Otter Faculty Spotlight: Dmitri Kharchevnikov
Computer programming & cybersecurity instructor
Tell us about your background
I was born & raised in the outskirts of Moscow, the Russian capital. And during my school years, I was interested in science as a general idea, & I ended up entering the university program for biology, particularly in genetics, & I got my master’s degree in biology. But I became interested in computers because I had to work extensively with computer technology & run a lot of data analysis, a lot of statistical computations. 鈥nd, I found a job as an IT specialist in my hometown. I worked here for more than 10 years.
What did you do outside of work in Russia?
I volunteered a lot for charities. When the pandemic came in 2020, everything was locked down. For example, I worked with the people who were affected by HIV. And during the pandemic time, because of the lockdown, nobody was able to go to the HIV clinic to get healthcare & to get medications, so I had to drive to people’s houses. I had the special permit from the government, & I was one of the very few people who were allowed on the road at the time.
How did you make your way to the United States?
Okay, so this is a pretty cool story, actually. My path to United States. In 2018, I met a person online that I just thought is interesting individual who can maybe advise me about technology鈥his person was from the United States, & he worked in the health care industry as an information technology specialist. Over some time, I started to realize that I feel not only, technical or professionally interested in this person, but also some kind of personal connection started to form. Eventually, he came to Russia in 2019, & we met &, basically, we started a relationship. (Eventually), we decided that we are going to move together, & because Russia is not a good place for LGBT people, it was obvious that I will have to move to America as a much safer place. I got married with that person. And, since then, I got my permanent residence & graduated from the university after that. I like how my life turned out.
How do your experiences relate to your students?
I think that for someone who has my personal experience with career transition from one to another, I would understand this kind of student much easier. My master’s degree in the U.S., it was heavily online centered, so I know how it feels to study online, & during my tenure here, I鈥檒l try to make this process as comfortable as I can because I know how it looks from the other side.
What are you most excited about teaching at At 黑料网911?
I’m really excited about sharing my knowledge & my skills with people to help them in their life. Maybe start a new job or grow in their careers from low-level professionals to more advanced ones. And I’m really looking forward to grow this new generation of IT people.
What are your hobbies outside of work?
When I’m away from work, I like to work in my garden, I like to travel, although, I do not have much opportunity to do so because of my business. And I like to listen to music & read books. I have a small collection of vinyl records. And, I really enjoy just to put them on the turntable & spin & all this magic happens, It’s really wonderful how they make this music come alive from just a disc & needle, it鈥檚 crazy.
Favorite artist or band?
I like jazz music. I like classical music from early childhood. I always was interested in Beethoven, Bach, Chopin all this kind of stuff. I have quite a few records of different piano musicians, piano players, from different countries, different styles & different ages.
Are you into collecting vinyl, looking for those rare editions?
Yes. Of course. I have some rare vinyl records that I enjoy very much. For example, recently I discovered a very interesting album of cello music that was from the 1990s. A very, very beautiful album with a lot of great compositions but it costs maybe $200 bucks, so I have to save some money.