UNA awards scholarships for 2022-2023 academic year

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.

Students encouraged to apply for UNA scholarships for 2022-2023

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Each year, the Ukrainian National Association (UNA) offers special scholarships and monetary awards for its student members who are enrolled in colleges and universities. The deadline for applications for the 2022-2023 academic year is June 1, 2022, and the UNA encourages its student members to take advantage of this very important fraternal benefit.

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UNA announces scholarship winners for 2021-2022 academic year

PHILADELPHIA – The Ukrainian National Association (UNA) has a long-standing tradition of assisting students in their pursuit of higher education. Despite the continuing challenges of the coronavirus, the UNA continued that tradition in 2021. The UNA Scholarship Committee met virtually on June 22 to review all applications for scholarships and awards.
There was a total of 44 applicants from 23 different UNA branches. The number and quality of applicants this year 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:
– Joseph and Dora Galandiuk Scholarship ($2,000) for students in sciences or accounting
– Drs. Maria, Dmytro, and Olha Jarosewycz Scholarship ($1,000) for students excelling in their studies
– Vera Stangl Scholarship ($750) for students studying journalism or nature/ wildlife
– Joseph Wolk Scholarship ($750) for students of Lemko heritage
– Ukrainian National Home Corp. of Blackstone, Mass., Scholarships ($500 each) for students from UNA New England branches
– Stefan Hawrysz Scholarship ($750) for students from one of the UNA’s Philadelphia District branches. This scholarship was created in 2021 by the Philadelphia District of the UNA.

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First UNA Heritage Scholarships awarded to five students

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – In 2019 – during its 125th jubilee year – the Ukrainian National Association established the UNA Heritage Scholarships in order to underscore the UNA’s longstanding role in the Ukrainian community.

Five scholarships were awarded by the UNA Scholarship Committee for the 2019-2020 academic year. The students chosen were recognized for their academic achievements and Ukrainian community involvement.

Both undergraduate and graduate students, enrolled full- or part-time in colleges and universities in the United States and Canada, are eligible for the new scholarships. Applicants must be UNA members for at least two years (as of the deadline for submission of applications, in this case, September 1, 2019) and must have a life insurance policy of at least $5,000 (Term Life policies are excluded).

The announcement of this new fraternal benefit appeared in the UNA’s recent summertime mailing to all its members, and applications were available by calling the UNA Home Office or visiting the UNA website.

The UNA Scholarship Committee announced the following as recipients of the 2019 UNA Heritage Scholarships.

  • Chloe Diakiwsky (UNA Branch 161) of Ambridge Pa., has a passion for music and the arts, and is a sophomore studying at Berklee College of Music. She is very active in various projects and programs of the youth group at Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church and helped raise funds for her church’s Bell Tower Restoration Project. She is also an acolyte at her parish.
  • Mark Kachai (UNA Branch 171) of Pittsgrove, N.J., is a sophomore studying biology at Rowan University. He is interested in medicine and helped coordinate a relief effort that sent medical and surgical supplies for injured soldiers and civilians in eastern Ukraine. He is active in Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization and is a volunteer with the Ukrainian Federation of America.
  • Alexa Kolakoski (UNA Branch 362) of Pittstown, N.J., is majoring in biology at Northeastern University. Her goal is to become a doctor of veterinary medicine. She attended Roma Pryma Bohachevsky Ukrainian Dance Camp at Soyuzivka for six years and was a student of the Iskra Ukrainian Dance Academy for 13 years. At Northeastern, she is a member of the Ukrainian Cultural Club.
  • Michael Kulycky (UNA Branch 465) of Dorval, Quebec, is a freshman at Marianopolis College, where he is majoring in pure and applied science. A member of the Ukrainian Youth Association, he has worked as a life guard and counselor at the organization’s Veselka camp. He is also a member of the Troyanda dance ensemble and recently formed a Ukrainian dance band called Chaban i Vovk.
  • Gregory Serba (UNA Branch 173) of Philadelphia is studying toward his M.B.A. in finance at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, while working full-time as a software implementation consultant. For many years, he was a tennis player and counselor at Soyuzivka Heritage Center’s Tennis Camp. As the grandson of an UPA member, he is involved in the work of the Society of Veterans of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in the U.S.A.

The UNA has a long history of supporting students in their academic studies, and the first scholarships were small stipends awarded to promising students to help them attain a better future. A formal scholarship program for student members was established in 1964.

Earlier this year, the UNA announced the recipients of its regular scholarships and student awards for 2019-2020. Special sections featuring the students recognized by the UNA’s scholarship program appeared in September in both The Ukrainian Weekly and Svoboda.

More information about UNA Heritage Scholarships may be obtained by calling the UNA’s Fraternal Department at 800-253-9862, ext. 3035. Updated information for the 2020-2021 academic year will appear in the “Our Benefits” section of the UNA website at unainc.org.

In addition to scholarships, the UNA offers a number of options for both parents and grandparents to assist with handling the cost of higher education for their children. Most popular are endowment policies that provide insurance protection and at maturity allow students to use the funds for college expenses. In addition, the UNA offers a Coverdell Education Savings Account that allows up to $2,000 per year to be placed in an account that will grow tax free. Withdrawals from the account can be made up to age 30 for a student’s qualified educational expenses.