2006 Internship at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, DC sponsored by the Washington Group Fellowship Fund

Every summer, The Washington Group’s Fellowship Fund sponsors an intern at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington, DC. This year’s TWG Embassy Internship program attracted a number of highly qualified applicants. After reviewing several highly qualified candidates, the Ukrainian Embassy chose Bohdan Bondarenko to serve as the 2006 TWG Ukrainian Embassy Intern.

Born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Bohdan received a degree in international relations from the Institute for Oriental Studies and International relations. After graduation, Bohdan worked for 2 years in the Parliament of Ukraine – Verkhovna Rada – as a assistant to the Head of the Special Control Commission on Privatization in Ukraine.

Bohdan moved to Germany, where he learned German and eventually enrolled with Humboldt University in Berlin studying computer science. Currently, Bohdan is a graduate student at the Berlin School of Economics in Germany. He expects to graduate this fall with a Master of Arts degree in International Economics. In Berlin, Bohdan is actively involved in student activities, having co-founded the Berlin branch of the Union of Ukrainian Students in Germany, which organizes and coordinates student activities in the German capital.

Bohdan has recently completed an internship in the German Parliament on the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The field of international relation is a high priority in Bohdan’s career planning. Having absorbed the finest traditions of European and in particular German foreign policy making practices, he is thankful to have been an asset at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington.

“We really appreciate cooperation with The Washington Group” said Ms. Nataliia Holub, Second Secretary in the Cultural, Information & Press Office of the Embassy. “The benefit from the Summer Internship Program for the Embassy is significant. Although the Ukrainian embassy in Washington, DC is one of the biggest Ukrainian representations abroad, we could always use a helping hand, especially considering the high level of educational and professional background demonstrated by TWG interns”.

According to Bohdan, “I came to the Embassy with the goal to make some important decisions as to the future of my professional career. This particular internship fulfilled all of my expectations. I highly recommend the internship for any student seeking a chance to look behind the scenes of foreign policy making. I do hope future interns will share my enthusiasm towards the summer internship program of TWG”.

Mr. Bondarenko’s enthusiasm was demonstrated by seeking out the internship while in Germany, contacting the Ukrainian Embassy there for a networking interview, and being strongly motivated to come to Washington, on his own dime if needed, for this internship. All of this contributed to his selection.

Since, 1996, the Washington Group’s Fellowship Fund has sponsored 11 interns at the Embassy of Ukraine at a cost of $16,500. Since its inception in 1987, the TWG Fellowship Fund has awarded over $45,000 in grants for 33 distinct projects. From 1987 to 1990, grants were awarded exclusively to Ukrainian-Americans or Canadians to conduct educational or work projects to further Ukrainian American interests, and take advantage of Washington's unique resources. In 1990, with the new opportunities presented by the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the TWG Fellowship Committee opened its Fellowship program to candidates in Ukraine and abroad.

The Fellowship Fund relies exclusively on contributions. For more information or to contribute, please contact:

FellowshipFund@TheWashingtonGroup.org, or

Fellowship Fund Director

The Washington Group
PO Box 11248
Washington, DC 20008