Ivey Business School nearing conclusion of program that brought Ukrainians to London Ont. – London | 24CA News
While the circumstances for coming to Western University’s business college should not what Oksana Kosendiak might have presumably imagined, each she and the school say a particular tutorial program has been a tremendous expertise over the previous 10 months.
Kosendiak is one in all 10 Ukrainian college college students that got here from Ukraine to the Ivey Business School by way of the Ivey MBA Ukrainian Student Academic Shelter Program over the previous yr. The distinctive program was created in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Now that this system is wrapping up with the conclusion of the winter time period later this month, Kosendiak says the time spent in London, Ont. has been a “life-changing experience.”
“I feel like I’ve gained a lot of knowledge and experience I can use in the future in rebuilding Ukraine,” Kosendiak informed Global News.
Kosendiak first arrived with 5 different Ukrainian college students final May, with the 4 different college students becoming a member of later in 2022. The post-graduate college students have been chosen by way of pre-existing relationships Ivey has with two Ukrainian universities: Lviv Business School of Ukrainian Catholic University and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Adam Fremeth, an affiliate professor and the MBA program director at Ivey, says the educational shelter program was profitable from their perspective in providing the scholars a spot to proceed their research.
“That’s really job number one, ensuring that these students are going to be able to succeed academically and hopefully purse their professional and personal goals despite the war that continues to persist in Ukraine,” mentioned Fremeth.
As a part of the particular program, the Ukrainian college students had entry to free tuition for a yr plus housing, studying supplies and a month-to-month stipend to pay for meals. But whereas most of the worries a scholar has outdoors of sophistication have been assisted with, Fremeth says contained in the classroom, the Ukrainians have been handled the identical as different college students.
“The MBA students in the current cohort welcomed them with open arms and really brought them in like any other student would come into the program,” mentioned Fremeth.
While leaving her household and coming to Canada for a yr was not a simple choice, Kosendiak says she is glad she took the chance to review at Ivey.
“The studying at Ivey is really tough but really interesting,” mentioned Kosendiak, who comes from a human sources background and is engaged on a grasp’s diploma in human sources and organizational growth from Lviv Business School.
“I feel like I grew not only as a professional, but as a person as well.”
Even within the 10 months he has recognized a lot of the visiting college students, Fremeth says he has seen the Ukrainians embrace Canadian tradition whereas nonetheless caring deeply about what is going on to their homeland.
“They are a great group of students and I’m really looking forward to seeing the success they have moving forward,” added Fremeth
While a number of the college students who got here through the educational shelter program might be staying in Canada by way of the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel program, Kosendiak might be returning dwelling on the finish of the time period.
“I feel like I owe it to Ukraine to come back and help to rebuild it,” mentioned Kosendiak. “I will do volunteering and whatever I can to help Ukraine win the war.”
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
