Mariia Arshynnikova is a first-year Global Finance bachelor’s student, passionate about civic education and social impact, a Ukrainian Young European Ambassador, and the author of the project on the entire history of Ukraine "15 steps to Ukrainian unity".
Maria was recently named one of the 100 global winners of the Rise program, a large international program supporting young leaders. It is an initiative of Schmidt Futures (founded by Eric Schmidt, ex-CEO of Google, and his wife Wendy) and the Rhodes Trust and aims to expand educational opportunities for young people worldwide.
We asked Mariia about the opportunities provided by the Rise program, her impressions of being among 100 winners from around the world, and the beginning of her studies at AUK.
What is this program about? What were the requirements for the participants?
The Rise program is a global initiative that supports young people from all over the world, offering unique opportunities for developing leadership skills, career growth, and implementation of social projects. As a global winner, I received a study program in Oxford, mentoring, networking, internships, and access to the funds of the RISE program (financed expenses for various levels of study, development of social projects, startups, etc.). This is a lifelong program to support young leaders. The requirements for the participants were high: it was necessary to demonstrate not only their academic achievements but also strong leadership qualities, social activity, and a desire for positive changes in society. In addition, develop and implement a project that has the potential to make a significant contribution to the development of the community or society as a whole.
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How did you find out about the program, and why did you decide to participate?
This program is well-known among socially active youth, but I can’t even remember when I first heard about it. Back then, I definitely didn’t think I’d end up winning it because the other applicants were working on such incredible projects—restoring cultural heritage, creating water purification systems, designing programs for early disease diagnosis, and coming up with inclusive solutions for retail. Their ideas were all so relevant to today’s challenges that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be a part of something like this.
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What benefits and opportunities does it provide?
There are so many opportunities - https://www.risefortheworld.org/global-winners/. The program has large funds, and due to the unification of creative, ambitious and hardworking young people, it has even greater potential for development.
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What advice would you give to your classmates and students who want to participate in the program?
This program is designed for the selection of young people up to 18 years old, so if you are still in this age category, I highly recommend creating a project and applying already this year. Your project can be, for example, a social initiative at AUK, running a club or organizing a course.
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Your impressions of participating in the program and being chosen as one of the 100 winners.
The competition was very high, so being named one of the top 100 winners out of thousands of talented participants is a great honor and acknowledgement of my efforts and concepts (when I told my friends about my victory, they said it was expected). The program has no alternatives, and the whole experience designed for us is inspiring and integrative. I am waiting for the program in Oxford in the summer to meet other winners and organize something spectacular.
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Why did you choose AUK? What are the expectations and first impressions of the study?
I chose American University Kyiv because it offers a cutting-edge curriculum, international experience and strong academic support. The university has modern programs that let you grow in a variety of ways and acquire knowledge that meets global standards. My expectations from studying are new opportunities to implement projects and gain deep knowledge in areas that interest me, especially in finance and management. First impressions are very positive: an active student community, faculty with extensive practical experience, and a high level of support from the administration.
More about the Rise program: https://www.risefortheworld.org/
Maria’s profile on the Rise website: https://www.risefortheworld.org/winners/mariia-arshynnikova