He graduated from the SUSU Faculty of Law in 2008, specializing in civil law. Today, Aleksey Karelin is successfully combining deputy duties with leadership of a large ski complex.
- Tell us about your education at the university.
- I had always associated SUSU with success and quality professional education, so I didn’t spend a lot of time pondering when I was choosing my university. I chose the faculty of law because jurisprudence is beneficial in practically all areas of work. I got very lucky with my group – we had great people. To this day I remember the warm and friendly relationship professors had towards students. At that time, Yuri Aronovich Okun was teacher of government history and foreign law – a great person who was able to present his subject in a clear and interesting way. Unfortunately, during one of his lectures, he began to feel bad, and soon after he passed away. After him, this subject was taught by Vitaliy Leonidovich Harlanov, a very attentive teacher. If something was not working for a student, he was always cheer us up. However, our legal teachers were always strict with us, they didn’t particularly spare us. Svetlana Vladimirovna Polyakova, who taught civil law, is a stern, but fair woman. If you didn’t study, it was impossible to pass her exam. I remember Anatoliy Petrovich Garanzh well, whose test I retook 3 times. He taught government law of foreign countries, a very difficult subject. But, nonetheless, I liked the subjects of criminal law the most even though I specialized in civil law. And, of course, I really enjoyed the practical lessons I completed in the court of arbitration. Law has helped me develop within myself analytical thought. After all, a lawyer is a person who brings together a large amount of data and then organizes and analyzes them to make concrete conclusions. Education in the Faculty of Law developed within me the desire to get to the bottom of a problem myself, so I never believe information that I receive from mass media. Before I make any decision at work, no matter what information I have, I always verify everything, study it, and analyze it.
- How did your professional life develop after graduating?
- I began working in the Rossiya movie theatre in the ChMZ in the fourth year, having been hired as an administrator. By the time of graduation, I was already the theatre director. Then, I worked in the service area at Adjigardak, one of the structures in NEP Holding. The last few years, I have been working in property management: Kaslinskiy Market, Express Shopping Center, GLK Adjigardak. Whatever position I take, the legal knowledge I received at SUSU have always helped me in one way or another. Many of my acquaintances have had to get help from lawyers to solve various issues, and I don’t have that need. I feel very comfortable, no matter if the issue is related to utilities, fees, or social structures.
- How did you become a deputy?
- I worked for two years in the social movement Sotsgorod, I was in the Council of Trustees. After this, when reforms of local self-government began to be introduced, a chance appeared to participate in elections for the Council of Deputies of the Soviet region. That’s how I became a deputy in 2014. I hold consultations for citizens in the deputy building of the administration of the Soviet region and with my constituency. I try and see residents as much as possible to keep in touch with what is happening and take part in the life of the city. Through my work I feel like a person who is needed by people. Residents and administration see improvement in our region annually. About 5-6 people come to consultations each day. We try to regularly hold meetings with courtyard residents. Edinaya Rossiya is actively developing a party program to form a modern city space and funds have been allocated towards the improvement of housing areas, so this summer there will be significant positive changes to courtyards around the city.
- What are your plans for the future?
- Right now there’s a lot of work tied to Adjigardak in terms of growing internal tourism. Annually, the number of tourists grows by 25-30 percent. In the future we plan on creating new tracks and new lifts. The federal powers have also begun helping with this resort within programs for developing monotowns by investing in infrastructure for mobile networks, sanitation, and water.
- What wishes do you have for SUSU students and graduates?
- Study as much as you can. I will honestly admit that I had to skip a few classes because of work and for other reasons. If I could turn back time I would have treated my lessons with more attention. I completely understand how, in your student years, you don’t want to study, but with time you begin to understand that skipping class is missing out on valuable knowledge – this is a big mistake. So, dear students, focus your energies on study. Believe me, all of the knowledge you gain will absolutely benefit you.