On Nov. 21, Ukraine Global Scholars convened its third annual event, presenting its accomplishments in 2020 and looking forward to future successes. Ukraine Global Scholars is a U.S.-based non-profit organization, established to assist Ukrainian students in getting an education at some of the world’s best boarding schools and universities in the U.S. and around the world. The event was led by Julia Lemesh, president of Ukraine Global Scholars.
The Kyiv Post was the official media partner to the event, supporting a project which helps promote a global Ukraine.
Originally established by Ukrainian alumni of leading American universities such as Harvard and Pennsylvania University, the organization helps Ukrainian high school students to kick start their international careers. The organization prepares students for Western entry exams, providing them with financial aid, scholarships, guidance and networking.
The program hopes to achieve what it describes as a ripple effect. First, it selects and mentors 50 Ukrainian students annually, helping them to receive full scholarship to boarding schools in the U.S. Then, it helps these students to thrive and achieve full scholarships to prestigious universities. From university, UGS places Ukrainian students into various internships in Ukraine. The result is the development of highly educated and highly motivated community leaders, who go on to set up their own entrepreneurial ventures in Ukraine. Through the efforts of this non-profit, Ukrainian youth are encouraged to improve the development of Ukraine through innovation and community-driven leadership.
The program continues to grow annually. Since 2019, the cohort of selected applicants has doubled. UGS primarily places Ukrainian students in American schools and universities, but has now branched out to place top Ukrainian students in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Canada, and others. Students pledge to return to Ukraine within five years of college graduation, so that they can help participate in the development of Ukraine.
The focus of UGS event was to highlight the accomplishments of former UGS alumni, hearing about the ventures that they went on to establish and the community of professionals which had developed around the organization.
For the UGS program, the numbers speak for themselves. For the 2020 cohort, students achieved an average SAT score of 1402, placing students in the program in the top 5% of all students in America. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 50 UGS students completed internships at leading Ukraine-based companies and 12 new student mentors joined the project.
Yuliya Sychikova, co-founder of Ukraine Global Scholars, was proud to announce that the program had received 750 applications this year from every oblast of Ukraine, including the occupied territories of Crimea, Luhansk, and Donetsk. This was 200 more applications than last year. The program remains highly selective, with only a 7% acceptance rate for new students.
Applications for next year’s program will begin in January.
UGS had exceeded all expectations this year. They boast a 75% acceptance rate at 11 different private boarding schools in the U.S., and ensured 20 college acceptances including $7 million of full scholarships. Ukrainian students went on to reputable universities such as Dartmouth, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, MIT and others.
For UGS’ internship program, 50 UGS alumni found summer internships working in government agencies such as the Verkhovna Rada and USAID, social enterprises such as Amnesty International, and in tech and products and services. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of placements jumped from 18 to 50 students in the span of one year.
UGS Student Ventures
In a presentation, potential investors and students heard from some of the program’s many success stories. Three former alumni shared their innovative companies that they had launched thanks to the guidance and education supplied to them by the non-profit organization.
Thanks to UGS, Salome Mikadze, a student at Georgetown University, has gone on to set up her own company – Movadex.com. Movadex is a vibrant new software development and design agency which offers IT consulting and development services. In a short amount of time the company has already made waves, not just in Ukraine, but also internationally.
Having worked on over 85 different projects in more than 20 countries, Mikadze business is thriving. She has recently completed projects for McDonalds and Pandora, and is currently developing a mobile payment application for the Kyiv Subway system. She has also found work with the government of the United Arab Emirates, creating a human resources application for the department of labor.
PrivacySpy.org, launched by Stanford student Igor Barakaiev, is changing how consumers think about web privacy. Privacy Spy rates the privacy policies of different social networks and websites. The open-source project provides a free tool which allows users to grade and monitor privacy policies. The project has received the backing of Politiwatch, an influential American not-for-profit. Barakaiev’s tool has been written about by the New York Times and other media outlets.
UGS alumni have also gone on to form organizations that help other Ukrainian students. Artem Laptiev and Tonia Zakorchemna are the creators behind Mavka.org. Their company aims to help Ukrainian students study and prepare for Ukrainian exams. They supply personalized studying materials and study plans to help Ukrainian who cannot afford to pay for a private tutor for important exams. Their company places an emphasis on community and mutual support, similar to the values that they have learned in the UGS initiative.
William B. Taylor and other guests
Ukraine Global Scholars has achieved the endorsement of several influential global figures. William B. Taylor, Vice President of Strategic Stability and Security at the U.S Institute of Peace, former U.S ambassador to Ukraine for 2006-2009, and chargé d’affaires for Ukraine in 2019-2020, has been an advisor to UGS since March 2019. Taylor has been a vocal voice on the world stage for Ukraine for the last decade.
In a speech delivered to UGS students and alumni, he stated: “Let me say how impressed I am with UGS. It’s the best of Ukraine, it’s the best of people…It’s mutual support, just some of the projects we’ve seen… like Mavka… it’s all about mutual support and helping people. It’s focused on the next generation which is everybody’s great hope. A great hope for Ukraine and also the United States and for the world.”
The former ambassador commended the community spirit of UGS and its ability to propel students into schools and projects all around the world.
William B Taylor Jr. served as the US ambassador to Ukraine between 2006 and 2009. During the impeachment proceedings of President Donald J Trump, Taylor testified that the former President had attempted to solicit a political quid pro quo. (Courtesy)
To close the event, the Ukraine Global Scholars team were pleased to welcome leading business expert Adrian Slywotzkty. Of Ukrainian origin, Slywotzky was named as a partner at Oliver Wyman, one of the top 25 consultants in the world. He also featured in the Times’ Top 50 business thinkers in the world and is the author of the bestseller “The Profit Zone.”
“I was personally blown away by the presentations,” Slywotzkty stated. He also stressed the potential for UGS to continue to grow and thrive in Ukraine. Working alongside the project, he said that the goal was now to maybe expand to an annual cohort of around 80 students.
With greater investment, the project could encourage greater English-langauge education in Ukraine and support extracurricular success and participation in academic competitions. He viewed investment in UGS as a huge potential for Ukraine and noted that the three companies presented in the presentation were merely the tip of the iceberg in the success of UGS. The Ukraine Global Scholars initiative is actively seeking new donors and investors in their programme. For more information, or to make a donation to the project, visit the UGS website at www.ukraineglobalscholars.org, or visit their Facebook page.
