The Washington Group's Fellowship Fund supports intern for Ukraine's Embassy (10/26/03)

The Washington Group's Fellowship Fund supports intern for Ukraine's Embassy

by Michael Drabyk

WASHINGTON - The Washington Group Fellowship Fund received 22 applications this year for its eighth annual internship at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. Roman Didenko, a recent graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) was selected from this group as the 2003 Summer Intern. He received a $1,500 stipend for his work.

Mr. Didenko majored in international economics and is fluent in four languages - Ukrainian, English, Russian, and Italian. He studied at Johns Hopkins/SAIS in both Washington and Bologna, Italy. Before that, he worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation's media monitoring unit in Ukraine.

Practical experience

"I was looking for a chance to gain some practical experience at a diplomatic institution," said Mr. Didenko. "In Washington, D.C., the natural choice to do this is the Embassy of one's own country."

He says the internship bridges a need frequently encountered by Ukrainian students studying in foreign countries. "Many Ukrainian graduates of Western universities often find it difficult to find their way into government institutions," he noted. "The problem results in a gap between the young foreign-educated talent and the place where it is demanded, the Ukrainian government bodies. I believe that by sponsoring this internship The Washington Group is doing its own share toward bridging the gap."

Mr. Didenko's background also includes time spent as an intern at the House of Commons of the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa. Besides his master's degree from Johns Hopkins, Mr. Didenko also holds degrees in political science from Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary, and in history from Luhansk State Pedagogical University in Ukraine.

The embassy internship has proven beneficial for the Ukrainian Embassy as well, according to the first secretary for the Cultural, Information and Press Office there, Hennadii Nadolenko. "We very much value our eight-year-long cooperation with the TWG Fellowship Committee, which allows us every year to bring an intern to the Embassy," said Mr. Nadolenko. "We find the help of interns very valuable as they often bring in new ideas and take care of their implementation. For example, two years ago, we launched a regular up-to-date news bulletin service on the Embassy's website and this was largely made possible by the work of our intern. We hope the internship program will continue for many years to come," he explained.

Fund-raising drive

The TWG Fellowship Fund was established within The Washington Group in 1987, and placed its first intern at the Embassy of Ukraine back in 1996. A fund-raising drive to cover costs of next year's Embassy internship is currently under way. TWG is a 501c non-profit organization, with contributions being tax-deductible. Donations can be sent to: TWG Fellowship Fund, PO Box 11248, Washington, DC 20008.

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