Ukrainian Immigrant is the Valedictorian for Class of 2009 at
Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus
Commencement ceremonies for nearly 1,900 students to take place on Thursday, May 14
Brooklyn, N.Y. –Six years ago and halfway around the globe from her current home in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, Larysa Doudla was a carefree college student in her native country of Ukraine. She was active in school clubs, played piano and had many friends. She thought she had it all until the day her father and mother, an economist and a schoolteacher, won the United States Green Card Lottery, a government program that annually grants 50,000 visas to people all around the world, authorizing them to live and to work in the United States. The program allowed the couple, their daughter and a son to immigrate to this country.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I remember my father talking about his dream of moving here,” said Ms. Doudla, a 27-year-old finance and management major. She was happy for her Dad, but was concerned about how this opportunity would affect her own life. The transition was tough at first. She spoke very little English and missed her friends. “In the United States, everything was new for me,” she recounted. “Also, life is very quick here. You have to be on the run all the time.”
Nevertheless, her indomitable spirit and optimism helped the young immigrant to catch up quickly. She became fluent in English adding to her already in-depth knowledge of Polish, Russian and Ukrainian. In 2005, she enrolled in the School of Business, Public Administration and Information Sciences at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus and worked two jobs during most of the time she was taking classes. Yet, she has excelled with the support of professors, whom she describes as mentors and friends.
As the Brooklyn Campus Valedictorian Ms. Doudla, who earned a 3.8 grade-point average, will address an audience of nearly 1,900 of her fellow students, their family members and friends. In addition to graduating with this highest honor, Ms. Doudla has won the Campus’ Managerial Society Award for Excellence and the Most Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award. Despite numerous academic, family and work obligations, she found time to be a member of the Campus Finance Society, the Alpha Chi National Honor Society and the American Academy of Professional Coders. She also married her hometown sweetheart, Ivan Chyipesh. The couple lives together with her family in Brooklyn.
Ms. Doudla is quite upbeat about the future despite the tumultuous economic environment. “I see the reality of today’s economy, however, I understand the potential of how bright minds can make things better,” she asserted.
“Ms. Doudla is a wonderful representative of the students who are graduating from the Brooklyn Campus. Many of them are first-generation Americans and first-generation college graduates who have overcome a multitude of obstacles to earn their degrees and to go on and make the world a better place,” commented Gale Stevens Haynes, provost of Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus.
The commencement ceremony will take place on Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 10:15 a.m. on the Campus athletic field near Flatbush and DeKalb Avenues in downtown Brooklyn, N.Y. It will be followed by the traditional Campus celebration of a commencement barbeque that is open to graduates, their family members and friends.
Media Contact: (718) 488-1015
Posted: May 5, 2009
|
