As the 2018-2019 academic year comes to an end, we look back at the first pilot year of Razom’s project – Bohdan Radchenko Veterans Stipend, where four veterans completed their first semester at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (KMA) in December, and are looking forward to spring semester finals. We plan that four more veterans will become recipients of the Bohdan Radchenko Veterans Stipend for the upcoming 2019-2020 academic year.
This Stipend program for Ukrainian veterans to earn master’s degrees was initiated in the summer of 2018 by non-profit organizations Razom for Ukraine, the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy Foundation, and the Institute of Gender Programs. The idea of creating such a scholarship for veterans was first discussed at a KMA charity event in Chicago earlier in May. By July 2018, the necessary funds of $12,350 for the pilot project were raised by a number of project supporters from Ukraine, the U.S. and Canada – this collaboration has made the project truly international. The program was named after Bohdan Radchenko – a Kyiv-Mohyla Academy student who volunteered to go to the front line and was killed in the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Four veterans went through a thorough application and interview process and became the first recipients of the stipends. The program covers tuition for a master’s degree, and provides a monthly academic stipend of 1,300 UAH. Even though the project participants can apply for any master’s program of their choice, all four of them chose to pursue their academic careers with degrees in the “Public Administration” specialization. Last December, all participants successfully passed their first finals with an average score of 81 out of 100.
Who is eligible to become a Bohdan Radchenko Veterans Stipend recipient:
A veteran (male or female), who
- has an official combat veteran status or his/her participation can be confirmed by two other war action participants;
- has not previously received any similar stipend or governmental support for education;
- is successfully admitted to a master’s program on a contract basis;
- does not have a master’s degree or has a diploma received no less than 5 years ago.
Stipend recipients are required to work in an industry connected with the specialization of their master’s degrees for at least a year after graduation.
The project’s plans for the academic year 2019-2020 include:
- Providing four more stipends for Ukrainian veterans to gain master’s degrees;
- Granting veterans the opportunity to choose any of master’s programs in two more universities beside KMA – Ukrainian Catholic University and Kyiv Economy School;
- Raising $13,600 to cover tuition and additional stipends for the two-year master’s program for the new participants.
If you have any questions or suggestions please write the project lead Lyuba Shipovich at lyuba@razomforukraine.org
Please donate to the project to support Ukrainian veterans and their drive for a better future.
