Talents for Ukraine by KSE Foundation supports talented Ukrainians who realize themselves in various fields, particularly in education, culture, and heritage preservation. This week’s winners include a teacher developing STEM education for children, an orientalist and translator, and a researcher of traditional beekeeping.
Tetiana Krasnyanska is a senior-category teacher of Computer Science and Mathematics who integrates modern STEM and digital approaches into education. She is a co-founder of the RoboCode Children’s Robotics Club, which provides students in the local community with access to hands-on STEM education. The initiative was established as a social educational project and implemented through crowdfunding. Students work with LEGO WeDo, Mindstorms EV3, and Minecraft, develop their own robotics and STEM projects, participate in Olympiads and competitions, and cultivate an interest in IT-related fields as a future career.
“Not all of us can do great things, but each of us can do small things with great love,” Tetyana says.
Svitlana Pryzynchuk is an orientalist, translator, and founder of Safran, the first Oriental Studies publishing house in Ukraine. Through Safran, she initiated the first Ukrainian translations of Chinese classics, including the treatises Zhuangzi and The Classic of Tea. Svitlana studied in China at Nankai University and Beijing Normal University. After returning to Ukraine, she founded Safran to develop Ukrainian Oriental Studies and expand Ukrainian readers’ access to books from and about Asia. The publishing house produces translations and research works and fosters cultural dialogue between Ukraine and the East.
“The qualities I value most in people are sincerity, simplicity, and responsibility,” Svitlana notes.
Maksym Firsov is a beekeeper and researcher of traditional forest beekeeping (bortnytsvo), and the head of the NGO “Beekeepers of Ukraine,” which is dedicated to the study and promotion of this ancient craft. Thanks to his efforts, bortnytsvo has been included in the National Inventory of Elements of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine. He is the initiator of the “Bortnyk Homestead” project, where he organizes cultural and educational events, lectures, and workshops on mead-making, candle-making, and the construction of log hives. Maxim works on reviving traditional practices, studies historical sources, and promotes Ukrainian cultural heritage to a wide audience.
“Life is both simple and complex at the same time, and only you decide which path to take,” Maksym emphasizes.
More about the Talents For Ukraine winners
