With the passion to assist the future of young Ukrainians, Tetiana is bringing educational mentorship to those affected by the war.

Tetiana studied law at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Currently, she is a graduate student of Human Rights at Columbia University. Her main interests lie in the issues of social inequality, human rights in the context of war, and Russian education policies in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Her current research focuses on the obligation of the occupying power to ensure the right to water in the occupied territory.

In the past years, Tetiana has engaged in and organized multiple social action projects, including “Mentorpoint”, the first mentorship programme in Ukraine for young people who have had to move from the temporarily occupied territory in Eastern Ukraine. She has also conducted research on teenagers from Donbas entering universities during the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine.

Tetiana participated in the Harvard Kennedy School’s mentorship programme, Women’s Network Ukraine, the Boris Nemtsov School of Journalism and Sociocultural studies, and the Second Ukrainian Women’s Congress. Also, she was engaged in the project  Antibiotics are not Candies, which was given second place in the camp “YOU Camp – Youth, Opportunities, Unity” and granted financial support for its implementation. Tanya is an ambassador of the global campaign Girl2LeaderUkraine.  She has also received scholarships from the Victor Pinchuk Foundation’s “Zavtra.UA” program and the Columbia University Scholarship for Displaced Students (CUSDS).

Tetiana ’s life has been influenced by Russian military aggression since childhood. She is now writing a book detailing her personal experience growing up amidst the armed conflict in Eastern Ukraine in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“My own difficulties and challenges have inspired me to help other people,” Tetiana said. “I believe that young people who want to start their adult life outside of Ukraine need to have the opportunity to go out, to study, and to actually recover.”

“Thus, the mentorship programme “Mentor Ukraine” connects young Ukrainians with students from top-rated universities who inspire and empower them. Mentors meet online with Ukrainian mentees to help them to apply for colleges in the USA, write personal statements and CVs, improve their English, and tackle the problems created by the war. Also, mentors invite young Ukrainians to network events and share professional information related to education, internships, and personal development. The mission of the programme, and therefore my fellowship, is to contribute to the creation of a new generation of Ukrainians who will play an integral part in Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction.” – Tetiana KOTELNYKOVA