Kobzar Named Gates-Cambridge Scholar
Svitlana Kobzar, a 2003 Alma College graduate from Kiev, Ukraine, has been selected as a 2005 Gates-Cambridge Scholar.
As one of approximately 100 students from around the world to win the scholarship, she can attend England's prestigious Cambridge University on a full scholarship that includes room and board, an annual maintenance allowance of $14,000 and study-related travel expenses totaling $3,000.
Kobzar intends to pursue a Ph.D. focusing on Ukraine and expansion of the European Union. She is working on her Master of Arts degree at Cambridge and had the enthusiastic support of her advisor in her application process.
In her scholarship interview, she addressed her commitment to bettering the lives of her countrymen and her experience in acting as a "change agent," particularly her role in founding the Forgotten Children of Eastern Europe (FCEE). While at Alma College, Kobzar created FCEE as a nonprofit organization to support orphans in the Veselka orphanage in a small Ukrainian village in Chernobyl Zone #4 near Kobzar’s hometown.
Kobzar's scholarship is the second Gates-Cambridge in the award's short history, established in 2000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This year, Alma students have won Gates-Cambridge, Marshall and Truman scholarships and three Fulbright Scholarships worth approximately $400,000. In the last six years, 25 students have earned nationally competitive scholarships worth approximately $1,025,000.
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Posted: Thu, June 9th, 2005 at 5:20PM
