I was born in Boston, USA, however my family moved to Kyiv, Ukraine in 1992 where I lived for a large portion of my childhood. In 1999, my family moved to Toronto where I have lived ever since. Growing up in Toronto, I became very involved in the Ukrainian Community, this has been a continuing trend in my life and I am now the President of the UWO Ukrainian Students Club. In my first two years of University I studied International Relations, which first triggered my interest in international development, which was furthered after I volunteered in Peru for a month. It was during my first semester at Ivey that I became interested in pursuing a career path in sustainability.
Additional Information
Personal Definition of Sustainability
The term sustainability can be applied to many different contexts; in the most general context I see it as assuming responsibility for ones actions and acting in a manner that will not have a negative impact on the environment, people, or the economy. In a business context, I see Corporate Social Responsibility within corporations as the main approach to improving sustainability. Sustainability can also be defined in terms of the Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet and Profit, which suggests that corporations should not solely focus on bringing value to their shareholders, but should work towards making an environmental and social impact.
Sustainability-in-Action
During the summer of 2010, I volunteered with an NGO named Cross-Cultural Solutions in Lima, Peru for a month. While I was there I taught English and assisted teachers in an educational day care facility for children living in one of the poorest districts of Lima. The mission of this NGO is to work with local sustainable community initiatives such as the day care I worked at, which provides the opportunity of gaining a primary education to the some of the poorest children in Peru. This was one of the major experiences that harnessed my passion for social sustainability and working with people. This summer I hope to find employment in the field of Non-Profit, Social Enterprise, or International Development, particularly I am looking at doing an international internship with the organization AIESEC.
