Age: 27
Education: University of Pennsylvania
Profession: A founder of Ukraine Global Scholars; Associate at AVentures Capital Fund
Did you know? She is fascinated by Africa.
Yuliya Sychikova was 14 when she left her hometown of Berdyansk, an Azov Sea port city in Zaporizhzhya Oblast, and went to the United States for the first time. She spent one academic year studying in a high school in Iowa through the Future Leaders Exchange Program, or FLEX, a scholarship funded by the United States for high school students from Eurasia. Her exchange year influenced her so much that, upon her return, she was determined to continue her education at a U.S. university.
“The educational model in the United States was different from Ukrainian universities. I was amazed that students learned more outside the class through interaction with their peers and professors. Free discussions were welcomed, it was possible to have opinion different from that of the professor’s,” says Sychikova, who obtained her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011.
She says her foreign education changed her mindset, and after working in a startup in Boston, she decided to return to Ukraine and give something back to her homeland.
The result was Ukraine Global Scholars, a non-profit initiative founded by Sychikova and other alumni in 2015. It helps bright Ukrainian 8-11th graders enroll in the best U.S. colleges or boarding schools and receive financial aid to cover tuition and living expenses.
Selected finalists get assistance in the application process, preparation for examinations and language tests and coverage of standardized test costs. They also join a network of high-potential young leaders.
Besides criteria like excellent academic standing and good English, the Ukraine Global Scholars’ selection committee is looking for patriotism.
“The most important trait is what this young person wants to do for Ukraine or has already done for their local community,” explains Sychikova, emphasizing the importance of returning home and leading Ukraine to better prosperity.
Comparing her generation with today’s teenagers, she touts their energy, openness and absence of prejudice. They are better informed and better at making use of presentation and media tools. “We see that the number of those who want to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics is increasing. ”
In its first year of operation, Ukraine Global Scholars helped five Ukrainian teenagers get into U.S. universities and win $1.1 million in scholarship aid. This year it has 20 finalists. Sychikova is also an associate at AVentures Capital Fund and wants to help startups enter global markets. She loves ecotourism and off-the-beaten-path travel destinations. The next trip she has planned will be to Botswana.
