Mariupol State University to help war veterans
The public orientation of Mariupol State University involves not only the personal development of community representatives but also caring for the defenders of the unconquered country.
To discuss such initiatives, the university’s front office was visited by an American delegation – President & CEO of America’s Warrior Partnership Jim Lorraine, Chief of Programs and Initiatives Cheree Tham. They were joined by good friends and partners – Ksenia Sukhova, Director of the Heart of Azovstal NGO, and Tetiana Kukhotska, Head of Social Projects at System Capital Management.
Rector Mykola Trofymenko, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs Tetiana Marena, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs and Youth Policy Yuliia Demydova, Vice-Rector for Economic Affairs and Chief Accountant Anzhelika Doshchyk, and Director of the Center for International Education Iryna Sikorska welcomed the guests on behalf of the community. The defenders of Ukraine – Sergey Yarovoy, a graduate of Mariupol State University and a specialist in the educational and methodological department, and Bohdan Zarytsky, a war veteran who entered Mariupol University thanks to the Heart of Azovstal project – also joined the meeting.
Rector Mykola Trofymenko told the America’s Warrior Partnership representatives about the path MSU has taken in the face of temporary displacement: rebranding, a course towards a new destination, digitalisation, internationalisation and, most importantly, preserving the identity of the Mariupol community.
For two years now, “Azovstal Heart” has been assisting the defenders of Mariupol and their families. With many ideas, the NGO will team up with a Mariupol university to implement one of its projects.
The defenders shared their experiences and noted that having lived through the war, socialisation and self-realisation became the most important things for them, as they needed to learn everything anew. In their turn, Jim and Sheri spoke about successful cases of assistance to veterans in the United States. Impressed by the resilience of the MSU family, the American guests expressed their support for the efforts to help Ukrainian soldiers.
