TWG Fellowship Fund Report
May 29, 2009
Tanya Kramska, Fellowship Fund Chair

As it has for nearly 20 years, the TWG Fellowship Fund this year continued an ongoing tradition of promoting Ukrainian academic pursuits here in the Washington, DC area. 

For 13 years in a row, the TWG Fellowship Fund placed an intern at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington, DC.  The 2008-2009 TWG Embassy Intern is Tatyana Podobinska, who is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Leipzig (Germany) and Vienna (Austria) Universities majoring in Global Studies.  Tatyana is a recipient of the Erasmus Mundus Program, sponsored by the European Parliament.  Tatyana was born in Rivne, Ukraine and graduated from Volyn’ National University, Lutsk, Ukraine, majoring in International Relations.  During her studies, she was selected to participate for one year in an exchange program in the United States.  There she studied at the Utica College, Syracuse University, NY, majoring in International Studies.  Currently Tatyana is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Leipzig (Germany) and Vienna (Austria) Universities majoring in Global Studies.  Tatyana has both academic and work experience.  Tatyana has been actively involved in the work of Ukrainian NGOs, managing social, media and cultural projects.  Working with the international missions to Ukraine, she learned about the work of international organizations and missions and their contribution to the democratic development of the country.  Her latest experience in a consulting company opened an opportunity to learn about government and public relations.  Tatyana worked as an intern in February 2009, and had an opportunity to attend numerous high level diplomatic meetings, prepare memoranda, reporting directly to the First Secretary of the Ukrainian Embassy.  Tatyana was selected among 13 candidates that applied for the internship program in May 2008.  Applications were received from current students and graduates of the following universities:

• Strayer University in Washington DC
• University of Minnesota in Minneapolis
• State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, New York
• Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York
• University of Maryland, College Park
• Odessa National Polytechnic University, Ukraine
• European University, Lviv, Ukraine
• European University
• Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine
• Cherkasy State Technological University, Ukraine
• Institute of Political Sciences (Sciences Po Paris), Paris, France
• University of Toronto, Canada

Among the applicants, two students had already graduated, three were pursuing their graduate degrees, and the rest were pursuing undergraduate degrees in a variety of disciplines, ranging from international relations and political science to business and linguistics.