop their own skills.
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