Kristofers Krumins, a 21-year-old freshman from Latvia, found an unusual way to stay connected to his home country this fall. He voted in the Latvian elections.

“Before I came to Neumann, I was not aware that there was a place nearby where I could vote,” he explains. “It was a pleasant surprise. Professor Janis Chakars reached out to me as soon as I was recruited, told me about the Latvian Society of Philadelphia, and I joined.”

Chakars has Latvian roots and is board president of the society, which operates election day polling stations for Latvian citizens in the Philadelphia area.

Krumins admits that he didn’t follow politics until he learned that he could vote this year. “This was my first opportunity. I had a discussion about the elections with my family, who are in Latvia, and did research on my own.”

Regarding the issues that influenced his vote, the cybersecurity major and member of the men’s ice hockey team revealed only that “I found the party that matched my values most closely.”

Krumins has been in the U.S. for six years. “In 2020, we were going through a tough period with Covid, and there wasn’t a lot of hockey going on in Latvia or travel for hockey around Europe,” he recalls. “My advisor suggested that I go to the United States to get exposure.”

After playing on youth teams and a few years of junior hockey, “Neumann caught my eye, and I came to the conclusion that this would be a great spot for me.”

Chakars’ warm welcome and invitation to vote solidified Krumins’ decision. “It’s something that brought me closer to home.”