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Anna Berkovich: Biography
Anna Berkovich is an entrepreneur who started her career in business in retail book sales. She is the founder of the Alibra School network of foreign language schools and the developer of a unique educational program that helpsstudents learn a language in six months.
Early years: Family, school, sports
Anna Arkadievna Berkovich was born in Leningrad, the first childin a family of powerengineers. Later, a younger sister was born. From childhood, Berkovich Anna was exposed to education and sports. Her father had a significant influence on her personality development, spending a lot of time with his daughters, going on hikes with them, and teaching them self-defense techniques.
Anna Berkovich recalls that it was her father who helped her develop her character. He taught her to stand up for herself and inculcated in her the drive to achieve her goals.
Berkovich Anna Arkadievna studied at specialty physics and mathematics school – one of the best in Leningrad.
Anna Arkadievna Berkovich: Education
After graduating from high school, Anna Berkovich entered the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute in the Physics and Mechanics Department with a concentration in mechanical engineering and the structural analysis of mechanical equipment.
The Anna Berkovich biography saw her maintaining a family traditionwhen she graduated from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institutein 1992. This school, one of the leading technical educational institutions in the country since its founding, is now called St. Petersburg Polytechnic University. It was during her college years that the future entrepreneur met her future husband, who was attending the institute’s graduate school at the time.
Berkovich Anna: The start of her business journey
Anna Arkadievna Berkovich began her entrepreneurial activity during her first year at the institute. There were many books that were hard to find then, and she and her classmates decided to publish collections of Mandelstam’s poetry. Although this first project was unsuccessful, she gained valuable experience in building her business. Berkovich Anna later applied the skills she had learned when she organized a retail book businesstogether with her younger sister during her fourth year at the institute. Since any product was scarce in the 1990s, the books sold out very quickly. Berkovich Anna Arkadievna recalls that running her own business was a challenging task: Early every morning she had to deliver books to retail outlets, then attend classes at the institute, then return to the stores to check on the day’s productivity. This first independent business brought the sisters a good income.
Opening a foreign language school
Anna Arkadievna Berkovich also sold computers and computer parts. She has never been a hired employee at any point in her career, preferring complete independence. For her own development, she decided to learn English as best as possible, but was faced with the problem that were no schools with a clear teaching methodology with guaranteed results in the country in the 1990s.
Berkovich Anna therefore decided to go abroad for a high-quality language education, which introduced her to modern and effective methods for teaching foreign languages. Upon returning home, the Anna Berkovich biography turned towards opening her own language school. Thus began the history of the Alibra School.
Berkovich Anna Arkadievna was very focused on the effectiveness of the educational process and made sure to attract linguists who could develop their own methods for teaching foreign languages. In this new system, European standards of education were adjusted for local students. The entrepreneur opened her first language school in St. Petersburg in 2000.
Developing a network of language schools
Anna Berkovich had introduced a unique new educational program at her school by 2002, allowing students to master a foreign language at an accelerated pace – within 6-8 months, whereastraditional teaching methods take two years to produce such results. In 2002, Berkovich Anna Arkadievna opened a school in the capital, which marked the beginning of a network of schools throughout the country.
Berkovich Anna earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) in 2006, then studied at the RANEPA Graduate School of Corporate Management. That same year, she opened the first regional branches of her school in Kazan and Yekaterinburg. Since 2009, the program has included special preparatory courses for international language exams.
Anna Arkadievich Berkovich’s language school network already included 15 departments by 2011, with specialized foreign language courses for children and adults. The network continued gradually expanding its presence, and branches were opened in Chelyabinsk in 2017 and Tyumen in 2019. Since 2012, the school has offered not only traditional in-person teaching, but has also operated its own online platform, and since 2015 – its own mobile application.
The Anna Berkovich biography as an entrepreneur was closely connected with educational activities, but she eventually retired from school management and began to focus on other projects.
Berkovich Anna Arkadievna: Personal life and hobbies
Anna Berkovich is married,with two children. She enjoys mountain skiing and traveling and loves classical music and reading. She prefers spending her free time with family and friends. The Anna Berkovich biography also includes various charitable activities, and she has been donating to the Khabensky Foundation for many years now.