Three Rectors’ Scholarship went to a University of Tartu junior research fellow

Essays written in Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian earned Bridget Frances Moran-Nae, a University of Tartu Junior Research Fellow in Finno-Ugric Studies, the Three Rectors’ Scholarship. What makes the achievement particularly remarkable is that none of these three languages is her mother tongue.

In addition to the languages of the Baltic states, Bridget speaks several others. She is fluent in English, French and German – her parents are English, but she grew up in France near the German border and attended a French-German school. She also speaks Romanian and has learned Danish, Dutch, Russian and Spanish. “I have learned many languages, but language skills are never finished – there is always more to learn,” she said.

Bridget’s interest in the languages of the Baltic states began in her teenage years while watching the Eurovision Song Contest. “I remember that the Baltic states always sent very nice songs,” she recalled. After finishing school, Bridget wanted to learn a less commonly spoken language and looked for opportunities to volunteer in the Baltic states. At first, she planned to learn Estonian because she liked Traffic and Karl-Erik Taukar, but eventually found a project in Latvia. So, in 2015, at the age of 18, Bridget moved to Latvia as a volunteer and settled in the small village of Ranka in Gulbene Municipality, where hardly anyone spoke English. “I learned Latvian by talking to people – I went dancing, singing, and took part in a theatre group in Latvian,” Bridget said. According to her, the language came quickly: after just four months, when her parents came to visit, she could already interpret their conversations with the locals.

From Vienna to Tartu for doctoral studies

Bridget went to study Scandinavian studies in Vienna, but her longing for the Baltic states took her to an Erasmus exchange in Lithuania in the 2017/2018 academic year. There, she decided to challenge herself by taking the second-level Lithuanian course without first completing the beginner level. “The teacher spoke to us only in Lithuanian and never used English,” she recalled. While living in Lithuania, Bridget visited friends in Riga once a month and practised Latvian with them. At the same time, she began learning Estonian and took part in a summer school in Tallinn. When she returned to Vienna, she sang in a Lithuanian choir, attended embassy events and Lithuanian summer school, and continued learning Estonian at the university.

Then, Bridget spent three years in Romania, teaching French and English. “For almost four years, I did not speak Latvian, Lithuanian or Estonian, and I missed them very much,” she said. She began speaking Latvian again in spring 2024 while communicating with the Livonian Institute, and when she started her doctoral studies in Tartu that autumn, she once again began actively using Estonian.

Bridget is currently a Junior Research Fellow in Finno-Ugric Studies at the University of Tartu Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics. She researches language policy and the Livonian language. “I study how Livonian musicians revitalise the language: why they do what they do, what their strategies and impact are, and what role they have historically played in preserving the Livonian language,” she explained. In her research, she has interviewed musicians and observed their rehearsals and concerts.

A different topic for each language

Competition participants were required to write three essays: one in Estonian, one in Latvian and one in Lithuanian. Bridget chose a different topic for each language. In Estonian, she wrote about the University of Tartu’s role in strengthening unity among the Baltic states; in Latvian, about the Baltic states' geopolitical relations; and in Lithuanian, about learning the Baltic languages as the great adventure of her life.

Bridget said she chose the topics partly based on which language she felt most confident in. In Estonian, she very much wanted to write about a topic related to Tartu and her experience at the University of Tartu. In Latvian, she chose geopolitics to practise academic writing and reflect on a current topic, whereas in Lithuanian, she opted for something simpler and wrote about her experiences with the Baltic states. Bridget noted that she still has not formed a habit of using Lithuanian, but winning the competition has motivated her to practise more and to look for Lithuanians in Tartu with whom she can speak.

Ninth edition of the competition

The Three Rectors’ Scholarship competition was first announced in 2017 by the rectors of the University of Tartu, the University of Latvia and Vilnius University. It aims to promote the teaching and learning of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian languages and cultures. The universities award the scholarship in turns.

The next scholarship competition will be organised by the University of Tartu in the 2026/27 academic year. The amount of the scholarship is 2,000 euros, and all full-time students and international students studying at the University of Tartu, the University of Latvia or Vilnius University who know one of the Baltic languages at C1 level and the other two at least at A2 level are welcome to apply. Detailed information can be found on the webpage of the Three Rectors’ Scholarship competition.