Pecherskaia finds home at DSU

February 12, 2025

Born in Uzbekistan and growing up in Russia, DSU student Irina Pecherskaia didn’t know she would end up at Dakota State for school, but she did know she was interested in computer science.

Pecherskaia moved to St. Cloud, Minnesota, as a teenager and attended high school there before coming to DSU three years ago.

Pecherskaia may have been drawn by the university’s reputation in computer science, but DSU’s small, close-knit community matched her passion about collaborating with others.  

“You’re not just a face in the class or just a name on their roster,” she explained. “They say ‘Hi’ to you in the grocery store.”

While Pecherskaia appreciates all the professors she’s had at Dakota State, she found Dr. Matthew Ingram’s public speaking course, one of her general education courses, the most impactful so far. The course taught her that taking it slow doesn’t diminish productivity.

“I still think about him and his approach to teaching and living, too, because your professors don’t just teach you course material, sometimes they teach you a way of learning,” she said.

As a student enrolled in The Beacom College of Computer & Cyber Sciences, Pecherskaia has found the opportunities for hands-on learning extremely helpful for preparing to work in industry after graduation.

“Not a lot of universities have a student server room where you can actually connect ethernet cables, configure different settings, set up firewalls, and build your own server,” she explained.

Students also have the opportunity to work with hardware through activities such as soldering or  experimenting  with electronics, without having to earn a degree first, she added. There are also resources for students to start their own projects, work with professors, and sometimes work with industry partners.

She has witnessed a passion for learning from all the professors she’s taken classes from, which she finds essential, particularly in the technology industry.

Outside of her time in the classroom, she’s been involved in a variety of activities on campus, serving as a resident assistant in the dorms and a Trojan Ambassador, giving tours to prospective students and others visiting campus.

Pecherskaia enjoys meeting new people and connecting with them, sharing
“how wonderful the campus is and why they should come here because I truly believe it.”

Additionally, her passion for artificial intelligence fuels her role as president of the Artificial Intelligence Club.

“My goal with this club is to bring more awareness about AI, not just how to use it, but how it works, so we can all use it more ethically and mindfully,” she said.