UNA awards scholarships for 2022-2023 academic year

by UNA | 2022 2, Sep | Announcements, Educational, News, Social Media

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – The Ukrainian National Association (UNA) has a decades-long record of assisting students in their pursuit of higher education. In keeping with that tradition, the UNA Scholarship Committee met virtually on June 24 to review all applications for scholarships and awards for the 2022-2023 academic year.

There was a total of 43 applicants from 21 different branches. Once again, the credentials of applicants were truly exceptional, with a number of students applying for more than one scholarship for which they were eligible.

The special scholarships awarded by the UNA include the following for undergraduate students: the Joseph and Dora Galandiuk Scholarship ($2,000) for students of accounting or the sciences; the Dmytro and Slava Jarosewycz Memorial Scholarship ($1,000) for students excelling in their studies; the Stefan Hawrysz Scholarship ($1,000) for students from one of the UNA Philadelphia District’s branches; the Vera Stangl Scholarship ($750) for students of journalism or nature/wildlife; the Joseph Wolk Scholarship ($750) for students of Lemko heritage; and the Ukrainian National Home Corp. of Blackstone, Mass., scholarship ($500) for students from New England branches of the UNA.

This year benefactors funded two new scholarships: the Maria and Taras Slevinsky Scholarship ($1,000) for students majoring in nursing; and the Danylo Andrii Demidenko Scholarship ($500) for students in the medical field.

The UNA is grateful for the continued support of all benefactors who fund scholarships for our community’s students.

If you or your organization is interested in sponsoring a UNA scholarship, please contact Eugene Serba of the UNA Corporate Board of Directors at 856-904-4161. The UNA will process, evaluate and handle administration of the scholarship you fund based on criteria you establish.

In addition to the aforementioned special scholarships, the UNA sponsors UNA Heritage Scholarships of $1,000 each for undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in full- or part-time programs. These scholarships – which recognize academic achievement and community involvement – were established in 2019 to coincide with the UNA’s 125th anniversary.

This year, the Heritage Scholarships were the most competitive with 30 applications for the five available scholarships.

We are pleased to announce the following recipients of special scholarships for 2022-2023:

• Galandiuk Scholarship – Kyril Yurchuk, Branch 70, The Cooper Union;

• Jarosewycz Scholarship – Paul Williams, Branch 37, Wake Forest University;

• Hawrysz Scholarship – Philip Szeremeta, Branch 173, University of Colorado, Boulder;

• Stangl Scholarship – Roman Hladio, Branch 161, Allegheny College;

• Wolk Scholarship – Alexander Swiatkiwsky, Branch 360, SUNY Buffalo;

• Blackstone Scholarship – Mark Rokycky, Branch 277, University of Connecticut;

• Slevinsky Scholarship – Amanda Godfrey, Branch 142, JFK Muhlenburg;

• Demidenko Scholarship – Natalia Skyba, Branch 399, Dominican University.

UNA Heritage Scholarship recipients for 2022-2023 are:

• Nina Gillespie, Branch 399, University of Pittsburgh;

• Anna Kosachevich, Branch 269, New York University;

• Michael Kulycky, Branch 465, McGill University;

• Danylo Leschyshyn, Branch 367, University of Toronto; and

• Olena Mykhaylyshyn, Branch 42, Rider University.

Congratulations to all scholarship recipients!

It is notable that the 13 students who received these scholarships represent 12 different UNA branches and are pursuing studies at 13 different universities or colleges.

In addition to the special scholarships, the UNA gave out monetary awards to undergraduate students based on their year of academic study. Congratulations to all award recipients!

In order to apply for a UNA scholarship or award, a student must have a current UNA insurance policy with a minimum value of $5,000 (term policies excluded). The most common policies are Endowment at Age 18 and 20-Year Endowment. These policies are usually purchased for children by their parents, grandparents, or aunts, or uncles.

To learn more about the UNA’s scholarship program, readers may go to: https://unainc.org/benefits/scholarships/.

Notably, the UNA offers another option for funding higher education: the Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA). In a Coverdell account, $2,000 per year may be deposited into an account with tax-free growth, provided that funds are withdrawn for education at any level.

For more information about UNA insurance, endowments, ESAs, annuities and IRAs, readers are advised to contact their branch secretary or the UNA directly at 800-253-9862.

Eugene Serba, MBA, serves on the UNA Corporate Board of Directors and chairs the Scholarship Committee of the UNA.