We are excited to introduce the winners of the Talents for Ukraine grant program by the KSE Foundation! They care for nature, promote science among children, study the past to better understand the present, and carry forward artistic traditions. Their stories show that Ukrainian initiative and talent truly know no bounds.
⭐️Vasylina Strus is a zoologist, conservationist, and PhD holder in Biology. She combines scientific research with community engagement. At the Roztochia Nature Reserve, she promotes biodiversity through educational projects for children. Her initiative, “Children’s Voices for Biodiversity”, blends scientific monitoring, digital technologies, and emotional engagement, transforming schoolchildren into active agents of change. Vasylyna believes her work contributes to fostering a new ecological awareness in Ukraine.
“The most important things in life can be taken with you, holding someone’s hand. Everything else doesn’t matter as much,” Vasylina notes.
⭐️Leonid Horobets is a Doctor of Biological Sciences and a researcher. At the National Museum of Natural History of the NAS of Ukraine, he studies bird bones from archaeological and paleontological sites to uncover the impact of climate change on fauna and the role of birds in the culture and economy of past eras. In addition to his scientific work, Leonid is the coauthor of school textbooks and a teacher at the democratic school “Maybutni”. He popularizes science through books, articles, and his blog “Stromata”, where he writes about nature.
“I value honesty in people, especially honest self-assessment,” Leonid emphasizes.
⭐️Olena Zaretska is an artist, designer, and the founder and director of the Alla Horska and Viktor Zaretskyi Charitable Foundation. She continues the legacy of her grandmother and grandfather, prominent Sixtiers artists, through contemporary art and educational projects. Under her leadership, the foundation organizes exhibitions, educational programs, documentary projects, and restoration campaigns, promoting Ukrainian art and the values of the Sixtiers generation.
“Every action has a reason, and everything that happens is a life lesson,” Olena comments.
More about the Talents For Ukraine winners
